Grant Opportunity from the Venturous Theater Fund
The Venturous Theater Fund is accepting letters of inquiry from small to medium-sized theaters. Theaters must be not-for-profit 501(c)3 organizations, or sponsored organizations.
Funding is intended to support ambitious and challenging work that embraces experimentation, risk, and room for failure. The “Venturous Capital” grant program aims to give theaters the ability to say “yes” instead of “no” to worthy but challenging projects, especially ambitious new plays with large casts.
These grants are intended to underwrite extraordinary production expenses for new plays-specific costs that a theater might otherwise be unable to incur.
Examples:
- Large cast size-support for additional performers
- Unusual technical requirements
- Additional production elements
- Musicians/dancers (but see note below about the kinds of productions we support)
- Other expenses
Funding is not provided for enhanced production values. Funded expenses must be integral, not supplemental, to the project.
The Fund makes grants for text-based, author-driven plays. They do not fund musicals or plays for children.
Support is intended for new plays, though not necessarily for premieres. The Fund is willing to support second/third productions and other stagings with the playwright’s involvement.
The playwright must receive reasonable compensation (royalty, fee, etc.) for the production. This is exclusive of any applicable commission fee.
Funds must be used for full productions on an AEA contract that are open to the general public for a substantial run (no workshops).
Because this grant is intended in part to fund projects that employ artists, the Fund will not consider projects that are produced on any of the AEA showcase codes or with uncompensated performers.
Theaters are welcome to submit letters of inquiry of no more than one page in length describing the project, briefly explaining its suitability for this program.
Please address these questions in the LOI:
- What do you want to do?
- What do you need in order to do it?
- What will be the impact of the grant?
- How does the project fit the mission of Venturous Theater Fund?
- Have you already committed to the production? If so, when will it take place? On which AEA contract?
- What is the cast size?
Please let them know if this will be a coproduction, co-premiere, etc. How much funding are you requesting from VTF? You may supply an approximate figure; if invited to apply, you will be asked to provide a specific dollar amount and a production budget.
Upcoming LOI deadlines:
Summer 2015 – June 15, 2015 (for productions in 2015 and 2016)
Winter 2016 – December 1, 2015*
Summer 2016 – June 15, 2016*
*exact deadline date TBD. The deadline will be no earlier than the date specified above
You may submit more than one LOI per round, but the Fund will not consider more than two LOIs per theater in each calendar year.
Click here for guidelines and to submit letter.
