Leon Levy Foundation COVID Relief Fund

The Leon Levy Foundation COVID Relief Fund, a program of the A.R.T./New York Relief Fund for NYC Small Theatres, provides small New York City theatres with access to relief funding through flexible, general operating support grants of $2,500 that may be used for any purposes the grantee needs. With the generous support of the Leon Levy Foundation, the fund is intended to create an accessible relief fund for small theatres with annual budgets under $250k who are based in or primarily produce or create work in New York City.

Program Goals
* To provide financial relief to nonprofit theatre organizations (including those that are fiscally sponsored or “non-profit in spirit”) with annual operating budgets under $250,000 who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
* To fund a vibrant mix of theatres working with diverse aesthetics and serving a wide range of cultural communities across New York City.
* To support companies who are impacting the field in New York City and who have had limited access to relief funding and financial support.

Grant applications are reviewed and scored on a rolling basis by a diverse panel of theatre makers and administrators from a range of roles in the field, and nominations for grant panelists are solicited from the public.

Applicants do not need to be members of A.R.T./New York to apply for the relief fund, and membership in A.R.T./New York will not be considered by or known to panelists scoring the applications.

For more information about applying to this program, please email grants@art-newyork.org.

Requirements

You do not need to be a member of A.R.T./New York to apply for this grant program. Applicants who applied to a previous round of A.R.T./New York relief funding are eligible to apply for the Leon Levy Foundation COVID Relief Fund, regardless of whether they received funding.

To be eligible for this grant, you must:
1. Be a theatre company, organization, or artist collective
* Applicant may be a 501c3, fiscally sponsored, or unincorporated entity that is “non-profit in spirit”.
* A.R.T./New York has an expansive definition of “theatre” as a discipline of live performance. If you call your art theatre, then you are eligible to apply for this grant! However, keep in mind as you write your application that a panel of theatre-makers will be evaluating your application for this theatre-based grant.
* This grant program does not fund individual artists, but artist-led theatre companies are eligible. If you are an individual artist looking for relief funding, please visit our resource page for links to other opportunities.
* This grant is not seed funding, and applicants should have been in operation prior to the beginning of the COVID-19 shutdown in March 2020.
2. Have annual operating expenses for either of the last two fiscal years of under $250,000.
3. Be based in, or primarily produce in, the five boroughs of New York City.
* Companies that create work in NYC and then tour nationally and internationally are eligible for this grant program.
4. Be financially impacted by the coronavirus shutdown.

Application Instructions

The application consists of three sections: Eligibility, Theatre Information, and Short Answer. Before logging in and starting the application, you may wish to review a copy of the application in full. Visit the website to preview the full application.

To learn more, A.R.T./New York will hold three live virtual info sessions for the Leon Levy Foundation COVID Relief Fund. The info sessions are led by A.R.T./New York staff and will review the grant, eligibility criteria, and application process. Attendees will also be able to ask any questions they may have about the application. Attendees are encouraged to review the grant website and application prior to attending the info session.