$250,000 dance grant

The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage Dance Advance program will provide funding for projects that demonstrate artistic excellence, imagination, and courage. Similar to other discipline-based initiatives supported by the Pew Charitable Trusts, the primary goal of Dance Advance is to enhance the cultural life of the greater Philadelphia community (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties).


In the 2011 funding cycle projects may address two categories of support — planning (planning, process, research, scholarship) or production (production, presentation, performance). Individuals, companies, or presenting organizations may apply in either category, but an applicant may submit only one proposal. Dance Advance will only fund applications that mark a development for the applicant in artistic or curatorial practice.

Individual choreographers and dance artists may request up to $50,000 each. Organizations with budgets under $800,000 may request up to $150,000 each. Organizations with budgets over $800,000 may request up to $250,000 each.(Any organization planning to apply for a grant larger than $100,000 must meet with the Dance Advance director to secure approval to proceed.)

Projects may take up to two years to complete. Beginning in the 2011 funding cycle, applicants will need to plan out a project's scope of work — both the larger ideas motivating the project as well as its potential means of implementation — prior to submitting a Letter of Intent.

Dance Advance scheduled two workshops (one occurred on July 12; the other will take place July 19) to discuss the guidelines and changes to the 2011 program. Attendance is required at one of these workshops for anyone intending to apply for the 2011 funding cycle. Potential applicants who were not able to attend either of these dates should contact Dance Advance to schedule an appointment as soon as possible. The LOI form will be posted on the Web site by or before August 1, 2010.

Information is available at the PCAH Web site. Click on title above.