FAQs
Why are funds distributed with 30% to Indigenous theatres, 20% to Black theatres and 50% to all other Theatres of Color?
From the founding of the US, each generation of Indigenous and Black communities have been cruelly impacted by the twin traumas of stolen land and enslavement. These cruelties have evolved into the massive injustices witnessed in all facets of life in the US. According to the Bush Foundation, median white household wealth was nearly eight times that of median Black household wealth in 2019 and nearly thirteen times that of median Indigenous household wealth as of 2000 (the last year for which data is available).
There is strong evidence that injustice has been pervasive in the philanthropic sector as mentioned in the “What are the facts about funding for BITOC?” section above. In addition, The First Nations Development Institute examined support given to Native American organizations and causes from 2006 to 2014 and found that the total grant dollars awarded declined by 29%, a $35 million drop in funding.
THRIVE!’s distribution percentages were jointly created with the Advisory CIrcle. They are designed as one way to combat this erasure and to support a more vibrant theatre ecosystem.
My theatre serves more than one community of color. Where can we note that for the selection panel?
The program recognizes that some theatres may be connecting with and creating programming for multiple communities of color. There is a question on the application form where you will be able to detail your chosen communities. If you are serving multiple communities of color, and not solely focused on the Indigenous or Black community, your application will be considered in the group of applicants receiving 50% of the grant funds.
My theatre plans to apply for both RESPOND and RECOGNIZE. Can I apply for both with a single application?
These two categories are very different types of grants with different processes and require separate applications. RESPOND is meant to be a very rapid process with a shorter application form that can be completed quickly with minimal attachments and funds will be disbursed in one payment approximately two weeks from submission. RECOGNIZE, with a larger grant amount and the REBUILD component, asks narrative questions and some financial information to help the selection panel with their evaluation. However, if you are applying for both grant categories, the same Statements of Support and Impact may be used.
How do I show in-kind support on our application?
THRIVE! recognizes and values the cultural wealth, community assets, and relationships that have historically been structural strengths of BITOC. RECOGNIZE applicants will have an opportunity to include in-kind contributions, as well as earned and contributed income in the Fiscal Information section on the application form. In-kind support may include use of space, equipment, supplies or meals. Applicants will be asked to provide a best estimate of the value of all in-kind contributions.
Many of our artists and staff are volunteers. How do we calculate that in dollars and include it in our operating budget?
You can consider all unpaid labor as in-kind donations and include it in your in-kind revenue and expenses on the application form. RECOGNIZE applicants will be asked to show a reasonable hourly rate for compensation no less than the federal minimum wage and describe this in the Fiscal Information section on the application form. Keep in mind that for RECOGNIZE part of the selection criteria is “A commitment to artist compensation”.
We don’t have a formal audit or extensive records of our expenses and income. Are we still eligible?
Formal audits are not a requirement and you can provide a Form 990 filed with the IRS. The e-postcard will not be accepted. RESPOND applicants will be asked for a minimal amount of documentation, which may include but not limited to, bank statements, payroll documentation, Profit & Loss statement, and a balance sheet. RECOGNIZE applicants are asked to provide the total income and revenue for the current and previous year. Try to build a realistic budget based on best estimates of your operating budget that are in line with your local standards for comparable goods and services.
Due to COVID our 2019, 2020 and 2021 expenses and revenue are very different from our typical operations. How can we explain this?
The application form for each grant category includes a section to provide context for how the pandemic affected your budget numbers and how your pandemic year budgets compare to previous years. If there was no programming during these years, you will be able to include figures from 2018.
Where can we find resources about fiscal sponsorship for arts organizations?
If you are unsure about where to find a fiscal sponsor, you might first try conferring with some trusted community foundations or capacity building organizations in your city or state. You can also check out the Fiscal Sponsorship Directory, which allows you to search for fiscal sponsors by state and city.
Some fiscal sponsors that work with individual artists and arts organizations include Fractured Atlas, The Field, NY Live Arts, Fresh Arts.
Our group doesn’t have tax-exempt status. How will payment be made?
If you do not have tax-exempt status, either through your own 501(c)(3) or through a fiscal sponsor, the payment will be treated as a grant to an individual, the lead contact named on the application form. The lead contact will need to declare the funds as taxable income. For tax purposes, TCG will issue a 1099 to the lead contact and will not withhold taxes. We recommend that grantees without tax-exempt status seek the advice of an accountant experienced in working with artists and windfall payments.
Is TCG a foundation?
TCG is a not-for-profit service organization that functions as an intermediary between funding partners and the theatre field. TCG is not a foundation but rather a regranting organization that receives funds from outside sources to create and administer grant programs addressing field needs. See TCG website for information about TCG’s other programs and services.
Our organization doesn't have a Board of Directors, but has a different form of a governing body. Can we submit their information in lieu of a Board of Directors?
We recognize that a Board of Directors can take different shapes and names such as a Steering Committee. Some theatre organizations may not even have one if they’re not yet incorporated. You can submit information of those serving on your governing body in lieu of a traditional Board of Directors.
What are the facts about funding for BITOC?
Historically, BITOC have been acutely affected by funding inequities. The majority of BITOC survive on budgets of less than $3 million a year and have been made more vulnerable due to the devastation of the converging pandemics of COVID-19 and ongoing racial injustices.
Well before the current health and economic crises, a 2017 Helicon study confirmed that "... despite important efforts by many leading foundations, funding overall had been less equitable, not more, in the five years before the study. Merely 2% of all cultural institutions receive nearly 60% of all contributed revenues...People of color represent 37% of the [U.S.] population, but just 4% of all foundation arts funding is allocated to groups whose primary mission is to serve communities of color."
2020 data gathered by Candid through the Foundation Center and GuideStar shows that only 7% of philanthropic dollars directly support BIPOC communities and just 3% specifically serves disabled people. Meanwhile, Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming communities receive only .015% or a penny for every $100.
The pandemic has exacerbated an already precarious quality of life for BIPOC. As we learned from The New York Times after they sued the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2020 to acquire information and national data, “Black and Latinx communities have been disproportionately affected by the coronavirus in a widespread manner that spans the country.” During the pandemic, the Navajo Nation has had higher COVID-19 numbers per capita than all of New York City. The Center for Effective Philanthropy released a June 2020 survey of the COVID-19 impact on nonprofits. While COVID-19 has had “devastating impacts on nonprofits, the negative impacts have been magnified for nonprofits that provide direct services and serve historically disadvantaged communities.”
Funding inequities are systemic and local patterns mirror national ones. BIPOC communities are hardest hit by the pandemic, and by extension, BIPOC theatres that directly serve those communities are more negatively impacted than others.
What is REBUILD?
REBUILD is a learning cohort, which begins with an Orientation. Grantees will identify and determine workshop topics to strengthen their effectiveness in specific areas and topics may include financial planning; crisis management and scenario planning; media; and program evaluation. Additional opportunities will include awareness building topics and intersectional programming. Other activities will include meetings with the THRIVE! Advisory Circle and leaders in the grantmaking sector.
Working with the Advisory Circle, direct dialogues with grantmakers are a core component of REBUILD activities, with the intention that BITOC have opportunities to build their own relationships with grantmakers.
To extend learnings and information sharing beyond the RECOGNIZE grantees, BIPOC journalists will be assigned to follow the work of THRIVE! grantees, bringing national visibility to their effective approaches to deepening relationships with their chosen communities, as well as their artistic work and any emerging trends. Journalists will also track REBUILD activities and learnings. The articles will be published in American Theatre magazine and widely disseminated throughout the arts field, BIPOC media and platforms, and other related sectors.
For RECOGNIZE grantees, TCG program staff will be present during the REBUILD sessions and hold a limited number of meetings with grantees as a cohort and individually. Combined with the journalists assigned to grantees, TCG program staff will have opportunities to assess the program’s impact. Grantees will be encouraged to request staff assistance at any point. Traditionally, TCG program staff are less concerned with binary definitions of success/failure and instead center reflection and self-evaluation.
One of the desired outcomes of the THRIVE! Program is to both deepen long established relationships with BITOC and to invite BITOC who are less familiar with TCG to benefit from the mentoring, networking and other programming that TCG offers.