The next deadline is October 15, 2008.

AMC will hold pre-application seminars on Thursday September 4 at 2PM and 4PM. Attendance is limited to one person per applicant organization. RSVP to Gilbert Galindo: gilbert@amc.net stating the name of the person attending, the name of the applicant organization, and the time of the seminar you are attending. The seminars will take place at AMC, 30 West 26th Street, Suite 1001, between Broadway and 6th Avenue.

Please note that there are some changes in the 2009 grant guidelines.

About the Program

The Live Music for Dance program (LMD) was founded as the Pocket Orchestra Project in 1986 by the Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust, the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), and the American Music Center. NYSCA conceived the idea for the Pocket Orchestra Project and co-administered the program for its first three years. From 1989-2003, Live Music for Dance was a program of the Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust, administered by the American Music Center.

When the Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust announced it would no longer be able to fully fund LMD in 2004, the American Music Center took on all legal and financial responsibility for the program.  In fiscal year 2005, through a generous grant from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the program expanded to create a separate funding category especially for New Jersey-based dance companies.

Over the past 22 years, Live Music for Dance has distributed over 500 grants totaling $5.3 million to over 200 New York City and 17 New Jersey dance companies to help them meet the costs of hiring musicians for live accompaniment of dance performances and for commissioning composers to create new works for dance.

The objectives of the program are:

• to support and encourage the use of live music for dance performances;
• to support collaborations between composers and choreographers;
• to foster meaningful collaborations between musicians and dance companies; and
• to create performance opportunities for musicians.

Eligibility

• Proposals may be submitted by not-for-profit professional dance companies based in New York City or New Jersey.  Companies may apply with a fiscal sponsor.

• Only organizations with budgets of less than $5 million for the current fiscal year may apply;
• All applicants previously funded in this program must have submitted to the American Music Center a narrative and financial report on the use of grant funds.

 
New York City grants range from $1,000 to $20,000. The largest grants are normally for orchestral fees, while most grants are modest in scale.

• New York City applications will be accepted for performances that take place within 18 months of January 1, 2009 (from January 1, 2009 to May 31, 2010.)
• Applicants may request up to a total of $20,000.  Requests for commissions, musicians’ fees, or a combination of the two cannot exceed this amount.

New York City grants may cover:

• musicians’ rehearsal and performance fees for performances in New Jersey and/or New York City occurring between January 2009 and May 2010.
• Composer commission fees, including commissions and copying costs, for music to be created for new works being performed between January 2009 and May 2010.

Please note: New York City-based organizations that receive LMD 2009 funding may not apply again until October 2010 for LMD 2011. Applications are considered for consecutive years only.

New Jersey grants generally range from $1,000 to $15,000 and are modest in scale. 

• New Jersey applications will be accepted for performances that take place within 18 months of January 1, 2009 (from January 1, 2009 to May 31, 2010.)

New Jersey grants may cover:

• musicians’ rehearsal and performance fees for performances in New Jersey and/or New York City occurring between January 2009 and May 2010.
• Composer commission fees, including commissions and copying costs, for music to be created for new works being performed between January 2009 and May 2010.
• rehearsal fees for dancers to work with musicians and/or composer(s) in preparation for proposed performances in New Jersey and/or New York City occurring between January 2009 and May 2010.

Funding priority for musicians’ fees will be given to companies that have a demonstrated commitment to the use of live music, and to those for which live music will be featured in a substantial portion of the repertoire being performed. With regard to composer commissions, funding priority will be given to commissioned music that will be performed live.

Funding priority will be given to companies proposing the use live performance of American music.

The following criteria will also be applied in evaluating grant proposals:

• the artistic quality and performance history of the applicant institution;
• the artistic quality of the music and musical performers; and
• the applicant’s ability to cover adequately the costs of production.

The next deadline is October 15, 2008. Completed applications must be postmarked (not meter-stamped) by this deadline.

Late and/or incomplete applications will not be accepted.

Correspondence between applicants and the AMC prior to the final decisions will be via email. Applicants should provide a working email address that is checked frequently.

Applicants will be notified in writing of funding decisions by December 31, 2008.

Grantee Requirements

Grantees must acknowledge the American Music Center in programs and publicity material regarding the supported project.  They will be asked to notify AMC of exact performance dates prior to performances and will be required to submit a written narrative and a financial report describing the use of the funds at the conclusion of the project.

Grantees will receive one year of membership to the American Music Center at no cost. This benefit is redeemable once per applicant.

Applications must include all of the following, submitted together in one package. Do not staple or otherwise bind these materials. Do not send brochures, flyers, or any other additional materials beyond what is requested below.

1.      The Application Form
2.      The Proposal Letter

• a description of the company and the season for which live music is planned;
• a description of the music component of the season, including a statement about the relationship of live music to the dance works, and the degree to which live music will be used;
• if applying for musicians’ fees, identification of the musicians to be employed;
• if applying for composer commission fees, biographical information on the composer to be commissioned;
• biographical information about the choreographer;
• biographical information about the dance company, including number of dancers;
• information about the dance company’s prior use of live musicians and prior commissions
• a production budget, with a detailed breakdown of musicians’ rehearsal and performance fees, and if applicable, composer fee; and
• If the applicant is from New Jersey and is applying for dancers with musicians’ rehearsal costs, separate those expenses from the other rehearsal expenses.
• if applicable, information about other funds received or pending for composer or musicians’ fees.

3.     Supporting/Musical Materials

Musical Materials
The panel will view/listen to a minimum of 5 minutes and a maximum of 8 minutes of any one DVD or CD. Applicants must indicate which sections of the submitted material should be reviewed with cue marks or other specific instructions on the work sample sheet.

• a DVD of two (2) recent samples of the dance company’s work. Entire pieces are preferable to edited segments of performances;
• if applying for musicians’ fees, a separate audio sample (CD only) featuring the musicians to be employed;
• if applying for composer commission fees, two (2) audio samples (CD only) and their respective scores of music of the composer to be commissioned;
• a work sample sheet with suggested cues from where to begin review, dates of performances, titles of pieces, and performers.

Financial Materials

• a copy of the dance company’s (NOT the fiscal sponsor’s) financial statement/budget from this fiscal year and the last fiscal year;
• a list of the dance company’s current and pending institutional donors with award amounts, and a list of the company’s previous year’s institutional donors with award amounts;

Organizational Materials

• a list of members of the dance company’s board and their affiliations;
• a copy of the dance company’s determination letter confirming tax-exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code;
• if using a fiscal sponsor, include the sponsor’s tax-exempt letter and a letter of intent from that sponsor; and
• SASE for return of materials (optional – see following section).

Returning Materials

Do not send unique or irreplaceable materials.  The American Music Center cannot accept any responsibility for loss or damage to such materials.  Materials will be returned only if a self-addressed stamped envelope is provided with sufficient postage and a return address. Metered mail is NOT acceptable for return postage. Do not place tape over stamps.

Address applications and inquiries to:

Jenny Clarke
Grants Manager
American Music Center
30 West 26 Street, Suite 1001
New York, NY 10010-2011
RE: Live Music for Dance

212.366.5260, ext. 29
jclarke@amc.net

Prospective applicants are encouraged to contact the American Music Center with questions prior to the time of application.   These guidelines and the application form are available in writable PDF format on-line: www.amc.net

Additional information about this and all AMC programs may be found online:

www.amc.net
www.newmusicbox.org
www.counterstreamradio.org

Lead support for Live Music for Dance in 2009 is provided by the Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust, the Baisley Powell Elebash Fund, the New York Community Trust – LuEsther T. Mertz Advised Fund, the Harkness Foundation for Dance, and with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State agency. Funding for New Jersey-based applicants is provided by the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.