About the Application Itself

Do you have to be a Dance/USA Member in advance of the application deadline?
Yes. Your organization must be a member in good standing in advance of the application deadline, or by August 31, 2012, to allow for the processing of your membership prior to this date.

Can members submit more than one application?
No. Select the Project that you feel is most competitive, given the goals of EDA.

Will priority be given to large organizations?
No. All organizational members are eligible regardless of size or function or type of dance.

Must a project involve an artist and/or performance?
It is anticipated that many projects will involve live performance or audience involvement of some type, but it is not mandatory.

Can a project involve new work?
Yes, but bear in mind the overall goals of EDA and the type of project and budget that would best realize those goals. Unless there is a strong audience engagement theme, it is unlikely that such projects would be competitive. Refer to the Project Support section of the Guidelines.

My application has a focus on technology, so I understand that I need to complete the Technology Questionnaire. But what type and amount of research should be included in answering those questions?
Describe any information you have gathered, whether formative or comparative, about the technological directions in which you are going through this project. Have (or how much have) you already used the technology you propose? If you have no research, or comparative data, then simply state that. Applicants will be expected, if funded, to launch these projects relatively soon. We hope they will state actual goals, based on realistic projections, which is more possible if research and conversations have taken place internally.

Do applicants need to have matching funding in place by the application deadline?
No. But your budget should give reasonable projections of funding sources and amounts based on other applications that have been submitted or funds that can be allocated internally.

How should the request amount be determined and how will grant amounts be decided?
The panel will review budgets extremely carefully. Costs should be based on actual project-related expenses, which are researched and documented when possible, particularly in areas such as technology and related consulting that may be new to the applicant. The grant range is $20,000 – $40,000, (for a total project cost of $25,000-$52,000, including the match). Applicants are advised to submit budgets that are as realistic as possible, and tailored to projects that can be accomplished on that budget.

What kinds of work samples are appropriate and how do we know if we need to submit one?
Submit a work sample if there is a chance that the review panel may not know of the artistic quality of the involved artists’ work, within the past three years. If you are unsure, email or call Program Manager Suzanne Callahan to discuss (eda@forthearts.org or 202-955-8325).

May I contact Round One grantees for information? May I collaborate with a Round One grantee on an application?
Prospective applicants must direct all application inquiries to EDA program staff. Ample content on Round One projects is available on the Dance/USA website. Any Dance/USA member in good standing may involve any organization as a project partner. However, decisions to collaborate are made at the discretion of members, bearing in mind that each organization may submit only one application. Any questions about project partners and potential collaborations should be addressed to the EDA staff.

Should the budget cover only the engagement components of a project or can it include other costs, such as artist fees or residency elements?
Residency or other costs can be included if integral to the EDA project, but engagement costs should be delineated within any larger project budget.

We have submitted a preliminary application to the new Artist Residency Program, at the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. Are we allowed to apply to EDA for the same project?
You may apply to EDA for the same project. However, note that the competition in the DDCF Artist Residency Program will be very stiff. We advise you to apply for a project scope that is not contingent on receiving the Artist Residency Program grant and do not include that funding as part of your 25% match for EDA.

Can EDA staff review a draft of our narrative?
In fairness to all applicants, staff cannot review your draft application. However, you are welcome to ask staff any questions about how to write your narrative.

About Eligibility

Can a Dance/USA Individual Member apply?
Only Dance/USA member 501(c)3 organizations are eligible to submit an application, and must be a member in good standing by August 31. Note that individual members may participate as a project partner or upgrade their membership to become an organizational member to be eligible to apply on their own. Refer to Become a Member for additional information, including costs and benefits, or contact the membership department at membership@danceusa.org.

Can Dance/USA’s international members apply?
EDA is open only to U.S. members.

For Funded Organizations

How many meetings will be required? How many days out of the office can I expect?
Grantees should plan for a total of up to five full days of meetings, in addition to travel time over the entire project timeline. Meetings will take place at two points during the project period. The first meeting will be in winter 2013 and the second will take place toward the end of the grant period. Two people from each funded project must attend both meetings. Dance/USA will cover travel costs for these meetings separately from the grant funds. More people from each project are welcome to participate provided they cover their own travel costs. Included in this allotment is one day for grantees to conduct a site visit.

Why will grantees conduct a site visit as a part of their project?
EDA is designed to embed learning and new practice in audience engagement within Dance/USA’s member organizations. The Learning Community strives to embed this learning and build collegial relationships among grantees’ staff. During Round One, the grantees recommended that they be allowed to visit another organization in order to observe engagement activities, explore methods and otherwise learn from each other. Dance/USA believes that the building of solid, collegial relationships among its members is an important step toward strengthening the field’s practice in audience engagement—one that will last far beyond the time period of the grant itself.

Will audience research be part of the project?
Not directly. Round One invested in significant support of research, both through the National Survey of Dance Audiences (WolfBrown 2011), grantee research, and other smaller studies. All of this information is available to the field for review and usage. In Round Two, it was decided to invest in members’ use of this learning, by awarding more grants to more members and through the ways described in the Learning Community component. Grantees may opt to include research within their projects, and can, if desired, adapt survey templates that were developed during Round One to their needs. See the Guidelines.

How do the requirements for Round Two Grantees compare with Round One?
Round One required grantees to innovate brand new ideas, complete a substantive research component and share extensive learning and products related to their projects. The high grant amounts reflected this ambitious set of requirements and allowed for broad dissemination of results. In Round Two, the grant amounts are smaller and thus the expectations are not as ambitious. However, Round Two grantees will still be encouraged to share information broadly, through the meetings and other methods.

About the Future

Will there be a third round for Engaging Dance Audiences?
No decision has been made; Discussions about a future round would occur in 2014, in consultation with the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.