IndieSpace Programs

Funding

IndieSpace provides radically transparent, equitable, and responsive funding to individual artists, small companies, and indie venues through a variety of available grants. Some of our grants are annual and others are open year round.

Mental Health Grants

The IndieSpace Mental Health grant awards individual artists $500 micro grants to use toward therapy, medication, meditation classes, and any other mental health-related costs. It is our hope that by providing this financial resource, we can help remove barriers that prevent artists from seeking and receiving the care, support, and information they need to care for their mental health.

Pay Your People Grants

We provide an annual lottery grant program for companies and venues - Pay Your People Grants.

The Pay Your People Grant must be used to pay key creative collaborators, artists, or people in your organization’s leadership who have been historically excluded from funding based on race, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, ability, economic disadvantage, refugee/immigration status or for other reasons you define. This grant opportunity is for those that are an indie theater company and/or fiscally sponsored production. Venues are also eligible for the grant and the award must be used to pay or support historically excluded artists (as defined above) working or performing in your venue/spaces. This grant opportunity is for those that operate an indie venue. In order to receive a Pay Your People Grant a member of your company must be present at The Big Give.

The Big Give

The Big Give is our annual community building and funding event where we hold the lotteries for the Pay Your People grants. The Big Give is a celebration of indie theater and an opportunity to provide financial support for small theaters and companies who are often unable to receive funds from more traditional grantors. The “frictionless,” trust-based application for The Big Give lottery is a simple and concise online form that only asks practical, non narrative based questions. Applications are vetted only for eligibility and not artistic merit. At the event, eligible applicant names are actually drawn out of a hat and grant checks are written on the spot to those recipients.

The Little Venue That Could

We are excited to announce the launch of The Little Venue That Could program, with generous support from the Howard Gilman Foundation. This new program will award two-year $10,000 grants to NYC-based performance venues with annual budgets under $750,000.

The Little Venue That Could program grants will be $10,000 per year, for two consecutive fiscal years, and can be used to pay staff, rent, utilities, debt or whatever the venue deems appropriate to help them keep their doors open and thrive. A minimum of 10 grants, to 10 venues, will be given. Each grantee will also be automatically registered in IndieSpace’s FREE Advisory and Consulting program, providing access to experts and information throughout the lifetime of their space operation. Applications closed on June 26.

Unrestricted and Unsolicited Grants

We recognize venues and artists who hold space for their community or who are in particular need and occasionally, we give unsolicited and unrestricted grants to such companies. For example, 13 grants were given to venues navigating a post-Covid opening and another 11 were given to Black, Indigeneous, and AAPI companies who provided support and service to their artists during violent attacks against these communities. These grants are typically for companies and venues only. On rare occasions, IndieSpace may accommodate an application from an individual artist, depending on funds available.

Emergency Funds and No Interest Loans

Artists sometimes find themselves in an urgent situation outside their control - a theft, injury, or natural disaster has impacted their ability to perform. In times like these, Emergency Funds are available via a brief application online, with some supplemental materials delivered via email. A committee within the Board of Directors reviews applications and aims to reply and deliver a check, if approved, within 48 hours.

Flexible, no interest loans are available to artists to help fill a temporary budget gap. Artists submit an application through the Emergency Fund for a loan and, if approved, a Promissory Note is signed and funds are delivered within a week.

Coalition Funds

Cultural Solidarity Fund

The Cultural Solidarity Fund was established directly in response to COVID-19, in partnership with Leimay and 17 other cultural organizations, providing micro grants of $500 to artists and cultural workers. Thus far, approximately $1M has been granted through the Cultural Solidarity Fund.

The Cultural Solidarity Fund is no longer accepting applications. We are working to sunset this fund having given every applicant in need support. The work of the CSF organizers continues with efforts focused on a Safety Net for artists and cultural workers.

AAPI Transportation Fund

With a 361% increase in crime against AAPI community members, IndieSpace has partnered with AAPAC to provide transportation stipends for artists to get to and from rehearsals and performances safely. Applications for these $250 small stipends for safety are open on an ongoing basis, until the need decreases or funds are no longer available. If you are a member of the AAPI community and are in need of transportation support, please email IndieSpace Executive Director Randi Berry at randi@indiespace.org.

Community Resources

Leveraging the collective purchasing power of over 600 company and venue members, plus thousands of individual artists, we facilitate discounts on various products and services. The Community Resources Program has offered subsidized rehearsal space, reduced strategic planning costs, free and reduced grant writing services, and ASL interpretation, among other services. Typically, the offerings are largely or fully subsidized by our organization, further reducing costs to our community.

Professional Development

We provide professional development workshops and access to information to help our artists grow. We offer in-person and online sessions on grant writing, budgeting, personal finance, public relations, and more. We have created partnerships with organizations like The Field and Pentacle to offer reduced cost fiscal sponsorship to artists who work outside of the not-for-profit structure.  We have facilitated connections between artists and attorneys and have coached artists through the decision making process regarding fiscal sponsorship versus 501c3.

Community Resources Lottery

IndieSpace holds a Community Resources Lottery every spring and fall to provide an opportunity for indie artists, companies, venues, and productions to receive free resources from trusted community partners.

The Big Learn

In 2022 we pivoted the Big Learn to more directly address artists' need for flexibility and individualized Anti Racism and Anti Oppression training. Artists can now request funds for their own training through a simple online application and through a partnership with Nicole Brewer and her Anti Racist Theater pedagogy.

Community Connections

The Community Connections program ensures that indie artists have the opportunity to: interact with each other through the IndieSpace co-work hub, attend funder meetings through the Seat at the Table initiative, and receive mentorship and community support during our Growing Small Budget Orgs calls.

Community Care

In addition to the Mental Health grants mentioned above, we pay special attention to the well-being of our artists, delivering the spaces to gather, heal, and build community.  Events have included community conversations centering Global Majority (BIPOC), d/Deaf, disabled, transgender/gender non-conforming/non-binary, and immigrant artists.; sessions on mutual aid and resource sharing; workshops on self-care, community care, and healing justice; access to funds for medical, therapeutic, and mental health services, and others.