IndieSpace Reveals Recipients Of The Little Venue That Could Grant Program

IndieSpace, an organization established to disrupt the ongoing displacement of small theaters and to create a new model for equitable funding for the indie theater community, has announced the recipients of The Little Venue That Could Program. 

Through The Little Venue That Could Program IndieSpace, along with generous support from The Howard Gilman Foundation, has awarded 13 grants to Actors Theatre Workshop, Bated Breath Theatre Company, Chain Theatre, Culture Lab LIC, Footlight Presents, Hub17, IATI Theater, Land Back Hub, MISE-EN_PLACE, PMT House of Dance, The Fantastic Experimental Latino Theater Inc, TOPAZ ARTS, Inc., and Weis Acres. 

“We are grateful to everyone who shared The Little Venue That Could throughout the indie theater and dance community,” said IndieSpace Executive Director, Randi Berry. “We were amazed at the number of venues that applied and hope this program helps to pave the way for consistent and significant support for small venues in our ecosystem.”

IndieSpace partnered with The Howard Gilman Foundation to award two-year $10,000 grants to NYC-based performance venues with annual budgets under $750,000. The program received 53 applications that were given weighted scores based on scoring from the Little Venue That Could Review Committee. All applicants were then entered into a random lottery.

“We are thrilled to see Howard Gilman Foundation dollars flow to this cohort of indie venues, which are an invaluable part of the performing arts sector,” said Laura Aden, President & CEO of the Howard Gilman Foundation. “We know that the pandemic was particularly hard on smaller venues, and we hope this boost will create a pathway to more solid footing as the arts continue to recover. We want to thank IndieSpace for its care and attention as it carried out this program, as well as ADC Consulting and all of the participating panelists.”

The Little Venue That Could Review Committee was Pia Agrawal (Executive Director of Staten Island Arts), Karesia Batan (Executive Director, Queensboro Dance Festival), Carrie Blake (Research & Planning Consultant for the Arts), Christine Bruno (Actor / Teaching Artist / Disability Equity Consultant, EIN SOF Communications, Inc.) Skye Kowaleski (JACK), and Azure Osborne-Lee (Board member for JACK; Union rep for ACT-UAW Local 7902; Founding producer of Roots and River Productions; Lucille Lortel Awards voter). These individuals helped to read, review, and score all applications. IndieSpace would also love to give a special thank you to Alejandra Duque Cifuentes of ADC Consulting for her amazing guidance on this program.

The Little Venue That Could Program was created to provide unrestricted general operating support to New York City-based indie theater and dance performance venues with expense budgets under $750,000. Due to size, fiscal structure, staffing arrangements, and unconventional leasing and ownership structures, these homes for artists are most often excluded from city, state, and federal funding and may not meet financial thresholds or the stated priorities of private foundations in order to get significant support. Despite this historical absence of consistent financial support and the growing affordability crisis in NYC, small-budget indie theater and dance venues continue to play a critical role in the creative ecosystem by providing artists with affordable performance and presenting space.

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. 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.  

The Howard Gilman Foundation is a private foundation that provides funding and support to New York City-based performing arts organizations that are reflective of the City’s vibrant cultural community. Its holistic approach focuses on acknowledging, studying, and empathizing with the unique complexities and needs of non-profit performing arts organizations. This approach is informed by the Foundation’s core values, which include respect for, and trust in, our applicants and grantees. With an annual grantmaking budget of $32 million, the Foundation is the largest private funder of the performing arts in NYC. Grantmaking dollars are primarily focused on general operating support, with additional investments in organizational financial stability. www.howardgilmanfoundation.org

IndieSpace was established in 2016 to disrupt the ongoing displacement of small theaters and to address systemic inequities in NYC real estate. In 2022, it merged with Indie Theater Fund, an organization focused on a new model for equitable funding for the indie theater community. By contributing a nickel per ticket from their shows to a pot of money for funding, the indie theater community could create a method of self-sustainability and could rethink philanthropy and the process of grant making. Through radically transparent and equitable grants, community resources and advocacy, the Fund supported hundreds of indie theater companies and thousands of individual artists.  

Since its founding, IndieSpace has: consulted with 70+ venues making real estate decisions, including The Tank, FRIGID New York, The Chain, The Wild Project, Wooster Group, and Classical Theater of Harlem; helped 18 organizations sign new leases; saved seven theaters from being closed or repurposed; created four real estate operation partnerships; walked one venue through the purchase of their new home. During Covid, IndieSpace supported over 50 venues navigating their leases by helping them stay open, and also provided over $1.5M in relief grants to the indie theater community. In 2023 IndieSpace opened the West Village Rehearsal Co-Op with HERE Arts Center, New Ohio and Rattlestick Playwrights Theater. This 99-year lease for $1 per year will serve over 1,500 artists per year. For service to the community, IndieSpace received the Ellen Stewart Award and a citation from the City Council of New York www.indiespace.org

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