Fleabag: 

Hi Fefu! I have a theatre company in a mid-size city in the south. Right now, it feels close to impossible to get national resources unless you’re located in NYC - is this true? How can a small nonprofit theatre company find resources outside of NYC?

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Hi, Fleabag! 

Well, to start, I have to admit that I have only ever stewarded NYC-based productions and organizations, but here are my instincts:

• Identify small theatre companies in other mid-sized cities that seem to have reliable funding. Check the funders listed on their websites. Do you see any national or regional funders that you’ve never heard of? Google them and see if your company is eligible for any of their funding opportunities.  You could even reach out to that peer theatre company and ask them about their relationship with that funder, how they got their foot in the door.
• Identify the state and municipal funding sources (often called arts councils) you can tap, if you haven’t already. I worked for 5 years as the grant writer for a theater in Massachusetts and was struck by how much of their funding was state- and region-specific. It might be an advantage that you operate outside of the oversaturated arts ecosystem of NYC.
• Remember that behind every big foundation or gov’t funder are people—thoughtful arts workers who, depending on the rules and bandwidth of their workplace, will often be very happy to take a call with you and assess whether your org aligns well with their funding priorities. Some face time with representatives of a foundation is always useful in humanizing the relationship. And major foundations tend to have a vital birds-eye view of the field, so a conversation with them can prove hugely useful, even if they don’t fund you. Major funders I’m thinking of here: Shubert, Doris Duke, Mellon, and Ford. Before you reach out to any of these, though, do make sure that your org or project largely aligns with their current priorities. 
• Other national resources to check out depending on the mission of your organization:
  
  • Do you develop new plays? Look into the Laurents Hatcher Foundation, Mimi & Harold Steinberg Charitable Trust, and Edgerton Foundation. All are invite-only, I think, but I’m sure you know someone who knows someone who can get you a personal contact.
  • Are you a culturally-specific org? Look into grants that support the advancement of your community. Sometimes the best funding sources are not obviously theatre-oriented.
  • Do you offer free or low-cost theater? There may be grants in your region that are explicitly designed to make the arts affordable to the community. 

Arts funding feels fragile and scarce these days, all over the country. But for the love of our national ecosystem, we need your theater, I’m sure of it. So please stay curious and creative. It could be that grassroots fundraising is a better fit for your organization than big-hitter institutional funders. Explore a number of funding models until you find the one that best fits you and your locality.

Xo,

Fefu