Made possible by the support of the Ford Foundation, New York Community Trust, and other generous funders, the purpose of the Dance Workforce Resilience (DWR) Fund is to promote fair labor practices and addresses wage inequities and precarious working conditions for individual freelance dancers by providing awards tied to formal contracts to dancers within the New York City dance ecosystem. Currently in its pilot iteration, the DWR Fund intends to:

• Reduce the wage gap between individual freelance dancers and living wage standards in the NYC metropolitan area;
• Incentivize equitable labor practices by promoting the widespread use of contracts; and
• Address systemic inequities by prioritizing the most underpaid and underprotected groups of dance workers including African, Latina/o/x, Asian, Arab, and Native American (ALAANA); disabled; immigrant; older adults; women-identifying; gender nonconforming/nonbinary/genderqueer; and transgender dancers.

Dance/NYC will award one-time flat grants of $1,000 to individual freelance dancers in the metropolitan New York City area for contracted dance work that includes a public performance or presentation taking place within the NYC metro area, completed between January 1, 2025, and April 30, 2026. Rehearsals are recognized as work, but projects are only eligible if the final performance or presentation occurs within the NYC metro area. Over the course of the grant period, Dance/NYC will distribute $324,000 to more than 320 awardees. Awards will be determined through a weighted lottery system.

ELIGIBILITY: 

• Are 18 or older;
• Live in the metropolitan NYC area (including the five boroughs of NYC, as well as Nassau, Rockland, Suffolk, and Westchester counties in New York State, and Bergen and Hudson counties in New Jersey) and are able to provide proof of address;
• Are able to provide a fully executed contract that shows:
  • ​The contractor was:
    • Contracted for project-based dance work that includes a public performance or presentation; and
    • Contracted specifically as a dancer (note that choreographers are welcome to apply if they are also functioning as a dancer in the contracted work and can supply a contract to this effect).
    • Provided via contract information on location, pay rate, contract period, working hours and breaks, payment terms, dancer role, independent contractor status, and contractee information.
  • The contracted work occurred
    • Within the period of January 1, 2025 to April 30, 2026 with applications being accepted until March 2026
    • The performance or public presentation took place within the metropolitan NYC area (rehearsals alone do not qualify).
• Are able to provide the following information to process ACH bank transfers of awards:
  • A complete W-9 Form; and
  • Bank Account Number and Routing Number.
    • If you are unable to receive funds via direct deposit, your grant will be processed via check.

You are encouraged to apply if you are a current or past grantee of Dance/NYC or if you have not previously been funded by Dance/NYC.
Applicants are not eligible to apply if they:

• Are under the age 18;
• Live outside of the metropolitan NYC area;
• Are being represented by a company (applications must be submitted by individual dancers);
• Submit a contract including:
  • work distinguishing the applicant as a full time or ongoing employee (versus an independent contractor);
  • work as a non-dancer (e.g., choreographer who is not functioning as a dancer in the work, arts administrator, producer, etc.);
  • work beyond the range of January 1, 2025 to April 30, 2026; or
  • work outside of the NYC metropolitan area.

UPCOMING DEADLINE: March 3, 2026