Creative Opportunity Fund

Creative Opportunity Fund is sponsored by A. R. T.

/New York (regrant of NYSCA funds). Provides general operating support grants to small professional theaters with budgets under $500,000 working throughout New York State.

## fy27 NYSCA – A. R. T.

/New york Creative Opportunity Fund **The FY27 Creative Opportunity Fund provides general operating support grants of $2,000-$5,000 to small professional theatres with budgets under $500,000 working throughout New York State. **Applicants to the Creative Opportunity Fund are NOT required to be members of A. R.

T. /New York. The Creative Opportunity Fund is a regrant of a New York State Council on the Arts program.

A. R. T.

/New York regrants NYSCA funds, and all applicants and grantees will interact with A. R. T.

/New York as their grantmaker. Opens: Tuesday, December 1, 2026 at 10am ET Closes: Tuesday, January 19, 2027 at 5pm ET Pre-recorded information sessions will be available in December. **Save the Date!

**Erica Wray Barnes, Associate Director of Grants and Member Engagement will offer a live, virtual Creative Opportunity Fund Information Session on **Thursday, January 7th at 4:30pm ET**. Registration for this event opens in December. A.

R. T. /New York Staff will be offering technical assistance in the form of virtual “Office Hours” with a member of A.

R. T. /New York staff.

* Schedule a 25 minute session * Discuss your responses to questions in the grant application * Look over potential work samples you’re considering * Talk through questions on your budget and/or budget notes * Answer any other questions regarding the grant you may have * Review the grant application, eligibility requirements, and evaluation criteria prior to your meeting * The more you have prepared the more substantial feedback we’ll be able to provide Registration for Creative Opportunity Fund Office Hours coming in December!

To be eligible for the Creative Opportunity Fund, applicants must: * Be a theatre company based in New York State with a New York State address that has presented or produced public programming for at least two years * Applicants should be theatre companies and/or collectives, though they can have a wide range of organizational structures including – but not limited to – 501(c)3, fiscally sponsored, or unincorporated artist collectives.

* NYSCA has informed us that any application submitted on behalf of a for-profit Limited Liability Company (LLC) or Domestic Business Corporation, regardless of whether or not they are fiscally sponsored by a registered 501c3 nonprofit, will not be eligible to be considered for funding. If this information impacts your application, please let us know, and we will remove it from consideration.

* Have live or virtual performances open to the general public (free or ticketed) in New York State in 2027 * Have annual expenses totaling $500,000 or less for its most recently completed fiscal year * Not have applied directly to NYSCA’s for 2027 funding, regardless of whether or not the application was funded * Currently and previously pay artists, or commit to allocating at least 50% of any funding awarded through the Creative Opportunity Fund to providing compensation to artists.

Reviewing evaluation criteria is a crucial step in the grant writing process.

Please keep the following evaluation criteria in mind when completing your grant application: ### **Artistic Merit (25%)** Artistic merit is not a measure of whether an artistic product is “good” or “bad”, but a tool to measure whether companies have created work with intentionality, integrity, and rigor, whether the work contributed to the theatrical culture of New York, and whether the production is achieving artistic success by the definition of the company.

A. R. T.

/New York supports an expansive definition of theatre as a discipline of the performing arts and rejects the idea that service to the Western European artistic canon is a core component of artistic merit. ### **Organization Identity (25%)** Who are you, what do you do, and why do you do it? Clearly articulate your theatre’s mission, vision, goals, and core programming and state how your artistic programs align.

There are many different ways of writing about the organizational identity of a company. Please clearly define the driving values and programming behind your theatre’s work. ### **Impact on and Service to the Community (25%)** Explain how your theatre distinguishes itself from other theatres in the city in creating work and programming that impacts artists, audiences, and others who you define as your community.

Explain the impact your theatre has on the local theatrical field. Talk about any intentional steps around audience and community building. ### **Need and Impact of the Grant (25%)** Explain the impact receiving this grant would have on your theatre, artists, and community.

Make an effective case for the grants impact on your ability to stabilize and/or build capacity. Make a clear case for funding. ### ****Application Guide**** Read our full walk through on how to successfully apply for the Creative Opportunity Fund Grant.

### ****Basics of Grantwriting**** Is this your first grant application? Familiarize yourself with the basics of grantwriting. ### ****Frequently Asked Questions**** Still have questions?

Start here to find an answer.