Mertz Gilmore and Howard Gilman Foundations Among Funders Backing The Springboard Project's 2018 Residencies
In a recent post, I reported on institutional dance funders like the Shubert Foundation ramping up giving as strapped government agencies cut back. News out of New York City provides another example of this phenomenon while suggesting that a top-heavy dance field needn't be a foregone conclusion.
Following the success of its pilot program launched in the spring of 2017, the Springboard Project announced it was accepting letters of inquiry for its 2018 residencies. Backed by the Jerome Robbins Foundation and a half-dozen other funders—including the Mertz Gilmore, Howard Gilman, and Slifka Family foundations—the program provides a three-week development workshop for two creative teams in early conceptual stages of a new dance-driven musical.
It's the kind of program we've come to expect from the Jerome Robbins Foundation. An influential player in the dance space, the foundation has provided support to New York City-based troupes like the New York City Ballet, the Gibney Dance Center and the Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance, as well as the Houston Ballet, Boston Ballet, Miami City Ballet and Oregon Ballet Theatre.
And just like the Shubert Foundation, which raised its total grant payout by $1.6 million from 2015 to 2016, Robbins' largesse is also trending positively. Its annual contributions rose from $1,392,466 in 2015 to $1,541,455 in 2016. That's a very respectable 11 percent increase...