IndieSpace
The Little Venue That Could grant program
SERVICES PROVIDED Grantmaking
ADC TEAM Alejandra Duque Cifuentes
About
The Little Venue That Could is a two year general operating support grant program for NYC-based indie theater and dance performance venues with expense budgets under $750,000. IndieSpace celebrates and centers independent theater-making in New York City by providing radically transparent, responsive and equity-focused funding, real estate programs, professional development, and advocacy to individual artists, theater companies, and indie venues.
Challenge
In the creation of this new grantmaking program, IndieSpace wanted to find a way to include a review committee of members of the artistic community into the review process for the first time ever without compromising their values of openness and equity. It was also crucial to ensure that this process wouldn’t create an undue burden on artists and venues applying to the program, which is a chronic issue in the sector. We worked together to create a system that both honored the intention of the grant, included more constituents, but also aligned with IndieSpace’s values.
Approach
IndieSpace uses a lottery system for the majority of their funding programs, with some including a weighted system. For this grant, the weighing of applications would include scores provided by a review committee. ADC Consulting supported IndieSpace in creating this weighted system for organizations that met certain prioritized criteria. We worked together to develop a new structure that allowed the review committee to participate in a way that that honored the intention of the grant, included more constituents, but also aligned with IndieSpace’s values. It was also very important for the review committee to represent the Indie and dance community and reflected a diversity of lived experience and perspectives.
ADC Consulting also played a key role in developing program materials including the structure of the grant, the application, and communication materials. We created project management tools to help us stay on track and take us from idea to execution.
And with deep roots in the dance space, we served as a connector between IndieSpace—which predominantly serves the indie theater community—and local dance performance venues. We encouraged them to apply and learn more about the programs IndieSpace has to offer.
Impact
Distributed 13 two-year general operating support grants to performance spaces in NYC, for a total investment of $260,000.
53 applications: 17 dance making venues within the applicant pool, 11 were dance venues with new relationships to IndieSpace.
Hired six review committee members, which provided additional employment to members of the community.
In the news
American Theatre: 13 New York Venues Receive IndieSpace Grants
