Dance

Giving for nonprofit dance organizations is modest compared with donations for other performing arts such as music and theater. And while major ballet companies are often well funded, the average dance organization is operating on a shoestring. Individual donors are the leading source of support for most dance nonprofits, and there are abundant opportunities for donors at all levels to make a big impact for the many smaller dance organizations. This guide offers advice about how donors can make a difference in the nonprofit dance sector. It highlights the leading philanthropic strategies in the dance field and offers guidance for how donors new to this space can get started with their giving.  

Strategies for Impact

Nonprofits are engaged in a range of efforts related to dance. Some of these organizations are well funded, while others are operating on very small budgets. Below, we discuss areas where donors might focus their funding and spotlight organizations in each that represent the kind of nonprofits that donors might consider supporting.  

• Go beyond ballet. The majority of philanthropic giving for dance goes to ballet, and ballet companies — especially the big ones — are in a different universe from most dance organizations. Some renowned ballet companies have large endowments, wealthy board members and multimillion-dollar budgets. Meanwhile, legions of contemporary dance companies, folk dance groups, dance education nonprofits and other dance organizations have lean budgets and few (if any) full-time staff. Donors have many opportunities to support smaller community dance organizations or nonprofits focused on dance forms other than ballet.  

• Support equity and diversity in dance. To address disparities in the field and champion diversity and equity in dance, funders may want to prioritize support for BIPOC- and women-led dance organizations, disabled dance troupes and dance organizations in rural, low-income and other underserved communities. BIPOC-led dance companies and organizations include Contra-Tiempo Urban Latin Dance Theater and Versa-Style in Los Angeles, New York’s Urban Bush Women and Ballet Hispánico, Chicago’s Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Alonzo King LINES Ballet and Zaccho Dance Theatre in San Francisco, Philadelphia’s Kule Mele African Dance and Drum Ensemble, and many others. Dancing While Black, an artist-driven initiative, supports and illuminates the diverse work and experiences of Black dance artists. Axis Dance Company in San Francisco seeks to redefine dance and disability, and features both able-bodied and disabled dancers. Ballez, in New York, welcomes “all the queers that ballet has left out.” The lack of diversity in ballet companies has been called out by advocates for change, including MoBBallet, a nonprofit that aims to diversify the field and illuminate the history of Black ballet artists. Everybody Dance Now! is a national nonprofit that brings hip hop and street dance programming to communities that would otherwise not have access to it. 

• Contribute to dancers getting paid a living wage. The median hourly wage for dancers in 2022 was $21.64, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Many dancers in artistic dance companies have only part-time or seasonal work and have to work other jobs to make ends meet. A few dance organizations, such as A.I.M. by Kyle Abraham and Gibney Company, have committed to giving dancers full-time or year-round employment with a living wage, benefits and paid time off. Funders can help make dance jobs good jobs by giving nonprofit dance companies general operating support that can be used on staffing and salaries. 

• Support dance education. Bringing the joy, culture and vibrancy of dance education to everyone is another funder focus area, especially in a time of cutbacks for arts education. The National Dance Education Organization works to increase access to quality dance arts education by supporting dance artists, educators and administrators in schools, colleges, community centers, dance studios and performing arts spaces. The National Dance Institute has served millions of youth and trained thousands of dance teachers. Regional groups like the California Dance Education Association serve dance artists and educators through professional development in diverse educational settings.

• Give where dance connects to other issues. Dance can be used as a tool for social change, for empowerment and for healing. There are nonprofits across the country that work at the intersections of dance and other issues, such as Dance for PD, a program of the Mark Morris Dance Group that provides dance and movement classes for people with Parkinson’s disease. Gibney Company’s Move to Move Beyond program offers movement as a modality for healing from gender-based violence. In Boston, The Flavor Continues promotes wellbeing, education, employment and social justice through street and club dance forms. In Santa Ana, California, The Wooden Floor reaches low-income youth through a dance-based program designed to strengthen self-esteem and break the cycle of poverty through movement and mentoring. In Baltimore, Ballet After Dark provides somatic interventions, trauma-informed care, dance therapy and holistic methods for Black survivors of violence to heal through dance. 

Insights and Advice 

In considering which impact strategies to support, donors should take into account their personal interests and outlook to find the best fit. They should also keep an eye out for emerging opportunities to give with maximum impact for dance. Here, we offer a few insights and suggestions:

• Don’t go it alone. Intermediaries and philanthropy-serving organizations can do a huge amount of the leg work of identifying opportunities in the field, and getting involved with one of these groups is a great way for donors to save time and give more effectively. Relevant groups include Grantmakers in the Arts, Dance/USA, Dance/NYC, Americans for the Arts and SMU Data Arts. 

• Give unrestricted general operating support. Nonprofit dance organizations are most in need of unrestricted general operating support. This type of support gives them the flexibility to use funds where they are needed most, including for things like salaries to pay dancers and the people who work behind the scenes on dance programs a sustainable wage. 

For Donors Getting Started

Donors who are new to this space should take the time to learn about the landscape. A good place to start is by reading IP’s State of American Philanthropy brief on Giving for Dance. In addition, peruse recent articles that IP has published about what’s happening in this area of philanthropy. Several of the intermediaries mentioned above, such as Grantmakers in the Arts, Dance/USA, Dance/NYC and Americans for the Arts, offer articles and events where donors can learn more about giving in this area. Grantmakers in the Arts’ Black Arts & Cultural Funding and Justice Resource Hub provides information about funds and resources that center Black artists, cultural communities and experiences. 

To find local nonprofit organizations working in the dance space that are well respected, Charity Navigator is a reputable place to search for worthy organizations around the country.

 But the best way to get started giving for dance is to make some initial gifts, get to know the work of the groups you’re supporting, and connect early with a funding intermediary that can help you learn more about this giving area and increase your giving in a thoughtful way.

Have suggestions for improving this brief? Please email us at editor@insidephilanthropy.com.