Purpose
The New Generations Program is administered by Theatre Communications Group and provides grants for mentoring opportunities for emerging theatre professionals, audience development projects and international fellowships.
Background
Artistic and managing directors who led the nonprofit theatre movement of the 1960s and 1970s are now retiring or moving into second, more lucrative careers. Leadership succession has become a critical issue in every sector of the theatre field, including acting, design, directing, management, playwriting and producing.
In addition to the difficulty faced by nonprofit theatres in recruiting new talent and leadership, theatres are struggling to improve theatre attendance and reach new audiences. Obstacles to better attendance include the high price of tickets, the decline of arts education in schools, and competing entertainment options such as home video and the Internet. To survive, theatres must expand and diversify their audience base by building younger and/or culturally specific audiences.
To help the nonprofit theatre community address these challenges, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation created the New Generations Program in collaboration with Theatre Communications Group.
Grant Details
Administered by Theatre Communications Group, this re-granting program supports projects that meet one of three objectives:
- Future Leaders: Mentorships — Accomplished theatre professionals share their expertise and vision by mentoring future leaders in the theatre field. Grants of up to $32,500 per year for two years will be awarded to support two-year, one-on-one mentorships for early career theatre professionals in all areas of the theatre. Up to an additional $15,000 per grant will be available upon request to defray outstanding student loans.
- Future Audiences — Theatres strengthen relationships with young, culturally specific, disabled and/or under-served audiences through proven innovative and unique audience cultivation efforts. Matching grants of up to $32,500 per year for two years will be awarded to strengthen and bolster existing programs.
- Future Collaborations: International Fellowships —
Grants of $3,000 will be awarded to support unrestricted international travel by theatre professionals in all areas of the theatre. Travel grants may cover transportation, out-of-town living expenses and other expenses essential to the project such as research materials, communications costs, theatre tickets and/or the service of an interpreter.
Application Process
Nonprofit theatres that wish to learn more about the program or apply for funding should contact Theatre Communications Group at (212) 609-5900 or visit www.tcg.org.
Summary of Re-Granting Program Awards
To date, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation has provided $7.2 million and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has provided $7.2 million to support the New Generations Program, which has awarded six rounds of re-grants through May 2006: 60 grants for mentoring opportunities and 88 grants for audience development projects.