National Dance Project Presentation Grant

PLEASE NOTE: The final NDP Production Grant cycle in its current form will open in January 2025. The deadline for the preliminary application will be February 28, 2025 at 11:59pm EST. To learn more, please read a letter to the field from NEFA’s Executive Director, Harold Steward.

Presentation Grants are made to U.S. nonprofit presenting organizations to support the engagements of NDP awarded projects on tour by subsidizing up to 50% of the artist's fee (including housing, per diem, and travel). View current eligible projects in our directory.

About the National Dance Project Grant Program

Visit the National Dance Project Program page to learn more about the program and its advisors.

VISIT THE PROGRAM PAGE

About NDP Presentation Grants

NDP Presentation grants are made directly to U.S. nonprofit organizations (a.k.a. presenters) presenting NDP projects on tour to support up to 50% of the artist’s fee, including housing, per diem, and travel. These grants support the dance field by making it possible for presenters to bring artists and companies into their communities, enabling audiences across the nation to experience work by some of today’s most creative and compelling dance artists. 

Each year, 25 to 30 NDP projects are featured in an average of 250 communities across the country. These touring engagements create new connections between the public and artists, offer unique opportunities for artistic growth, and increase access to the arts and the creative process.

How It Works:

Projects with touring support from NDP through a Production Grant receive up to $35,000 in reserved funds to support a U.S. tour/sharing of their work. Each NDP project has a designated tour coordinator who is responsible for negotiating directly with presenters to determine the amount of subsidy each presenter will receive, and submitting a tour/sharing plan with this information to NEFA by a given deadline. NEFA then invites those presenters on the submitted tour /sharing plan to apply for a Presentation Grant. In order to be invited to apply for a Presentation Grant, a presenter must be included on a project’s tour plan and meet all eligibility requirements (see below). 

Information about current NDP projects, including tour coordinator details, is listed in the directory.

Eligibility

To be eligible for a Presentation Grant, applicants must:

• Be included on a tour/sharing plan for an NDP project. View eligible projects and tour coordinator information.
• Be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, unit of state or local government, institution of higher education, or a Federally-recognized Indian tribal government. Nonprofit organizations do not have to be arts organizations.
• Present at least one (1) public or virtual performance of the NDP project during the artist or company’s NDP Touring/Sharing Period.*

Please Note: There is no limit to the number of Presentation Grants a presenter may receive, but a separate application must be submitted for each NDP project.

NDP Presentation Grants will NOT fund:

• A presentation already receiving funding through another NEFA grant program including NEST.
• The presentation of a work not currently supported by NDP, even if the work is by an artist/company with NDP support for a different work. 
• Presentations that take place outside the project’s specific NDP Touring/Sharing Period, unless the express written approval by NEFA has been received prior to the time of application. 
• Engagements without at least one (1) public or virtual performance** of the NDP-supported work.
• Engagements which have already taken place.
   

* The NDP Touring/Sharing Period is the window of time in which touring subsidy is available to presenters through an NDP Presentation Grant and is specific to each project.

** Due to the impacts of COVID-19, NEFA understands that there are more opportunities and interest in artists/companies to share their work virtually, reaching a global audience. While we support the many ways artists/companies have been able to expand their reach, it is important to note that NDP tour subsidy can only be allocated to U.S. based organizations.

Process & Deadlines 

Process

Tour Coordinator Responsibilities:

• Tour coordinators negotiate directly with presenters who will be part of the NDP tour/sharing plan and determine the amount of subsidy each presenter will receive. 
• Tour coordinators must submit a tour/sharing plan* to NEFA no later than two (2) months prior to the first listed engagement. Tour/Sharing plans for NDP funded work should confirm the presenters involved, the artist fee (including housing, per diem, and travel), and the amount and percentage of tour subsidy for each organization, not to exceed 50% of the artist fee (including housing, per diem, and travel).

Presenter Responsibilities:

• Interested presenters should contact the tour coordinator as soon as possible to find out details about the project, negotiate fees and NDP subsidy, and confirm the project’s NDP Touring/Sharing Period.  
• NEFA reviews eligibility and invites presenters included on the submitted tour/sharing plans to apply for an NDP Presentation Grant for the specific amount allocated by the project’s tour coordinator. 
• Presenters must submit the online application for a Presentation Grant two (2) months prior to the scheduled start of engagement with an NDP supported project.
• Presentation Grant award letters will be made approximately four (4) weeks upon receipt and approval of online application.
• Presenters receive the grant as reimbursement** after the engagement takes place and upon submission and approval of a final report and receipt form signed by the artist/company. 

*If you require an alternate format or assistance to access the tour/sharing plan or receipt form, please contact: Jane Preston, Interim Accessibility Coordinator, by email jpreston@nefa.org or telephone 617-865-1835.

** Presentation Grants can only be paid to U.S. organizations.

Deadlines

Given the impacts of COVID-19, NEFA acknowledges that the definition of touring and the arts & culture landscape will continue to change. However, we remain steadfast in supporting artists/companies in the various ways they choose to share their work. This may be via safe in-person gatherings or virtual experiences. With that, we have adjusted our deadlines as follows:  

• Tour coordinators must submit NDP tour/sharing plans two (2) months prior to the scheduled engagement (in-person or virtual) of the NDP supported project. Tour/Sharing plans should be sent to Cheri Opperman, Grants Manager, Dance, at copperman@nefa.org.
• Presenters must submit the online application for a Presentation Grant two (2) months prior to the scheduled start of engagement with an NDP supported project.    

As a reminder, each NDP supported project has its own designated tour period. Presenters are encouraged to contact the tour coordinator for specific timelines. For general questions about NDP tour/sharing periods, please contact the NDP team.

Requirements & Reports for Grant Recipients

Requirements (All supplemental materials should be uploaded on the attachments tab of the online grantee report.)

• Completed and submitted online grantee report (below).
• Copies of program and publicity materials (read details).
• Signed Receipt Form (read details; access the form).
• Photos of the NDP supported engagement.

Click below to log in and begin your grantee report. You may save and return at any time.

 START YOUR GRANTee REport 

Applications Instructions

Contact the tour coordinator listed in the directory. Organizations included in the NDP project’s tour plan will be invited to apply for a Presentation Grant.

All organizations are required to provide an IRS W-9 Form (see www.irs.gov for current version) and a DUNS (Dun & Bradstreet) Number (see http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform) in the application.