American Theatre Wing
/OVERVIEW: The American Theatre Wing, founder of the Tony Awards invests in grants for theater, arts education and arts and culture.
IP TAKE: The American Theater Wing is a prestigious theater funder. Founder of the Tony Awards, the American Theater Wing provides a number of services under its professional development, artistic advancement, and media & educational outreach programs. This funder is transparent, providing clear guidelines and annual deadlines for its grantmaking programs, which can change from year to year. Competition for these grants is fierce; however, the benefits of the awards can extend beyond the sum of the grants alone making them worth grantseekers’ time and energy.
PROFILE: Founded in 1917, the American Theatre Wing seeks to “award excellence and foster artistry by providing a platform for strong, fearless voices in the American theatre.” Created by a group of suffragists as a war relief organization during the first World War, it later evolved into its present configuration as an organization focused on arts education and theater advocacy. It is best known as the group behind Broadway's prestigious Tony Awards and off-Broadway’s Obie Awards, but it also provides distinct grant programs, as well as an assortment of different services for theatre professionals.
Grants for Theater
The American Theatre Wing offers grants that invest in both not-for-profit theaters, as well as K-12 public schools with dedicated theater programs. All of ATW’s giving invests in theater in some way. That said, all giving is conducted through a racial equity lens.
The National Theatre Company Grants provides support not-for-profit theaters around the country that show "outstanding new play development, education and community engagement."
Before 2010, eligibility for these grants was restricted to New York City companies, but the American Theatre Wing decided to expand their scope after a review by its Board of Trustees and allow "promising emerging theatre companies" from across the U.S. to apply.
An average of ten grants of $10,000 per year support "companies or organizations that have been in continued existence for at least five years but not longer than fifteen years."
These organizations must be 501(c)(3) nonprofits with a "clearly defined mission," with an operating budget of less than $3 million. Past grants have gone to places like TheatreSquared in northwest Arkansas and TimeLine Theatre Company in Chicago. Deadlines are in mid-July of each year.
The Jonathan Larson Grants prioritize musical theatre. These grants support composers, lyricists, and librettists who work in musical theatre and are "creating new, fully producible works for the theatre, and advancing the art form."
These grants fund individual artists and do not support specific works or projects. Collaborative teams may apply and those who regularly work together are strongly encouraged to apply in this way.
Grant amounts vary, but past awards include a grant of $8,000 to the team of Joshua Salzman and Ryan Cunningham for their cumulative work, which includes the Off-Broadway musical I Love You Because. $2,000 was also granted to theater, film, and concert composer Kamala Sankaram for her work.
Deadlines are at the end of September of each year.
ATW also produces a series of interviews and profiles of theatre professionals called Working in the Theatre.
Grants for Arts Education
The American Theatre Wing provides a range of opportunities that invest in arts education focused on theater to K-12 schools. These opportunities evolve often, so check ATW’s site:
The Andrew Lloyd Webber Initiative supports theatre education and access to industry opportunities. The three components of this grant include:
Classroom Resources, which provide up to $50,000 of “grant funding directly to under-resourced public schools to provide instruments, dance floors, lighting grids, and other necessary materials to create new, and enhance existing, in-school theatre programs;”
Training Scholarships to help cover costs of middle and high school students from underrepresented groups looking to enroll in afterschool and summer training programs.
4-Year University Scholarships provide $10,000 per year of support to students studying “ANY aspect of theatre” at the University level.
ATW also provides educational resources like the The Network for Emerging Leaders in the Theatre, which makes professional development opportunities available for students, interns, and young professionals working in New York City theaters
Another opportunity, the SpringboardNYC, is an "intensive summer boot camp for actors."
ATW also hosts an annual Songwriting Challenge for high school students, which provides mentorship and other types of professional development.
Important Grant Details:
Grant amounts vary according to program and can change from year to year, as do application procedures.
As with any organization like this, it is highly recommended to join the email list to stay informed about new developments.
ATW also maintains a news and events page with regular updates about the theater world and extensive news about the Tony's.
PEOPLE:
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