Mid Atlantic Tours Grants

Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation

Predicted deadline: Mar 23, 2024

Grant amount: More than US $750

Funding uses: Project / Program

Location of project: Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Virginia, West Virginia Show all

Location of residency: Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Virginia, West Virginia Show all

Overview:

Background

Mid Atlantic Tours brings the best of the performing arts to communities across the mid-Atlantic region. Presenters select from a curated roster of artists that changes annually but maintains a programmatic commitment to a diversity of performance genres, regional artist representation, and engaging with communities underserved by the arts. 

Grant Information

Presenters located in the mid-Atlantic region who engage a Mid Atlantic Tours Roster Artist during the project period receive up to 50% subsidy for the Roster Artist’s compensation (including artistic compensation, housing, per diem and travel) as well as a presenter capacity support. Presenters work directly with the Roster Artist’s Tour Manager to negotiate terms, including engagement dates and compensation. 

Once terms are confirmed between Presenter and Tour Manager, the Presenter completes a short application to Mid Atlantic Arts. Applications are not competitive, but Presenters interested in engaging a Mid Atlantic Tours Roster Artist during the project period are encouraged to confirm terms with the Artist’s Tour Manager as soon as possible as funding is limited. Final grant award distribution is determined by Mid Atlantic Arts staff in collaboration with Tour Managers.

Roster

Visit midatlanticarts.org to review the roster.

The Mid Atlantic Tours roster is curated by Mid Atlantic Arts staff with curatorial advisement from performing arts colleagues from the mid-Atlantic region. As a final step in the curatorial process, mid-Atlantic region Presenters indicate interest in prospective Roster Artists through a presenter interest survey conducted via email.

The selection process for the Mid Atlantic Tours roster prioritizes:

• Projected touring success for Roster Artists: tour feasibility & presenter interest
• Broad representation of multiple performance genres
• Broad geographic representation from artists based in different states/jurisdictions in the mid-Atlantic region
• Artists and creators who are actively engaged with diverse communities to energize the transformative power of the arts

Mid Atlantic Arts is committed to countering structural inequities based on race, gender, disability status, sexual orientation, class, age and geography through our programs.

Touring Preparation Residency

Each Mid Atlantic Tours roster artist may work with one presenter for a Touring Preparation Residency that does not include a public performance. All other guidelines and procedures for Mid Atlantic Tours engagements must be met, including the artist fee match from the presenter to the Roster Artist. The presenter is eligible for artist fee and presenter capacity support subsidies.

Suggestions for engagement activities for the preparation residency include, but are not limited to:

• extended technical residency
• work-in-process showing
• a rehearsal or demo of a prospective community engagement activity
• working with a dramaturg
• developing marketing materials
• refining a technical rider

If you are interested in partnering with a Mid Atlantic Tours Roster Artist to host the Roster Artist’s Touring Preparation Residency, reach out to the Artist’s Tour Manager.

Grant Award Details

Presenters meeting the eligibility criteria who engage a current Mid Atlantic Tours roster Artist for at least two engagement activities during the project period are eligible to receive a grant award from Mid Atlantic Arts to support the following:

• Artist compensation subsidy up to 50% of the artist compensation agreed upon between the Presenter and the Roster Artist (including artistic salary/fees, housing, per diem and travel). Minimum request: $750.00 USD;
• Other eligible expenses up to 2,000.00 USD to support direct project expenses including program staff salary, direct technical personnel fees, audience development, marketing and promotional expenses, project-specific purchases or consulting related to increasing access for disabled artists, staff, audiences or community members, technical and equipment rental expenses for virtual or in-person engagements, artist travel/lodging expenses, and/or expenses related to public health measures for in-person engagements.
  

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website.

Eligibility:

• To be eligible for a Mid Atlantic Tours grant award, Presenters must:
  • be based in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia, West Virginia, and the Native nations that share this geography;
  • be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization or be a unit of state or local government or Federally- recognized Indian tribal government;
  • demonstrate organizational administrative capacity to complete all required project components in collaboration with the Roster Artist and their Tour Manager;
    • Presenters do not need to have a history of engaging professional touring artists as an ongoing and/or significant part of their organization’s activity to present a Mid Atlantic Tours Roster Artist with support through Mid Atlantic Tours; however, organizations without a history of presenting touring artists will be asked to describe their administrative plan for engaging the Artist within their existing staff structure and among other organizational priorities.
  • be in good standing with Mid Atlantic Arts at the time of application, with no overdue or outstanding required reports and/or grant documents
• For this program, Mid Atlantic Arts defines “presenter” as an organization that financially compensates an artist/company that is a separate entity from the presenter for performance(s) and engagement activities in the presenter’s community.
• Required Engagement Activities
  
  • Mid Atlantic Tours-supported engagements must include two distinct engagement activities meeting the following requirements:
    • Both engagement activities must include the Mid Atlantic Tours Roster Artist, and should be planned in dialogue with the Presenter, the Roster Artist and their Tour Manager
    • At least one of the two engagement activities must include a performance or performative component of at least 30 minutes that is open to the public (may be ticketed or free; performance may be repeated multiple times during the engagement or performed one time)
    • If both engagement activities are performances, they must be different from one another (i.e., performing the same musical set two nights in a row counts as one engagement activity)
    • Other ideas for engagement activities include, but are not limited to, master classes, lecture-
      demonstrations, workshops, pre- or post-performance discussions, attendance at community festivals or meetings, etc.
      • Presenters are invited to think expansively, and in collaboration with the Artist and their Tour Manager, about what activities would be a good fit for their community.
    • Both engagement activities may be in-person or virtual.
      • If virtual, they must meet Mid Atlantic Arts’ Virtual Presentation guidelines
• Match Requirement
  • Grant awards must be matched on a 1:1 basis.
  • The match may not include Federal funds whether they are received directly from a Federal agency or indirectly, such as through a state agency or other entity.
  • In addition, the Mid Atlantic Arts grant and the required match may not be used to match any other directly or indirectly received Federal funds.
• Funding awarded by Mid Atlantic Arts is restricted to the specific, direct costs of the project.
  

Preferences:

• Funding Priorities
  
  • Final grant award distribution (up to 50% of the negotiated Artist Compensation, and no less than $750.00 USD) is determined by Mid Atlantic Arts staff in collaboration with Tour Managers, based on funding priorities outlined below:
    • Geographic breadth for each tour: ensuring that funding dollars are spread to Presenters across all states and jurisdictions in the mid-Atlantic region
    • Small and mid-sized Presenters
    • Presenters serving rural communities
    • Presenters whose engagement activities align with the Roster Artist’s goals for their tour
  • These funding priorities are in place to determine how Mid Atlantic Arts and the Roster Artist’s Tour Manager will prioritize funding, should there be more interest from Presenting partners than can be accommodated at the maximum allowable amount.
    

Ineligibility:

• Producing organizations that solely create artistic work or assemble artists to perform as ensembles for performances are not eligible to apply.
• Fundraisers (salaries or other costs for general fundraising activities or events, including those for donors, or that financially benefit the organization as a whole) are not considered an engagement activity and may not be supported by grant funds.
• Funding may not be used for indirect costs.
• Fundraisers and costs associated with food and beverages for activities such as galas or parties, picnics, or other community gatherings, are not eligible for support through Mid Atlantic Tours.