Fordney Foundation Grant

The Fordney Foundation Grant supports talented individuals in dance, aiming to foster professional careers and enhance community engagement in dance sports. Its DanceStart Program aids families in supporting their children's dance education at competitive levels, emphasizing the importance of physical conditioning and personal expression through this art form.

NOTE: Before applying for a grant, please send an e-mail message or telephone to verify that grant funds are available for the current year.
Purpose
The Fordney Foundation is an educational and charitable nonprofit foundation for dance formed in May, 2002 with a three-fold mission:

• Discover and train talented individuals with the ultimate goal of having them establish a professional career in dance or a dance-related profession.
• Develop an understanding of dance sport in the community, enhance youth awareness and participation, and encourage young talent in the United States.
• Award grant monies to those who pursue dance as a career and prize monies to amateur dancers 25 and under who dance competitively.
• Goals and Objectives

Help children and young adults to realize their dreams of artistically expressing themselves through ballroom dancing. The Fordney Foundation was established to promote ballroom dancing to individuals of all ethnic groups without regard to religion or creed that are 6 to 25 years of age who qualify as amateur dance students.
Award grant monies to individuals who pursue dance as a career who are either dependents attending school 6 to 18 years of age or dependents 19 to 25 years of age who do not have the means to support their dancing.
Award prize monies to amateur dancers ages 6 to 25 who dance competitively.
Dancestart Program
The DanceStart Program is part of the Fordney Foundation and helps families support their children’s learning and training of ballroom dancing at a competition level, however, under Internal Revenue Service guidelines for 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organizations, nonprofit funds may only be given to other nonprofit organizations in the applicant’s name.
Dancesports Benefits
Ballroom dancing is beautiful, graceful, elegant, and sophisticated. It requires top physical conditioning. It improves communication skills, social interaction, coordination, creativity, spatial ability, stamina and endurance, and positive psychological benefits by elevating self-esteem.
Financial Aspects of Dancesports
When watching amateur youth/junior dance competitions, you will become aware that competitors must dress in beautiful costumes, have impeccable grooming, and straight posture. Private and group dance lessons, coaching sessions, and practice sessions are required as the skill to dance as a unit becomes perfected. Transportation to and from the competitions, entry fees, hotel lodging, and meals may also be required. It takes a great deal of time and financial resources to become a top contender. By nurturing youth dance sport, the foundation can help educate the public in the United States about this activity as a sport.

Eligibility

Under Internal Revenue Service guidelines for 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organizations, grant monies may be awarded to another nonprofit organization for an individual dance student, dance institution, dance competition, or other dance related purpose.