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

ABOUT THE WEST VILLAGE REHEARSAL CO-OP

IndieSpace is so excited to partner with Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, HERE, and New Ohio Theatre to provide a low-cost rehearsal space for the indie theater community. As a part of this partnership, IndieSpace shares access to the space and programs directly for six months throughout the year. Our partners will program for the other six months. We are offering use of the space during our allocated time to our community for no more than $10/hour.

HOW WILL THIS WORK?

IndieSpace will be programming the space in blocks of time sporadically throughout the year. We will open applications ahead of each upcoming rehearsal block for that time period only. Once the application period ends, we will assign applicants with time in the space. Not every applicant will be able to be scheduled during each rehearsal block, but don’t worry! If you didn’t receive time in the application period before, you will receive priority in the next round that you apply in. 

Note: At this point in the West Village Rehearsal Space's life, we are looking for companies and productions who are able to commit to large chunks of rehearsal time versus one-off, single-day, or few-day rehearsals. That may mean a company looking for one full week or two or three during the blocks of time we have available or a consistent day or days per week for several weeks or a month. Having a smaller number of companies for a longer period of time is helping us manage our own internal capacity for space oversight and administration. This might not always be the case, so please apply regardless - there may be holes in the calendar that you fit in. 

This application will be for Summer 2024. The next application period will be for Fall 2024. 

CURRENT APPLICATION PERIOD

We are currently accepting applications to use the West Village Rehearsal Co-Op between 

• June 3- September 29*

*Not every day in that time span is available. When filling out the application, please pay special attention to the days/times that are listed. If a day or time is not listed, it is not available
 

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

This rehearsal space is for NYC-based indie theater companies, collectives/productions, or individuals. Priority will be given to companies, collectives/productions, or individuals who identify as members of historically excluded groups.

ABOUT THE SPACE

The West Village Rehearsal Co-Op is located at 68 Gansevoort Street. The rehearsal space is located on the lower level of a commercial building and is accessible by an elevator. The playing space is approximately 34 feet by 27 feet with one column. The ceiling height is 9.5 feet. There are no windows in the space but there is a working HVAC system for air conditioning and heat with Merv 13 filtration. There is WiFi in the space. There is no reliable cell phone service.

Here is some information about the space and equipment that is available for use:

• Sprung floors
• An ADA-compliant bathroom within the rehearsal room and a second one in the hallway
• There is a small kitchen with chairs, tables, and small appliances like a tea kettle, coffee maker, and fridge.
• A Mackie 16-channel sound board, 2 speakers, and 4 SM 47 microphones. We have provided cords for all of these
• Mic Stands, 6 Music Stands, 4 short stools and 4 tall stools
• 20 Folding chairs and 4 folding tables
• Basic track lighting

There is also a Roland RD-2000 88-key Stage Keyboard available for use with a deposit. For access to the keyboard, we will ask for a $200 deposit to IndieSpace that will be refunded shortly after your last day of rehearsal. If this deposit is not financially feasible for you, please reach out to joel@indiespace.org for assistance.

ABOUT THE APPLICATION PROCESS

• To apply for the current rehearsal block (June 3- September 29), please fill out the application below. Key application dates are:
• Application Opens:  April 17
• Applications Close: May 8
• Preliminary Schedule offer sent out to Applicants by: May 14
• Applicants are notified of the Final Schedule by: May 21 

There are 2 separate sections to this application. You will fill out one or the other, not both. 

One section is for applicants who know the specific dates and times that they are requesting. The application will ask you to provide those details. 

The other section is for applicants who have less specific needs. This section is best for applicants who have an idea of the total number of hours they need but are open to any day, week, or time of day. The application will ask you to provide those details.
 

IF YOU ARE SELECTED

On the date that the Preliminary Schedule offers are sent out, an IndieSpace staff member will contact the applicants we believe we can accommodate in the schedule. This places a hold on your reservation.  Those applicants will need to reply confirming their time/date reservation as soon as possible in order to finalize their reservation. If you do not receive a Preliminary Schedule offer on May 14 please keep an eye out on your email, as we may contact you if space becomes available.

If you are selected to receive rehearsal time at the West Village Rehearsal Co-Op, IndieSpace will contact you through email for your next steps. You will be given a contract to sign, Rules and Regulations to accept, and an invoice for payment. Once the contract is signed and the invoice is paid in full, you will receive more information on how to access the space and other information to make your rehearsal process as easy as possible.

Please Note: It is the mission of IndieSpace to provide this space at the lowest cost possible and to the most applicants possible. We pride ourselves on the quick turnaround for all of our grants. If you are granted the space, it means that someone else was not. Cancellations immediately after being granted the space are extremely difficult for us to manage and mean that the space is not utilized to its fullest potential. Please only request the time that you are certain you need. 

If you have any questions about the application or need assistance completing the application, contact Programs Manager, Veshonte Brown at veshonte@indiespace.org.