SUPPORT FOR COMMUNITY LED FREE PERFORMANCES IN PARKS
The Green / Arts LIVE NYC small grants program is designed to encourage community park groups, artists, and community-based arts organizations to collaborate to present free performing programs in parks in under-resourced neighborhoods across NYC’s five boroughs. We hope that grantees will build partnerships that create long-term relationships within the community to sustain outdoor programming beyond the scope of this funding. This will be the second year of a pilot project in which we are identifying challenges and solutions that will lead to increased — and sustainable — free performing arts programming in NYC parks.
In 2021, the first year of the grant program, we distributed approximately $300,000 through 45 grantees that received financial and in-kind support to host 114 performances/ workshops in 44 parks, plazas and community gardens across the five boroughs. More than 12,000 audiences participated in these events, with 320+ artists and 100+ production staff receiving payment for work on these programs. We learned a lot about the challenges facing artists and groups in parks, including both logistical difficulties and insufficient funding for production needs.
In this second year, we have changed the approach – awarding 11 grants of up to $10,000 to support community led performing arts programs. Grants will help support artists fees, production expenses, equipment and supplies, marketing, and permit fees. All grantees are also receiving consulting support from Partnerships for Parks, a joint program of City Parks Foundation and NYC Parks, and Mov!ng Culture Projects, to support Green / Arts LIVE grantees through the shaping, planning, and presenting of outdoor performing arts events in their parks and gardens.
Grantees announced in August 2022
FUNDERS
Generous support for the Green / Arts LIVE grant program is provided by Con Edison and the Thompson Family Foundation.
