NYFA Rauschenberg Dancer Emergency Grants

The Rauschenberg Dancer Emergency Grants program is a private funding initiative created by the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation and administered by the New York Foundation for the Arts. The program reflects Robert Rauschenberg’s longstanding commitment to supporting artists in crisis, dating back to his founding of Change, Inc. in 1970. This grant was established to address the particularly severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and other recent disruptions on professional dancers, who often face unstable employment conditions and are vulnerable to financial emergencies when live performance work is interrupted. The program provides one-time grants of up to $3,000 to professional dancers experiencing urgent financial emergencies caused by circumstances beyond their control, such as the cancellation of performances, illness or injury, or loss of dance-related employment. Qualifying emergencies must be recent, occurring within approximately the last six months, and must involve direct, out-of-pocket expenses for essential needs such as housing, utilities, food, transportation, and healthcare. Applicants may request support for up to three consecutive months of eligible expenses, and up to $1,000 of the request may be applied to essential dance-related costs such as class fees, dance shoes, studio rentals, or physical therapy. Funds are not available for mortgages, family member expenses, debt repayment, or non-essential purchases. The program is highly competitive, with demand far exceeding available resources. Each cycle distributes approximately $65,000 in total funding. Applications are reviewed in a two-step process: first, staff review submissions for eligibility and completeness, then a panel evaluates economic urgency. Applications that score highest on urgency are entered into a lottery to determine final awardees. Applicants are not guaranteed funding even if eligible, and all application information is kept confidential, with reviewers bound by privacy agreements. Applicants must meet three main eligibility criteria: individual, artistic, and emergency. Individual requirements include being 21 years or older, residing in the United States, District of Columbia, Tribal Nations, or U.S. Territories, having an adjusted gross income of $75,000 or less for individuals (or $150,000 for joint filers) averaged over the past two years, and not being currently enrolled in a degree-seeking program. Previous recipients of a Rauschenberg Emergency Grant are not eligible. Artistically, applicants must have at least five years of professional dance experience with regular live, paid, public-facing performances since 2019. Eligible dance forms include ballet, modern, jazz, hip-hop, aerial, tap, and traditional/folk. Ineligible work includes educational, social, competitive, club, exotic, commercial, and self-produced online performances. Emergency eligibility requires proof of a dire financial crisis within the last six months caused by loss or reduction of dance performance opportunities. The application process requires submission through Submittable, including contact information, a financial disclosure of income, a checklist describing the severity of the emergency, a narrative outlining professional dance history and the financial emergency, a description of immediate needs, and a plan for steps toward stability if awarded funding. Applicants must also provide a current resume or CV documenting at least one live, paid engagement per year since 2019. No work samples or links are accepted. Applications must be truthful and complete, and late or incomplete applications will not be reviewed. For the current cycle (Cycle 20), applications open September 9, 2025, at 10:00 AM ET and close October 7, 2025, at 5:00 PM ET. Applicants will be notified of decisions by November 14, 2025. The program is recurring, with future cycles expected to continue through at least June 2025. Applications close automatically at the deadline, and applicants are advised to submit early to avoid technical issues. Recorded information sessions and guidelines are available for applicants, and accessibility accommodations, including paper applications, may be requested in advance. The primary contact for the program is Mollie Quinlan-Hayes, who can be reached at emergencyfunds@nyfa.org or 212-366-6900 ext. 239. Applicants are advised to direct all inquiries to NYFA rather than the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, as all questions are forwarded to NYFA’s emergency funds team. This program continues Robert Rauschenberg’s legacy of supporting artists in need and provides crucial relief for dancers navigating the precarious economics of live performance.

Submit early to avoid technical issues. Inactivity during COVID or the past six months is acceptable if prior activity can be demonstrated.