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.  

*Starting with the January 2024 lottery, applicants will be able to receive the Mental Health grant no more than twice in a calendar year. Once you have received it twice, any subsequent applications will be declined. 

About The Emergency Grant:
The IndieSpace Emergency Fund provides grants to arts organizations who have experienced a sudden loss or unforeseen circumstance that will impact their ability to move forward with a production (i.e. broken equipment, an ill artist etc.) Emergency Grants are not available to fill a gap in your fundraising efforts.

Grants will occasionally be provided to individuals facing a hardship that doesn't fall within one of our other grant programs for individuals.

About the Loan Program:

The IndieSpace Loan Program is meant for those with emergencies that are temporary and where 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 on a rolling basis, however, we do prioritize funding to companies or venues that are BIPOC, Trans & Non-Binary, Immigrant, and/or Disabled/Deaf run and operated. Individuals may also apply for funds, but they are limited and are only given on a case by case basis.

Application Process:
To apply for funds, please complete the application below. We hope this application will not take a long time 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: 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 randi@indiespace.org.

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 by email and/or payment details within 2 days of your submission. Funds will be paid out via PayPal or check depending on what you selected in your application. Zelle and ACH are also an option that can be discussed via email once the grant is approved.

Additional Info:

• 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.
• Grants can not be made to an organization to fill shortfalls in organizational budgets or fundraising as this is an unfortunate circumstance that many in our community are facing and we do not have the resources to support everyone in this way. If you are unsure or have questions about the emergency you are facing and want to discuss eligibility, please email randi@indiespace.org