Mertz Gilmore Dance Research Grants

The Mertz Gilmore Dance Research Grants, administered by Staten Island Arts, offer crucial support to dance artists, collectives, and nonprofits at various career stages. This grant program is specifically designed to foster the research and development of new dance works. While the overall mission of Staten Island Arts is not explicitly detailed, this grant aligns with a broader goal of supporting artistic creation and addressing specific challenges within the local arts community, particularly the lack of venues for dance presentations in Staten Island. The grants aim to alleviate these significant challenges by focusing on the foundational stages of creative development, thereby contributing to the vitality of the local dance scene. The primary target beneficiaries of these grants are individual dancers, choreographers, dance collectives, and dance nonprofits who are residents of Staten Island and are at least 18 years old, and not full-time students. The impact goals are centered on enabling the creation of new dance work. By providing funding for the research and development phase, the program seeks to empower artists to explore innovative ideas and bring new projects to fruition, ultimately enriching the cultural landscape of Staten Island. The program's priorities and focuses are clear: to support the development of new dance works that are either undeveloped or in their early stages. Crucially, the grants explicitly exclude funding for work that has already been presented. This emphasis ensures that the funds are directed towards novel creative endeavors. The grants are designed to alleviate challenges related to the lack of presentation venues by focusing on development, rather than presentation costs. Ineligible activities include capital improvements, fundraising events, scholarships, juror fees, prizes, lobbying expenses, and entertainment, reinforcing the program's dedication to direct artistic creation. The expected outcomes include the successful research and development of new dance works by Staten Island-based dance artists and organizations. While specific measurable results are not detailed, the program implicitly aims for an increase in the quantity and quality of new dance pieces being created in the borough. Awards are set at $7,500 per artist, indicating a significant investment in individual creative processes. The underlying strategic priority is to strengthen the dance community in Staten Island by nurturing artistic talent and supporting the creation of original work from its nascent stages. The theory of change seems to be that by providing dedicated funding for early-stage development, artists will be better equipped to overcome resource limitations and contribute new, innovative dance to the community.