OVERVIEW: New England Foundation for the Arts supports artists, presenting organizations and communities engaging in theater, dance, music and the visual arts in New England and beyond.
IP TAKE: New England Foundation for the Arts supports organizations throughout the region that showcase performers based throughout the U.S. and abroad. It also encourages these organizations to seek new and interesting performers to bring into their communities. This is a wonderfully accessible foundation though some grants require nomination. They’re also responsive and open-minded in how they support grantees.
In 2025, NEFA announced that multiple grant programs had been affected due to delays or cuts in funding previously confirmed by the National Endowment for the Arts, including New England States Touring and ArtsHERE. Additionally, due to pressures in the philanthropic industry, as well as a conclusion of funding from the Mellon Foundation, a longtime partner, NEFA unveiled a 2025-2030 strategic plan. As the philanthropic landscape continues to evolve, especially in the arts, NEFA seeks to continue hosting an “evolving portfolio of grants and services prioritizes and facilitates generative partnerships among artists, organizations, and collaborators.” The strategic plan does not directly address the futures of the National Dance Project and National Theater Project, two programs whose current funding mechanisms will end with Mellon’s 2025 funding pullback.
PROFILE: New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) was established in 1976 as one of six regional arts organizations that received initial funding from the National Endowment for the Arts in order to strengthen and cultivate arts on a regional level. The foundation “builds, sustains, and fights for arts and culture through grantmaking, partnerships, and advocacy in New England, the nation, and beyond.” Its main Grant Programs are the National Dance Project, the National Theater Project, New England States Touring, Crossroads: Touring New England and Public Art.
Grants for Arts and Culture
In addition to its grant programs specific to theater, dance, and music, NEFA offers several presenter-focused grant programs intended to encourage New England-based presenting organizations (based in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont) the opportunity to successfully plan, execute, support, and showcase the work of theater, dance, and music artists from around the world. These groups must have 501(c)(3) status, or be a school or government entity, but need not “formally” be a theater or arts organization. These funding opportunities include:
- New England States Touring Grants (NEST) “provide New England communities with access to artistic excellence by artists from across the region.” Nest grants take two forms: NEST 1 and NEST 2. The latter imposes more restrictions.
- NEST 1 grants “fund the public presentation and community engagement activities of a New England artist presented by a New England nonprofit organization based in a different New England state from the artist’s home state.”
- NEST 2 grants “funds the public presentation and community engagement activities of a New England artist presented by two New England nonprofit organizations. A NEST 2 tour must include one presenting organization based inside of the artist’s home state and one other organization from outside of the artist’s home state. ”
- Both kinds of NEST grants provide up to 60% of the artist fee and range from $500 to a maximum of $5,000.
- See the program page for updates on deadlines, as this program was affected by delayed NEA funding.
Crossroads: Touring New England Grants (formerly NEST 3) “fund tours of regional, national, or international artists presented by New England nonprofit organizations” and must include at least “three New England organizations (also known as presenters) in three geographically distinct communities presenting the same artist.” The tour must include organizations from at least two different New England states.
New England Presenter Travel Funds, which provide 50% of total expenses (generally ranging from $500 to $700) for presenting organizations to scout festivals, showcases, conferences, or other cultural events where they can see New England-generated artistic work that they may present in their own community. Grants provide up to 60% of the artist fee to a maximum of $10,000. Applications with artist fees under $2,000 may request the full artist fee.
Even though these four categories have funds going to potential presenting organizations, NEFA still has qualifications for the artistic output they would be showcasing. NEFA has a group of pre-selected New England-based performing arts groups for its New England-specific grants. For its Expeditions grants, NEFA requires that performing arts productions an organization wishes to present display a “high level of artistic quality, exploration, and creativity.”
Grants for Theater
Most of NEFA’s theater funding derives from its National Theater Project. Other performance arts (Dance and Music) have specific grants of their own, including those that directly support artistic creation.
- For theater creators, NEFA’s coveted grant is its National Theater Project Creation & Touring Grant. Any theater artists who create within a 501(c)(3) organization (or use one as a fiscal agent) are eligible, but these grants are extremely competitive, with approximately six of them distributed each year in amounts that typically range from $80,000 to $130,000. This funding pays for the creation and development process. A portion of this grant is also earmarked for the artists to allocate funds to presenting organizations, who use those funds to pay their artist appearance fees—so it goes right back into the creators’ pockets while relieving presenting organizations of some of their expenses. (This is formally called the NEFA’s National Theater Project Presenting Grant.) Because of this unique set-up, NEFA prioritizes artists who already have a presenting partner or two lined up.
- Before a presenting organization commits to showcasing this granted theater work, a presenting organization has the opportunity to scope out the work with their travel expenses defrayed by applying for a National Theater Project Presenter Travel Grant.
- This application process is by invite only, but NEFA welcomes grant seekers to contact them in order to begin this conversation.
NEFA seeks to support ensemble-created theater (solo pieces not allowed) that is committed to engaging audiences and communities with “relevance, originality, and/or timeliness.” It prioritizes projects that are theatrical, which means that they could only exist in the world of theater—but that also push the boundaries of what it means to create for theater.
- Past National Theater Project Creation & Touring grantees include 600 HIGHWAYMEN, Carpetbag Theatre, Early Morning Opera, Theater Mitu and VisionIntoArt among others.
- These winning projects collectively integrate music, dance, puppetry, and address issues such as the creation of art, military trauma, and our relationships with memory.
- The foundation also maintains an extensive and detailed grants database where grant seekers can view previous years’ recipients and read descriptions of each of those projects as well.
Grants for Dance
- NEFA’s coveted National Dance Project Production Grant typically offers about 20 grants between the $30,350 to $45,000 range each year. This money pays for the creation and development process of a dance piece that will then tour nationally. A portion of this grant is also earmarked for the artists to allocate funds to presenting organizations, who use those funds to pay the artists their appearance fees—so it goes right back into the creators’ pockets while relieving presenting organizations of some of their expenses.
- Another key grant opportunity for choreographers and dance companies as they develop their new work are NEFA’s National Dance Project Production Residencies for Dance Grants. These grants support the end-stage of development where dancers, “in collaboration with residency partners, can access technical facilities and staff and gain significant artistic, directorial, and/or dramaturgical input to produce works that are more fully realized and ready to tour.” These grants are meant to be implemented either just before or just after a dance piece’s premiere (but prior to the work’s tour). These grants are only open to choreographers and companies who have previously received a National Dance Production Grant; it is seen as the next phase of the work’s development.
- Another grant to consider is the New England Dance Fund which gives between $500 and $1,000 to choreographers who “identify and articulate a critical opportunity that will significantly advance their career in dance.”
Grants for Music
Most of its music funding once derived from NEFA’s Music grantmaking program, which no longer exists. Other performance arts (theater and dance) have specific grants of their own, including those that directly support artistic creation, whereas NEFA now supports music in more limited ways.
- As with other program areas, New England States Touring Grants (NEST), “provide New England communities with access to artistic excellence by artists from across the region,” including musicians. Nest grants take two forms: NEST 1 and NEST 2. The latter imposes more restrictions.
- NEST 1 grants “fund the public presentation and community engagement activities of a New England artist presented by a New England nonprofit organization based in a different New England state from the artist’s home state.”
- NEST 2 grants “funds the public presentation and community engagement activities of a New England artist presented by two New England nonprofit organizations. A NEST 2 tour must include one presenting organization based inside of the artist’s home state and one other organization from outside of the artist’s home state. ”
- Both kinds of NEST grants provide up to 60% of the artist fee and range from $500 to a maximum of $5,000.
- See the program page for updates on deadlines, as this program was affected by delayed NEA funding.
- These grants are all designed to provide New England-based presenting organizations (based in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont) the opportunity to successfully plan, execute, support, and showcase the work of theater, dance, and music artists from around the world. These presenting groups must have 501(c)(3) status, or be a school or government entity, but need not “formally” be a music or arts organization.
- The Jazz Road program “is an artist-centric touring and residency grants program promoting deeper engagement between jazz musicians, presenters, and communities. Jazz Road offers two funding opportunities:
- Jazz Road Tours “supports three- to six-site tours at an array of venue types, often in rural communities and other areas traditionally underserved by the genre.” Grants offer artists between $5,000-$15,000.
- Jazz Road Creative Residencies “provide financial support for professional jazz artists from across the U.S. in self-defined residency activities that advance their artistry, creative exploration, community engagement, and lifework in jazz.” Grants offer artists between $5,000-$40,000.
- Here again, NEFA’s search engine of previous grantees allows new grantees to explore this rich list of performers, organizations, and ideas for opportunity.
Important Grant Details:
Grants generally fall between $5,000 and $50,000. In a recent year, this funder awarded $4.4 million in total grants.
- This funder exclusively supports artists and creators in the New England region.
- Grantseekers may search the foundation’s extensive Grants Database for more information on the kind of work it supports.
- NEFA accepts applications for the majority of its programs, but some may require nomination. Grantseekers may use the foundation’s Find a Grant page to locate available opportunities.
- Deadlines and requirements vary by program.
Direct general questions to the staff via this contact form, which also provides a number of email addresses for various organizational departments.
PEOPLE:
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