Guidelines:

We are a small foundation whose mission is to support creative activity in the arts by providing grants to choreographers who wish to commission original music (sound design is not original music according to this mission) for their new works. We only fund grants where we are the sole commissioner, and the amount of these grants are scaled to the size and complexity of the project. Secondarily we also wish to encourage live music in performance of these works. Special attention is given to cross cultural and “trans-disciplinary” work.

We only underwrite the music composition cost, although in certain cases we will assist in the production expenses for the music. We cannot help with any other parts of your budget, primarily for economic reasons.

We are a hands-off outfit. We have no stylistic axes to grind. Our grants are awarded on a rolling basis. If we have cash and you fit our criteria, the money is yours.

Grant Process:

A short proposal with a budget that clearly shows the music commissioning cost and brief bios of composer and choreographer, as well as a firm premiere date (we don’t do workshops) are all that we require. If you have further questions please contact us.

We are only able to fund 501-C-3 nonprofit organizations. We prefer not to deal with fiscal sponsors. In the rare cases that we agree to such an arrangement, you will be responsible for any fees that they demand.

If we are able to fund your project, we will send you a commitment letter in which you agree to give The Charles and Joan Gross Family Foundation commissioning credit (including social media) for all performances, an archival copy of the premiere (DVD or similar media), and any print material related to the first performance. These are for our archives only and will not be shared although we hope that you will grant us the right to use some material on our website. In any case we will ask for your permission.

We look forward to hearing from you.