Jerome Robbins Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The foundation supports dance and theater work across the U.S. Grantmaking was paused in 2021.
IP TAKE: Within the worlds of dance and theater, the Jerome Robbins Foundation has worked broadly to support a broad range of creative people, projects and organizations. This funder paused its grantmaking during the COVID-19 crisis, and it is unclear when it may resume its awards program. Check back periodically for updates.
PROFILE: Founded in 1958, the Jerome Robbins Foundation was created by iconic dance choreographer and theater producer Jerome Robbins, the driving force behind “West Side Story,” “The King and I” and “Fiddler on the Roof.” Over the course of his career, Robbins earned five Tony Awards, two Academy Awards, the Kennedy Center Honors, the National Medal of Arts, an Honorary Membership in the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, and many more accolades. The foundation seeks to support “dance, theater, and their associative arts,” although in the 1980s foundation resources were temporarily redirected to combat the AIDS crisis. It supports dance and theater through the Jerome Robbins Award.
The Jerome Robbins Foundation paused its grantmaking in 2021, and it is unclear when it award program might resume.
Grants for Dance and Theater
The Jerome Robbins Award was established based upon this directive from Robbins in 1995: “I would like there to be established a prize to some really greatly outstanding person or art institution. The prizes should lean toward the arts of dance and its associative collaborators, but not necessarily be defined by that surround.”
Eligible dance-adjacent professions are wide-ranging and include everything “from teachers and designers to choreographers and presenting organizations.” Awarding nearly $2 million in grants each year, past dance program recipients include the New York City Ballet, the Gibney Dance Center, Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance, and the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation. But the foundation extends awards beyond New York City as well. The Houston Ballet, Boston Ballet, Miami City Ballet, and Oregon Ballet Theatre have been awarded funds ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 in recent years. To see a full list of grantees, click here.
Grants for Disease
Upon Robbin’s request, following the AIDS crisis of the 1980s, the foundation also supports organizations providing health services to those affected by the disease. These include both health care specific organizations such as the Harlem United Community AIDS Center as well as performing arts organizations with AIDS-related initiatives such as The Actors Fund. These grants are made by invitation only.
Important Grant Information
Grants range from $1,500 to $100,000.
Grants from the foundation are generally meant to be applied to operating costs.
The Jerome Robbins Foundation paused its grantmaking in 2021.
Visit the foundation’s website for the latest information regarding funding opportunities.
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