In partnership with the Howard Gilman Foundation, the New York City Small Theatres Fund is a two-year general operating support grant to New York City-based theatre companies with annual budgets between $15,000 and $250,000. The fund provides multi-year grant awards between $7,500-$10,000 each year. Applicants to the Small Theatres Fund are NOT required to be members of A.R.T./New York. This grant aims to support a wide range of theatrical aesthetics, methods of production, and artistic communities throughout the five boroughs, engaging their artists and audiences in meaningful, exciting, and committed creation and production. We aim to fund a group of applicants who reflect the diversity of New York City theatre-making and increase opportunities for theatres and artists who have been historically under-resourced due to barriers associated with racial, economic, disability, gender, and/or sexual identity and/or geographic location.
Application Timeline
Please check back in Late Summer 2026 for information about the next Small Theatres Fund Cycle.
Info Sessions + Office Hours
To Be Scheduled in Late Summer 2026 as well.
Eligibility
To be eligible for the Small Theatre Fund, applicants must:
- Be a theatre company, organization, or artist collective creating, developing, or presenting theatre for at least two years;
- Applicant may be a 501c3, LLC, fiscally sponsored, or unincorporated entity that is “non-profit in spirit”.
- A.R.T./New York has an expansive definition of “theatre” as a discipline of live performance. If you call your art theatre, then you are eligible to apply for this grant! However, keep in mind as you write your application that a panel of theatre-makers will be evaluating your application for this theatre-based grant.
- Have annual expenses totaling between $15,000 – $250,000 for its most recently completed fiscal year (excluding any regrants or artist relief the theatre may have distributed);
- Be primarily producing, developing, or presenting work in the five boroughs of New York City;
- Companies that create work in New York City and then tour nationally and internationally are eligible for this grant program.
- Not be funded directly by the Howard Gilman Foundation.
Evaluation Criteria
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 Small Theatres 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.