Registration deadline: March 3
Application deadlines: May 1, July 1, September 5

The purpose of the New Presenter Development category is to encourage and nurture the growth of presenters in areas where there is a scarcity of professional performing arts activity or an absence of a particular performing art form. Applicants should have an organizational structure in place and demonstrate that program planning is under way. An artistic audit is not required prior to applying.

The applicant organization must be in its first or second year of presenting activity and requesting support for a minimum of five performances by five different professional artists. The request may also be for three or more multiple performance festival days.

Single-year grants of up to $5,000 are available in this category. Support may be directed toward presenting costs and toward professional consultation in areas of programming, production, marketing, and organizational development.

Application Instructions

The on-line application form includes the following questions, and a project budget. Required support materials are listed below. Also complete the Events Schedule Form on the left navigation bar.

Application Narrative Questions

1. Purpose/Goals
Why are you undertaking presentations and how does it relate to the organization's mission? What evidence of community need do you have? Describe the greatest challenges and how you plan to address them.

2. Programming Vision
Describe what you intend to accomplish programmatically through presentations and supporting activities, and describe the program selection process.  

3. Proposed Presentations
List the roster of artists you will present. Provide a brief biography (about 3-5 lines) of each, and include, where possible, a description of the program content.

4. Marketing
Describe the marketing strategies, including appropriate demographic information. Indicate the proposed range of single ticket/subscription prices. Provide a rationale for the admission policy even if there is no charge for admission to the event. If this is your second year of presenting, highlight any changes and new initiatives. Indicate the proposed range of single ticket/subscription prices and how they differ from the last Council review.

5. Performance Venue
Briefly describe each performance venue, including location, stage dimensions, and seating capacity.

6. Finances
Describe fundraising strategy, plans, projects, and activities for meeting the costs of the proposed activities. How is the Board involved in this work?

7. Context
Identify some other organizations that provide professional performing arts activities in your market area and tell us how their activities support or differ from yours.

Support Materials

Support materials must be postmarked or hand-delivered to the Program by the application deadline. If you want support materials returned, provide a self-addressed stamped envelope.

1. Copies of available contracts or letters of agreement or intent dated and signed by the presenter and the performing artists. Signatures by artist representatives must be clearly identified in print and by signature. These documents must include the dates and location of projected performances and agreed upon guaranteed minimum artist fees.

2. 2 representative marketing pieces for current presentations (8 copies each)

3. Representative sample of house programs (2 copies)

4. Artists' resumés – one to two pages of background information on each artist

5. For co-presentations – a signed and dated agreement in which each partner shares in the costs of the artist's fee, marketing, and physical presentation, along with a budget detailing the financial responsibilities of each partner.