Venturous Capital Grants

The Venturous Capital Grants aim to empower small and medium-sized not-for-profit theaters to produce bold and experimental new plays. Grants range from $5,000 to $35,000, covering extraordinary costs that enable productions to thrive. The program supports text-based, author-driven works that are ambitious, challenging, and innovative, while emphasizing the importance of playwright compensation and adhering to AEA standards. This initiative fosters creativity and helps overcome financial barriers in theater production.

NOTE: We can only accept LOIs for productions that begin rehearsal at least 2 1/2 months after the LOI deadline date.
The goal of our Venturous Capital Grants program is to support writers of bold, experimental, and/or large-scale new plays by giving theaters the ability to say “yes” instead of “no” to writer-driven projects that are unusually heavy lifts, i.e., that are perceived as especially challenging. While we do not fund routine production costs, we offer grants to support specific extraordinary costs that might otherwise make venturous plays difficult or impossible to produce.
Productions We Support
We make grants to small and medium-sized not-for-profit theater companies to support productions of text-based, author-driven new plays that are
ambitious in scale,epic in scope,challenging in form,controversial in subject matter,experimental in concept,(and/or) unabashed in their theatricality.
In short, new plays that are venturous.
Specific Costs These Grants Fund
Our grants cover extraordinary integral expenses necessary for the production of a new play—specific expenses without which the play could not be produced.
These grants are intended to remove perceived obstacles to production by underwriting unusual expenses.
Eligible extraordinary expenses typically include:
Specific examples of supported costs from successful past applications:
AEA compensation and fringe for additional performers in large-cast productionsOut-of-town expenses for artists in unusual circumstancesMusicians and choreographers for plays that involve music, dance, movement, etc. as an integral narrative element, but that are not musicalsAdditional rehearsal time due to unique production requirementsCosts involved in mounting multiple productions of individual authors’ works (plays staged in rep, commitment to produce 3-5 plays, etc.)Interactive technology for the cast or audience members’ use during performances.
$5,000 – $35,000
Note: Grants of $30,000 and above are awarded only in extraordinary circumstances. Grant amounts are based on the specific extraordinary expenses described in your application. They are production-specific and are NOT related to any previous support. In general, smaller and more specific requests are more likely to be funded at 100%.

Eligibility

Requirements for Funded ProductionsFunded projects must be:Scripted, text-based, author-driven, full-length new plays by a living writerProduced in the United States by an eligible theater company (see above)Must offer reasonable compensation to the author via a royalty, fee, etc., exclusive of any commission or performance fees.Produced under an AEA collective bargaining agreement with a minimum of TWO performers employed on an AEA contract, not counting stage managers and understudies. No AEA showcases.Full productions open to the general public for a run of at least 13 performances. Workshops, staged readings, and developmental productions will not be funded.World premieres or second/third productions with writer involvement (we may request a written statement from the author describing their participation in the production process).Theater EligibilitySupport is limited to productions at small- and medium-sized theaters with annual budgets of under $5 million.Theaters must be professional, independent producing organizations located within the U.S. that produce plays on Actors’ Equity Association contracts. They must be not-for-profit 501 (c) 3 organizations or be fiscally sponsored by a 501 (c) 3 organization. However, all involved producing organizations, producing partners, and above-the-title entities must meet the criteria described above in order for a project to be eligible for support.

Ineligibility

Work We Do Not FundThese grants do NOT fund the following genres/processes:MusicalsMusical theater work including operas, concerts, cabaret, etc.Dance, dance theater pieces, movement-driven theater, mime, etc.Plays for children/young audiencesSolo performance piecesPlays authored/devised by companies or collectivesHoliday showsNew plays that have already been widely produced/programmed, or that have received major productions in New York City, London, or other English-speaking theater capitalsCommissioningDevelopmental processes such as readings, workshops, etc.Non-AEA productions or AEA showcases.Important note: We do not support non-AEA productions under any circumstances. These grants do not support projects produced on any of the AEA showcase codes.These grants to NOT fund routine production expenses. We do not make grants to individual writers or non-producing organizations under this program.What These Grants Do NOT FundBecause these grants are intended for extraordinary costs, we do NOT fund routine production expenses.Also, we do NOT fund enhanced production values, i.e., expenses that enable the theater to stage the play at a higher level.Examples of specific expenses we do NOT fund:Normal director/designer/actor salaries and other regular production costsVenue rentalPlaywright royalty/compensationPlaywright travel, housing, or other standard author expensesEnhanced design elementsPeriod costumesCosts related to star castingStandard projection equipment rental/purchaseWorkshops, readings, and other developmental processesLobby display/decorationNon-production costs such as marketing/PR, outreach, education, etc.Compensation for non-AEA performers