Rauschenberg Dancer Emergency Grant Cycle 25

Overview

This program provides one-time grants of up to $3,000 to professional dancers in need who have a dire financial emergency due to loss or lack of recent/current live performance work due to circumstances outside their control. The grant aims to cover up to three months of essential expenses, recognizing the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and other career interruptions including illness or injury.

What constitutes a dire financial emergency

Lack or imminent endangerment of essentials such as rental housing, medicine/healthcare, utilities, transportation, and food. You must present an urgent and critical need for emergency support in your application.

Key eligibility requirements

• Be 21 years or older on the cycle's deadline
• Reside in the United States, the District of Columbia, a Tribal Nation, or a U.S. Territory
• Adjusted gross income of $80,000 or lower for an individual, or $160,000 for joint filers, averaged over the last two federal tax returns
• Not have received a Rauschenberg Medical or Dancer Emergency Grant within the last five years
• Not enrolled in any degree-seeking program

Professional dancer requirements

You must be a professional dancer with at least five years of paid, live dance performance work since 2021. Performance styles include contemporary, modern, ballet, hip-hop and street styles, tap, traditional and cultural dance forms, circus, improvisation-based work, and multi-genre or interdisciplinary performances where movement is primary. You may perform in varied settings including ticketed stage performances, free street festivals, and music videos, as long as you have performed in live, public-facing performances regularly.

Submission deadline

• August 4, 2026