Dance/NYC is proud to announce the successful completion of the first round of grantmaking through its Dance Workforce Resilience (DWR) Fund, a pilot initiative designed to promote fair labor practices, support contracted freelance dance work, and reduce wage inequities across New York City’s dance sector. The Fund received over 120 applications in its first month, with all applicants who were not yet selected opting to remain in the pool for future lottery rounds.
Launched in June 2025, the Dance Workforce Resilience (DWR) Fund provides $1,000 grants to freelance dancers in the NYC metropolitan area for contracted work completed between January 1, 2025, and April 30, 2026. A monthly weighted lottery selects recipients, prioritizing African, Latina/o/x, Asian, Arab, and Native American (ALAANA), disabled, immigrant, transgender, nonbinary, and older (40+) dancers—groups that are often underpaid or excluded from traditional funding.
Supported by the Ford Foundation, New York Community Trust, and other generous funders, the DWR Fund is a core component of Dance/NYC’s multiyear Dance. Workforce. Resilience. (DWR) Initiative, which aims to strengthen the dance ecology by fostering economic sustainability for individual dance workers and organizations alike. It is administered by Dance/NYC in collaboration with consultants F. Javier Torres-Campos and Jo-Ná A. Williams, Esq., utilizing guidance from an advisory group of dance workers with experience in grantmaking and arts labor advocacy.
“The overwhelming response to the DWR Fund reflects both the need and the urgency for more equitable labor practices in dance,” says Sara Roer, Interim Executive Director of Dance/NYC. “We’re thrilled to support dancers in building greater financial stability through contracts and fair pay, and we are excited to continue this work in partnership with the field.”
Grantees selected in the first round of funding have begun receiving awards this August. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis through March 3, 2026, and new grantees will continue to be selected monthly until all funds are awarded.
“I am humbled and very grateful for this award,” says Clarence Brooks, a DWR Fund recipient. “In a field where funding is so often youth-focused, being the recipient of this grant says folx like me—even senior artists—are valued, and appreciated.”
For more information about eligibility, upcoming due dates, and support services, visit Dance.NYC/DWRFund.
Share this:
