IndieSpace, home of the Indie Theater Fund

ABOUT THIS LOTTERY:

IndieSpace is excited to open our Spring 2023 Community Resource Lottery! This will be one application for 8 lotteries! You are welcome to apply on behalf of yourself AND/OR an entity you  represent using the same application. Apply for one, two, or ALL of these amazing offerings in ONE application. These offerings are in collaboration with Benvenuti Arts, J. Stephan Brantley, Inclusive Communication Services, Theatre Advocacy Project, Joseph O’Malley Photography and Forge NYC. Be sure to read instructions around each offering AND be sure that you can commit to the opportunity BEFORE submitting an application for it. You may apply to AS MANY offerings as you would like and you are eligible for. 

LOTTERY OFFERINGS:

OFFERING #1: For Two Applicants — ASL Services for a production from Inclusive Communication Services (For Companies, Venues, or Productions)

Inclusive Communication Services is a woman-owned accessibility agency providing accommodation services for the Deaf, Blind, and non-English speaking. Their mission is to improve inclusion in local communities through affordable, quality accommodations. For this  lottery, ICS is offering ASL interpreting services for two companies, one production each (up to 3 hours) at no cost to the participant. Valued at $500 each - FREE FOR YOU

More information about Inclusive Communication Services can be found here. 

OFFERING #2: For One Applicant — ONE Six Month Grant Writing Services from Benvenuti Arts (For Companies or Venues)

Benvenuti Arts will guide you in organizing your grant writing, and assist on that writing over a 6-month period. Beginning June or July or 2023, your organization will get monthly 30-minute strategy calls; a calendar of appropriate prospects; and writing for an average of 1 grant/month (max of 10 grants) throughout this period, depending on the length of grants. Valued at $3,000 - FREE FOR YOU

More information about Benvenuti Arts can be found here. 

OFFERING #3:  For Ten Applicants — A spot in an Online Restorative Justice Workshop (For Individuals)

J.Stephen Brantley’s Restorative Practices For Theatre Production workshop shows theatremakers how to use Restorative tools to build more supportive, collaborative, productive working environments. During a three-hour interactive session, participants experience three kinds of talking circles designed to help us Check In, Build Community, and Address Harm. Circle Practice creates unity, builds trust, and deepens our connection to our work. It is also used to address and process harm and, most importantly, prevent harm from happening in the first place. Valued at $650/workshop — FREE FOR YOU 

Date of Workshop: April 29, 2023  1p-4p

**Please be sure you can attend this workshop during this time frame and put a tentative hold in your calendar now to avoid conflicts if your name is chosen in the lottery.**

To learn more about the Restorative Justice Workshop, click here. 

OFFERING #4: For Two Applicants — A Rehearsal Packages from Theatre Advocacy Project (For Companies or Productions)

Theatre Advocacy Project (TAP) is a women-founded HR company whose vision is to help create a future where all theatre professionals are safe from discrimination, harassment, and abuse, allowing for the advancement of braver, more collaborative, and exploratory art-making. They offer HR Services, DEI training, accountability partnership to arts organizations. They are offering a rehearsal package for two productions. The Rehearsal Package creates a framework for artists working on a production to establish a culture of belonging and provide tools to have courageous conversations.The online LMS course is titled EDIT: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Theatre, named after TAP’s  live training of the same name. It comes with interactive modules and provides certification in Advocacy, Anti-oppression, and Bystander intervention competencies. While dependent upon the individual, the course takes approximately one hour to complete. However, participants may exit and come back to the training at any point and it will save their progress. Once an individual registers for the course, the TAP team will approve them and they will then have open access. The course provides competencies in advocacy, anti-oppression, and bystander intervention training. 

Valued at $150/participant - FREE for you 

The Rehearsal Package includes three sessions: a pre-show session, the first rehearsal session, and the post-mortem. During the pre-show session they will work with your team to understand context for the production, any additional details that should be included within the production survey, and cultural goals for the show. During the First Rehearsal Community Agreement Session they will work with the full cast and creative team to set rehearsal expectations and establish a set of guiding principles for safety and equity throughout the rehearsal process.They will bring in an appropriate framework to the show, and help scaffold the rehearsal process. Finally, during the post-mortem, they will discuss survey results, areas for improvement, and successes from the production process.Valued at $450/production - FREE FOR YOU

For more information on TAP, click here. 

OFFERING #5: For Five Applicants — LMS Certification from Theatre Advocacy Project (For Individuals)

The online LMS course is titled EDIT: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Theatre, named after TAP’s  live training of the same name. It comes with interactive modules and provides certification in Advocacy, Anti-oppression, and Bystander intervention competencies. While dependent upon the individual, the course takes approximately one hour to complete. However, participants may exit and come back to the training at any point and it will save their progress. Once an individual registers for the course, the TAP team will approve them and they will then have open access. The course provides competencies in advocacy, anti-oppression, and bystander intervention training. 

Valued at $150/participant - FREE for you 

OFFERING #6: For Two Applicants — 90 Minute Headshot Sessions from Joseph O’Malley Photography (For Individuals)

Joseph O'Malley (they/she) is a photographer and filmmaker from New York. They started their career as a theater photographer and video producer for several major non-profits, and now work primarily as an independent artist. They've shot projects with Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony, and Golden Globe winning artists, and her photography has been featured in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and numerous other publications. For headshot & portrait photography, Joseph works with clients to create a comfortable space where they can be their authentic selves. Joseph aims for all her clients to feel confident that their headshots represent them truthfully and at their best. Valued at $600/session- FREE for you 

For more information on Joseph’s work, click here. 

OFFERING #7: For Five Applicants — a spot at ForgeFuel Artist Retreat for Writers (For Individuals)

Facilitated by Co-Founder + Partner Greg Taubman, FORGE Fuel retreats offer an escape from the rhythms of city life and a chance to spend a weekend working in the company of like-minded creators. Set at a quiet country farmhouse in a pastoral corner of Connecticut, with plenty of opportunities for feedback and collaboration, FORGE Fuel provides the ideal conditions for lighting a fire from your creative spark. Valued at $200/person - FREE for you 

FORGE FUEL participants receive:

• A dedicated weekend for creative work, with optional share-back sessions.
• A cohort of like-minded artists.
• Opportunities for producorial and dramaturgical feedback from FORGE.
• Space to eat, sleep, and work in comfort for the duration of the weekend in Danbury, CT.
• Meals curated by FORGE and prepared communally.
• Logistical support to and from the Retreat.
• 10 acres of stunning property to muse, roam, and explore; Perfect for jumpstarting any process, just 90 minutes outside of NYC.

Participants are responsible for:

• Commitment to treat the space and makers who share it with me with a generosity that reflects their wholeness, makes space for experiences and communication styles that I may not share, and holds me accountable to my creative process. Read the code of conduct here.
• Travel to and from Danbury, CT (By car or by rail to Brewster Station off the Metro-North Harlem Line).
• Their own alcohol or specialty snacks (if desired).

The retreat takes place May 19-21.

 **Please be sure you can attend the retreat during this time frame and put a tentative hold in your calendar now to avoid conflicts if your name is chosen in the lottery.**

For more information on Forge Fuel, click here. 

OFFERING #8: For One Applicant — A Mini Arts Consulting and Development Consulting Package from Forge NYC (For Companies, Venues, Productions, or Individuals)

Forge NYC is offering a mini Arts and Development Consulting package: 2 sessions that bookend a month of work. Kicking off with an initial 90-minute session, the winner will then attend both Fast Fuels that month to take advantage concentrated work time and 30-minute breakout sessions, culminating with another comprehensive 90-minute session at the end of the month.  Valued at $600 - FREE for you

Fast Fuel is a full-day pop-up workspace for makers to mix, mingle, and create, hosted free of charge by FORGE NYC and its partner organizations. FORGE is on hand to offer on-the-spot feedback, consulting advice, and organized workflow guidance.

Forge NYC will be guided by the winner as to what work is most urgent/important to them--they won't delimit the areas they’re willing to cover in advance. Forge NYC will, however, encourage the winner to set reasonable expectations for what can be accomplished in the available time. Forge NYC could help you target a specific set of concerns like budgeting, core language, communications, etc Dramaturgical/developmental support can also be the focus.

**Please be sure you can attend ALL sessions during this time frame and put a tentative hold in your calendar now to avoid conflicts if your name is chosen in the lottery.**'

- a 90-minute session on 4/25 or 4/26, 

- Fast Fuel on 5/7 

- Fast Fuel on 5/25, 

- and then another 90-minute session on 6/6 or 6/7. 

For more information on Forge NYC click here.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE:

This application is open to any NYC-based Indie theater artists in need of these resources. This will NOT be a weighted lottery.

APPLICATION PROCESS: 

To apply for the lotteries, please complete the application below. This application should take you 20 minutes or less to complete. If you have any questions about the application or need assistance completing the application via video call, please reach out to our Programs Manager at veshonte@indiespace.org.

LOTTERY PROCESS:

Applications will be accepted until Monday, April 17 end of day!  Eligible applicants will then be entered into the lottery drawings which will occur on Tuesday, April 18th.  If you enter multiple lotteries you will only be eligible to win a max of ONE OFFERING. If you win a lottery your name will be pulled from the pot for the subsequent lottery pulls. HOWEVER, depending on the interest in the LMS certification and Restorative Justice workshop, because they allow for multiple attendees, we may allow all applicants to win EITHER of those offerings IN ADDITION to one of the other 6 offerings.  Applicants will be notified of the lottery results on April 19th.

*We will be using the Random Picker software to run our lotteries. Screen recordings of each lottery will be made and are available to review by request.

ABOUT INDIESPACE X 3PLAY LIVE CAPTIONING & TRANSLATION

3Play Live Captioning is a service that provides live captioning and translation services for events. Live captioning is an important part of creating more accessible programming, but is often expensive and time-consuming. IndieSpace has partnered with 3Play live captioning to provide a number of free “minutes” of live captioning for our members and their shows.

For More Information on 3Play: Click Here

For More Information on Technical Needs: Click Here

Please Note: We do not believe that 3Play works seamlessly with Vimeo. There are workarounds, but please check with 3Play if you plan on using Vimeo.  For more information: Click Here 

IndieSpace has $10,000 worth of live captioning and translation services in total to offer our members. Currently we are asking that each individual apply for one production each. If a venue/company/individual entity is awarded use of this service, and would like to reapply in the future, IndieSpace will consider those applications after all other applications have been reviewed. If this program is popular with our members we will consider purchasing additional minutes to be granted out in the coming months/year.

This service can be used for in-person, online, or hybrid events. Individual productions, venues, and companies can apply to use this service through IndieSpace, though we ask that individuals apply with their productions/event, rather than as artists. Similarly, we ask that venues and companies, apply for individual productions/events, rather than your entire season.

Applications will be reviewed on a  first come, first served basis. Once submitted, applicants will know if they are accepted within a week. In the event that the number of applications are greater than the number of minutes available, we will move to a lottery system. 

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

- NYC based indie theater companies, fiscally sponsored collectives/productions, and indie theater venues (venues with 99 seats or less).

- Companies or venues who commit to using this service to provide live captioning or translation for a production or event. 

APPLICATION PROCESS: To apply for the 3Play Live Captioning Service, please complete the application below. This application should take you 15 minutes or less to complete. Please note that this application will ask you to acknowledge the technical requirements necessary for use of the service. Please ensure that your production, venue, or company meets those requirements prior to filling out this application, or will be able to meet those requirements once access to the service is given. 

If you have any questions about the application or need assistance completing the application via phone, please reach out to our Programs Manager, Veshonte Brown, at veshonte@indiespace.org.

HOW WILL THIS BE AWARDED?

Once reviewed and accepted, applicants will be reached out to in order to begin the processes of gaining access to IndieSpace x 3Play Media's live captioning service. Once access is given, the agreement between IndieSpace and the applicant is concluded, and the applicant is free to utilize the service under the agreed upon terms. 

This services is given out on an as needed, first come, first served basis, however we do prioritize funding to companies or venues that are BIPOC, Trans & Non-Binary, Immigrant, and/or Disabled/Deaf run and operated.

PLEASE NOTE: IndieSpace will make every effort to award the full amount of captioning minutes requested in the application. However, those minutes are finite. IndieSpace will award up to 25% of its total amount of the captioning minutes at the time of application. 

About This Grant:

As part of our Community Resource Program, the Indie Theater Fund has opened an Emergency Mental Health fund that will be awarding individuals $500 micro grants for indie theater makers to use toward therapy, medication, meditation classes, and any other mental health related costs. It is our hope that by providing this financial resource, we can help remove barriers that prevent artists from seeking and receiving the care, support, and information they need to care for their mental health. 

Who is Eligible?:

This application is open to any NYC-based Indie theater artist in need of mental health funds, even if you have previously been awarded this grant. Anyone and everyone is welcome to apply, but funds will be prioritized to BIPOC, Trans/Non-Binary, disabled, and immigrant artists.

Application Process: 

To apply for funds, please complete the application below. This application should take you 10 minutes or less to complete. If you have any questions about the application or need assistance completing the application via phone, please reach out to our Programs Manager at veshonte@indiespace.org

Payment Process:

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis and reviewed by our staff on the last Monday of each month. You will receive a notification of your application status by the Wednesday of that review week. Eligible applicants will then be entered into that month's lottery*, with priority* being given to BIPOC, Trans/Non-Binary, disabled, and immigrant artists. Priority will also be given to applicants who have not been awarded with a previous Mental Health Microgrant.

Any eligible applicant whose number was not pulled will roll over into the next month's lottery. This process will continue each month until all applicants have received a grant. A max of $10,000 will be given out each month.

Randi and I are continuously working hard to advocate for and grow our new Mental Health initiative. Our goal is to be able to serve every artist in need of this funding, and though it may take time, we will continue to raise and allocate funds in order to do so. 

Please note that if you are an individual who has already received funding from us in 2023, you will be prompted to upload a W-9 into your application in order to receive funds again. If you need a blank copy of a W-9, you can download one here.

*We will be using the Random Picker software to run our grant lotteries. Screen recordings of each lottery will be made and are available to review by request. 

*Priority is given via a weighted lottery system. All applicants who identify as BIPOC, Trans/Non-Binary, disabled, and/or immigrant artists will be given a weight of 2. An additional point will be given to those who have not received Mental Health previously.  

About The Emergency Assistant Grant:
The Indie Theater Fund Assistance Program is intended to provide emergency or urgent assistance to those who have an acute need arising from an unforeseen and unavoidable situation which results in an additional hardship that will materially prevent or impede their Independent Theater production.

About the Loan Program:

For those with emergencies that are temporary and funds are anticipated, we are happy to offer loans with 0% interest and flexible repayment terms to be determined together. 

Who is Eligible?:
This application is open to any NYC-based Indie theater company or venue. Indie theater venues are considered theaters or performance spaces with 99 seats or less. Emergency grants are given out on an as needed, first come, first served basis, however we do prioritize funding to companies or venues that are BIPOC, Trans & Non-Binary, Immigrant, and/or Disabled/Deaf run and operated. 

Application Process:
To apply for funds, please complete the application below. This application should take you 15 minutes or less to complete. Please note that this application will require some documentation uploading as support to your application. Please have any of the following ready and on hand to submit, if applicable: Police report, insurance claim, production or operating budget, photos of space or production damage, etc.  

If you have any questions about the application or need assistance completing the application via phone, please reach out to our Executive Director, Randi Berry, at 917-626-1369‬

Payment Process:

Applications will be accepted and reviewed by our staff and board within 24hrs of receipt. We aim to respond with application status update and/or payment details within 2 days of your submission.

Payment Reminders:

• These grants are given out on an as needed, first come, first served basis, however we do prioritize funding to companies or venues that are BIPOC, Trans & Non-Binary, Immigrant, and/or Disabled/Deaf run and operated.
• Please note that we can not guarantee a payout of the full amount requested in your application. Grants may equal up to 25% of the total in the Emergency Fund pool at the time of the application.
• Funds will be paid out via PayPal or check depending on what you selected in your application.