New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) is proud to partner with the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation to administer Rauschenberg Dancer Emergency Grants, a new emergency grant program for professional dancers. Robert Rauschenberg was committed to assisting fellow artists in need of emergency aid, ultimately establishing the nonprofit foundation Change, Inc. in 1970. Recognizing the particularly extreme impact the pandemic has had on dancers, the Rauschenberg Dancer Emergency Grants have been created.

This program provides one-time grants of up to $5,000 to professional dancers* in need,** who are in dire financial emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Dire financial emergencies“ include the lack or imminent endangerment of essentials such as housing, medicine/healthcare, utilities, and food. If you were displaced due to COVID-19, expenses to enable you to return to your working home base are eligible. You must demonstrate an urgent and critical need for emergency support in your application.

*Professional = You have recent and sustained activity as a paid dancer (in any stage/performance style, including aerial, ballet, hip-hop, jazz, modern, tap, and traditional/folk) over the last 3-4 years in public-facing performances. Inactivity, or online/streaming activity, during COVID is allowable. Self-produced online presentation and/or performances shared solely through Instagram or Facebook are not eligible.

**To be eligible to apply, your average adjusted gross income for the last two years you’ve filed tax returns must be no greater than $75,000 ($150,000 for joint filers).

You can request funding for eligible expenses for up to a three-month period, ranging from four months before the grant deadline through four months after the grant deadline. Eligible expenses include, but are not limited to:

• Housing (deposits, rent, utilities)
• Medical/dental/vision insurance premiums
• Medical/dental/vision/mental health care
• Food
• Transportation (car payments, insurance, ride shares/taxis, mass transit)
• Other essential expenses which you can specify

Ineligible expenses include, but are not limited to:

• Mortgage payments
• Expenses related to other family members – e.g. food, healthcare, child/parent-care
• Non-essential expenses

While housing and utilities expenses may be requested for your general household, other eligible expenses may only be requested for your own individual purposes. Expenses can be already paid; can be owed; or can be coming up in the near future. If you receive a grant, you will be required to certify your use of the funds for the expenses itemized in your application, and provide copies of your tax returns for the last two years you have filed.

ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible for a Rauschenberg Dancer Emergency Grant, you must:

Demonstrate recent and sustained activity as a professional dancer (in any stage/performance style, including aerial, ballet, hip-hop, jazz, modern, tap, and traditional/folk) over the last 3-4 years in public-facing performances. Inactivity, or online/streaming activity, during COVID is allowable. Self-produced online presentation and/or performances shared solely through Instagram or Facebook are not eligible. Your resume/bio should include: Title/production/event, company (if applicable), your position/role, location, and date(s) for each engagement.

• Live in one of the 50 states, a Tribal Nation, a U.S. Territory, or the District of Columbia on the grant deadline
• Be 21 years of age or older on the grant deadline
• Have adjusted gross annual income of $75,000 or lower for an individual, or $150,000 for joint filers, averaged over the last two federal tax returns
• Provide a W-9 with a Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) or EIN if you are funded
• Not be enrolled in a degree-seeking program
• Request expenses that have been/will be incurred in the U.S.

For more information, visit: https://www.nyfa.org/awards-grants/rauschenberg-dancer-emergency-grants/