Rauschenberg Dancer Emergency Grants

About the Open Call

This program provides one-time grants of up to $3,000 to professional dancers experiencing dire financial emergencies due to circumstances outside of their control, such as loss or lack of recent/current live performance work, illness, or injury. Eligible emergencies include the lack or imminent endangerment of essentials like housing, medicine/healthcare, utilities, and food. The grant aims to cover up to three months of essential expenses. Eligible expenses include rental housing, utilities, food, medical/dental/mental healthcare and insurance premiums, and transportation. Ineligible expenses include mortgage payments, expenses for other family members, non-essential expenses (e.g., credit card debt, student loans), and purchases of vehicles or other equipment. Funds are limited, and an application does not guarantee a grant. The program is supported by the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation.

What is Offered

One-time grants of up to $3,000

Requirements

Applicants must be 21 years or older and reside in the United States, the District of Columbia, a Tribal Nation, or a U.S. Territory. Applicants must have an adjusted gross income of $80,000 or lower for an individual, or $160,000 for joint filers, averaged over the last two federal tax returns. Applicants must not have received a Rauschenberg Medical or Dancer Emergency Grant within the last five years. Applicants cannot be enrolled in any degree-seeking program. Applicants must demonstrate current and ongoing activity as a professional dancer, having worked as a paid, live dance performer for at least the last five years (since 2020). Applicants must be experiencing a dire financial emergency within approximately the last six months, resulting from a loss or lack of current/recent paid dance work due to circumstances beyond their control. Expenses for which funds are requested must be incurred and paid within the U.S.

How to Apply

Applications must be in English and submitted online via Submittable. First-time users will need to register with the free Submittable platform to access the application portal. Applicants need to provide contact information, describe their economic severity, provide annual income, summarize professional dance activity, describe the dire financial emergency, state a step towards stability, list expenses, and upload a current resume/bio/CV demonstrating recent and sustained activity as a professional dancer in live, public-facing performances since at least 2020. No work samples or URLs/links are accepted. Paper applications or assistance with online submission can be requested by contacting emergencyfunds@nyfa.org or 212-366-6900 ext. 239. It is recommended to apply in advance of the deadline.