The following list is a sampling of hundreds of service organizations supporting the arts in New York City. The organizations featured here focus on service to individuals and small groups involved in theatre, dance, music, and the media. Additional information was provided by the Queens Council on the Arts, One Forest Park at Oak Ridge, Woodhaven, NY 11421-1166, phone: (718) 647-3377, website: www.queenscouncilarts.org. An asterisk (*) notes that the information was accurate as of January 2005, but we did not hear from the organization by press time. If any organization not included here would like to be added to this list, contact B.L. Rice, Listings Editor, c/o Back Stage, 770 Broadway, 4th fl., New York, NY 10003, or fax (646) 654-5742, or email brice@backstage.com. The following program descriptions are provided by the organizations themselves and not by the editorial staff of Back Stage.
The Actors' Fund of America
729 Seventh Ave., 10th fl.
New York, NY 10019
(212) 221-7300/fax (212) 764-0238
Website: www.actorsfund.org
The Actors' Fund of America is a national human-service organization helping all entertainment professionals. Its broad spectrum of programs—designed to address the needs of its community—include comprehensive social services, health care services, employment and training, and supportive housing. Administered from its offices in New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago, these programs help people solve problems and make positive changes in their lives. When a crisis occurs, the Fund is here to provide intensive case management, counseling, and linkage to community resources and financial assistance. The Actors' Fund's free clinic provides screenings and health services to entertainment professionals, and through the Health Insurance Resource Center, people across the country can learn about ways to obtain appropriate health insurance and health care.
The Actors' Work Program
729 Seventh Ave., 11th fl.
New York, NY 10019
(212) 354-5480
Email: blevinso@actorsfund.org
Website: www.actorsfund.org/human/work.html
Contact:
Billie Levinson, office coordinator
The Actors' Work Program is designed to help entertainment industry professionals identify and find meaningful sideline, parallel, and new careers. The Actors' Work Program is open to all entertainment industry union members in good standing, referrals from the Actors' Fund social service department, clients of Career Transition for Dancers, and others who can document substantial entertainment industry work.
The Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York (ART/NY)
575 Eighth Ave., Ste. 1720
New York, NY 10018
(212) 244-6667
Email: questions@art-newyork.org
Website: www.offbroadwayonline.com
ART/NY is the leadership organization for nearly 400 not-for-profit theatres in all five boroughs. Its services include low-cost office and rehearsal space at facilities in Brooklyn and Manhattan; cash grants totaling approximately $350,000 each year; low-interest cash flow and real estate loans; technical assistance workshops and roundtables on dozens of topics; listings on its Off-Broadway Online website; and advocacy on behalf of the community.
Alliance of New York State Arts Organizations
Box 96
Mattituck, NY 11952
(631) 298-1234/fax (631) 298-1101
Email: jtweiner@thealliancenys.org
Website: www.thealliancenys.org
Contact: Judith Kaufman Weiner, exec. dir.
The Alliance of New York State Arts Organizations has a 30-year history as New York's primary service association for community-based arts and cultural organizations. The Alliance provides leadership and vision, and delivers services, resources, and tools that strengthen cultural organizations. The Alliance informs the field on statewide and national issues affecting the arts and assists local arts agencies in building community support. Alliance programs include a Rural Arts Initiative with dedicated staff to provide organizational development and one-on-one assistance to 33 organizations serving over half the counties of the state. Statewide arts meetings provide new skills and networking opportunities for arts administrators, board members, and artists. Training workshops, OnLine Live! (a new interactive training and meeting program), professional consultancies, and the Regional Captain Network provide unique professional development opportunities. Site visits and regional partnerships are supported by the Alliance staff. A vast electronic network informs the field and mobilizes the arts community for annual events like Arts Day in Albany, the New York State Culture Development Area Project, as well as for information and training sessions. Publications and directories, networking, and referrals round out the information services.
Americans for the Arts
(formerly American Council for the Arts)
1 E. 53rd St., 2nd fl.
New York, NY 10022
(212) 223-2787
Website: www.americansforthearts.org
Americans for the Arts is the nation's leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. With more than 40 years of service, it is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts. It is focused on three primary goals: (1) Foster an environment in which the arts can thrive and contribute to the creation of more livable communities; (2) Generate more public- and private-sector resources for the arts and arts education; (3) Build individual appreciation of the value of the arts.
The American Dance Guild
PO Box 2006, Lenox Hill Station
New York, NY 10021
(212) 932-2789
Email: info@americandanceguild.org
Website: www.americandanceguild.org
The American Dance Guild presents international dance and film festivals, and produces videos, journals, and books on dance that can be used in education and for scholarly research.
American Music Center
30 W. 26th St., Ste. 1001
New York, NY 10010
(212) 366-5260/fax (212) 366-5265
Website: www.amc.net
The American Music Center is a national service and information center for new American music.
American Opera Projects (AOP)
South Oxford Space
138 S. Oxford St.
Brooklyn, NY 11217
(718) 398-4024/fax (718) 398-3489
Email: info@operaprojects.org
Website: www.operaprojects.org
AOP, a project-oriented center for artists, is committed to the creation, development, and presentation of new opera and innovative opera projects.
American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP)
One Lincoln Plaza
New York, NY 10023
(212) 621-6000/fax (212) 724-9064
Website: www.ascap.com
ASCAP protects the rights of its members by licensing and distributing royalties for the non-dramatic public performances of their copyrighted works. ASCAP's licensees encompass all who want to perform copyrighted music publicly. ASCAP makes giving and obtaining permission to perform music simple for both creators and users of music.
*Art & Science Collaborations
PO Box 358
Staten Island, NY 10304
(941) 955-5103
Email: info@asci.org
Website: www.asci.org
Art & Science Collaborations encourages and promotes interactive and/or kinetic (including video) projects for NYC public spaces. It also serves as a fiscal conduit/sponsor for grant applications involving these projects.
Arts & Business Council of New York
520 Eighth Ave., Ste. 319
New York, NY 10018
(212) 279-5910/fax (212) 279-5915
Email: info@artsandbusiness.org
Websites: www.artsandbusiness.org, www.artsmarketing.org
The Arts & Business Council strengthens the arts by promoting partnerships with the business community. Its major program is Business Volunteers for the Arts, which places corporate executives as pro bono management consultants for NYC arts groups in marketing, financial management, planning, etc. The National Arts Marketing Project provides marketing training and financial support to arts organizations.
Arts, Crafts and Theater
Safety (ACTS)
181 Thompson St., #23
New York, NY 10012-2586
(212) 777-0062
Email: ACTSNYC@cs.com
Website:
www.artscraftstheatersafety.org
ACTS is a nonprofit corporation that answers health and safety inquiries free worldwide by phone, mail, and email; provides lectures and courses; conducts OSHA-compliance surveys; and distributes a newsletter (ACTS Facts) and other publications. ACTS does not accept donations from industries or businesses that could benefit from its recommendations.
Artists Community Federal
Credit Union
351-A W. 54th St.
New York, NY 10019
(212) 246-3344/fax (212) 246-3366
Website: www.artistscommunityfcu.org
ACFCU is a federally insured financial cooperative owned and controlled by member artists, with a unique understanding of the arts community and arts economics. The ACFCU offers investment programs (share/money market, certificates of deposit, IRAs in CD form) and credit services (contract loans, which are advances against qualifying grants or contracts from government and private institutions; loans secured by member deposits or those of friends, foundations, or board members; unsecured loans with an application process and interest cost comparable to those of traditional banks). All accounts are insured up to $100,000 by the National Credit Union Administration, a federal agency. The credit union now also offers checking accounts and investment programs.
*The Association of Hispanic Arts (AHA)
161 E. 106th St.
New York, NY 10029
(212) 876-1242/fax (212) 876-1285
Email: ahanews@latinoarts.org
Website: www.latinoarts.org
Founded in 1975, the Association of Hispanic Arts is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of Latino arts, artists, and arts organizations as an integral part of the cultural life of the nation. It facilitates projects and programs designed to foster the appreciation, growth, and well-being of the Latino cultural community.
AUDELCO
PO Box 30, Manhattanville Station
New York, NY 10027
(212) 368-6906/fax (212) 368-6906
Email: audelco@aol.com
Website: www.audelco.org
The Audience Development Committee provides services to generate recognition, understanding, and awareness of the arts in the black community; promotes public relations; and builds new audiences for nonprofit theatres and dance companies.
BMI
320 W. 57th St.
New York, NY 10019-3790
(212) 586-2000
Website: www.bmi.com
BMI is an American performing-rights organization that represents approximately 300,000 songwriters, composers, and music publishers in all genres of music. The non-profit-making company, founded in 1939, collects license fees on behalf of those American creators it represents, as well as thousands of creators from around the world who chose BMI for representation in the United States. The license fees BMI collects for the public performances of its repertoire of more than 6.5 million compositions—including radio airplay, broadcast and cable television carriage, Internet and live and recorded performances by all other users of music—are then distributed as royalties to the writers, composers, and copyright holders it represents.
BRIC/Brooklyn Information & Culture
647 Fulton St., 2nd fl.
Brooklyn, NY 11217
(718) 855-7882/fax (718) 802-9095
Website: www.briconline.org
Contact: Asata Malloy, office mgr., ext. 10
Brooklyn Information & Culture is a multidisciplinary cultural organization that provides resources and a showcase for artists and strives to expand public appreciation of their work. BRIC presents media, education, and performing and visual arts programs that are reflective of and relevant to Brooklyn's diverse communities. Programs include: Celebrate Brooklyn! performing arts festival; Rotunda Gallery and education programs; BCAT/Brooklyn Community Access Television and BRIC Studio.
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA)
165 W. 46th St., Ste. 1300
New York, NY 10036
(212) 840-0770/fax (212) 840-0551
Website: www.bcefa.org or www.broadwaycares.org
BC/EFA is a leading industry-based, not-for-profit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organization. BC/EFA is the ongoing committed response from the American theatre community to an urgent worldwide health crisis. By drawing upon the talents, resources, and generosity of this community, BC/EFA raises funds for AIDS-related causes across the United States. Since its founding in 1988, BC/EFA has raised over $100 million for critically needed services for people with AIDS, HIV, or HIV-related illnesses.
*Career Transition for Dancers
The Caroline & Theodore Newhouse Center for Dancers
165 W. 46th St., Ste. 701
The Actors' Equity Building
New York, NY 10036-2501
(212) 764-0172/fax (212) 764-0343
Toll-free counseling hotline:
(800) 581-2833
Email: info@careertransition.org
Website: www.careertransition.org
The mission of Career Transition for Dancers is to empower current and former professional dancers, as well as their younger counterparts, with the knowledge and skills necessary to clearly define their career possibilities after dance, and to provide the resources to help make these possibilities a reality.
*Casting Society of America (New York)
Website: www.castingsociety.com
Chamber Music America (CMA)
305 Seventh Ave., 5th fl.
New York, NY 10001-6008
(212) 242-2022/fax (212) 242-7955
Website: www.chamber-music.org
CMA is a national membership organization that advances the interests of professional chamber musicians, presenters, training programs, and audiences and educators. The mission of CMA is to promote artistic excellence and economic stability within the profession, and to ensure that chamber music, in its broadest sense, is a vital part of American life.
Creative Capital
65 Bleecker St., 7th fl.
New York, NY 10012
(212) 598-9900/fax (212) 598-4934
Email: info@creative-capital.org
Website: www.creative-capital.org
Creative Capital is a national organization that manages a revolving, tax-exempt fund designed to support artists creating original work who are pursuing innovative, experimental approaches to form and/or content in the visual, performing, interdisciplinary, new media, and media arts and innovative literature.
Dance Notation Bureau (DNB)
151 W. 30th St., Ste. 202
New York, NY 10001
(212) 564-0985/fax (212) 216-9027
Email: dnbinfo@dancenotation.org
Website: www.dancenotation.org/DNB
DNB is an international organization devoted to the documentation of choreography and movement through notation (primarily Labanotation). It works with and for choreographers, performing companies, and educational institutions. Its library houses theatrical dance scores and dance-related materials. Membership is not required for use of some services.
Dance/NYC
63 Greene Street, #506
New York, NY 10012
(212) 966-4452/fax (212) 966-6424
Email: info@dancenyc.org
Web: www.dancenyc.org
Dance/NYC is a branch of Dance/USA, a national service organization for professional dance. Solely dedicated to the needs of NYC dance, it focuses on raising awareness of the extraordinary legacy and ongoing creativity of dance in NYC; on issues of space and real estate; on advocacy and data gathering; and on convening workshops, seminars, etc. on issues relevant to the needs of the NYC dance community.
*Dance Theater Workshop (DTW)
219 W. 19th St.
New York, NY 10011
(212) 691-6500/fax (212) 633-1974
Website: www.dtw.org
DTW provides sponsorship programs and production facilities as well as promotional, administrative, and technical services—not only to the dance community, but to artists in theatre, music, performance, literature, and the visual arts. Reference resources include detailed files on performance and rehearsal spaces throughout the city.
The Drama League
520 Eighth Ave., 3rd fl., Ste. 320
New York, NY 10018
(212) 244-9494
Outside of NYC: (877) NYC-PLAY
Email: info@dramaleague.org
Website: www.dramaleague.org
Founded in 1916, the Drama League is a national arts advocacy organization dedicated to developing artists and audiences for the America theatre. Its nationally renowned program, the Directors Project, provides training, assistant directorships, and developmental and Equity production opportunities for talented emerging directors, serving as a vital bridge between the professional arts industry and the developing artist. The Drama League's latest program, the Audience Project, offers discount low-cost and no-cost tickets for Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regional theatres across America. Its many educational series, informative publications, special events, concierge services, and discussion panels illuminate the essential relationships between audience and artists, promoting enjoyment, excellence, and ease in the theatregoing experience.
The Dramatists Guild of America
1501 Broadway, Ste. 701
New York, NY 10036
(212) 398-9366/fax (212) 944-0420
Email: Igor@dramaguild.com
Website: www.dramatistsguild.com
The Dramatists Guild of America is the U.S. membership association for playwrights, librettists, lyricists, and composers writing for the stage. Since its inception in 1912, the Guild has advocated on behalf of dramatists around the world and worked to advance their rights, including the right to own and control their work. Any writer who has completed a dramatic script or song may become a Guild member, regardless of production history, and can then have access to guild contracts and staff attorneys, as well as The Dramatist bimonthly magazine, the annual DG Resource Directory, and a host of other benefits.
Exploring the Metropolis
61 W. 23rd St., 4th fl.
New York, NY 10010-4246
(212) 886-2503/fax (212) 737-1496
Email: davidj@xtmnyc.org
Website: www.nycmusicplaces.org
Contact: David Johnston, program administrator
Exploring the Metropolis sponsors www.nycmusicplaces.org and www.nycdanceplaces.org, free, easy-to-use online directories of rehearsal, audition, and performance spaces found in New York City's five boroughs. Its comprehensive listings are searchable by rental rate, size, and/or location. Facility details and contact information are given for each space listing. Watch for www.nyctheatreplaces.org coming soon.
The Field
161 Sixth Ave., 14th fl.
New York, NY 10013
(212) 691-6969
Email: info@thefield.org
Website: www.thefield.org
The Field's mission is to serve independent performing artists on a completely non-exclusive basis. This means that everything it does is open to artists from all aesthetic viewpoints, cultural backgrounds, and levels of development. Its priority is to create a climate where risk-taking and originality are championed, and where the broadest range of voices is included. Field programs are affordable, accessible, and rigorous. To support independent performing artists, the Field's programs are directed toward the creation of new work and its dissemination.
*The 42nd Street Fund
330 W. 42nd St., 17th fl.
New York, NY 10036
(212) 695-4242
The Fund is a creation of the 42nd Street Development Corporation. Its purpose is to make front-end grants and soft loans to nonprofit organizations that want to to (or have to) get into the real estate field; and to support education reform grants.
The Foundation Center
79 Fifth Ave., 2nd fl.
New York, NY 10003
(212) 620-4230
Website: www.fdncenter.org
The Foundation Center's mission is to strengthen the nonprofit sector by advancing knowledge about U.S. philanthropy. It collects, organizes, and communicates information on U.S. philanthropy; conducts and facilitates research on trends in the field; provides education and training on the grant-seeking process; and ensures public access to information and services through its website, print, and electronic publications, five library/learning centers, and a national network of cooperating collections. Grant seekers can utilize the center's database, numerous publications, and a comprehensive library reference collection to identify programs most suited to their needs. Professional librarians provide assistance in the funding research process. In addition, a large number of free classes take place each month, and there is a job-bank listing of openings in the nonprofit sector.
Fractured Atlas
248 W. 35th St., Ste. 1202
New York, NY 10001
(212) 277-8020/fax (212) 277-8025
Email: support@fracturedatlas.org
Website: www.fracturedatlas.org
Contact: E. James Ford, dir. of member services
Fractured Atlas' flagship program is its low-cost health insurance program, which includes plans for independent and emerging artists starting at $60 per month. The organization also provides a variety of other useful tools including fiscal sponsorship, grants, marketing and PR services, an online job center, and professional development seminars. By nurturing today's vital but underrepresented voice, the organization hopes to play a role in fostering a dynamic and diverse cultural landscape of tomorrow. Membership dues are $75 per year for individuals.
Hands On Sign Interpreted Performances
159-00 Riverside Dr. West, Ste. 7F
New York, NY 10032
(212) 740-3087/fax (212) 740-4157
Email: info@handson.org
Hands On provides, supports, and advocates for the accessibility of the arts for the deaf community. Services include sign-interpreted performances, information and referral, theatre consultations, and workshops.
Hatch-Billops Collection
491 Broadway, 7th fl.
New York, NY 10012
(212) 966-3231
The Collection, a research library for black cultural arts, is open by appointment. Holdings include a slide collection, oral history tapes of interviews with artists of all disciplines, exhibition catalogues, posters, theatre programs, published and unpublished plays, and books on the arts. "Salon interviews," open to the public, are transcribed and published in an annual journal, Artist and Influence. The fee for on-site research is $5 an hour.
*Hispanic Organization of Latin Actors (HOLA)
107 Suffolk St., Ste. 302
New York, NY 10002
(212) 253-1015/fax (212) 253-9651
Email: holagram@hellohola.org
Website: www.hellohola.org
HOLA promotes awareness of Hispanic arts talent. Members include individuals in theatre, film, TV, radio, and video, as well as nonprofit performing groups. Membership services include talent referral for casting directors, a biennial players guide of Hispanic performers, and a quarterly industry newsletter. HOLA is a not-for-profit organization.
Hospital Audiences Inc. (HAI)
548 Broadway, 3rd fl.
New York, NY 10012
(212) 575-7676/fax (212) 575-7669
Email: hai@hospaud.org
Hospital Audiences Inc. is a nonprofit arts/social services organization that addresses the complex needs of people who have been traditionally "shut in" or "shut out" of mainstream society. HAI's primary mission is to provide access to various arts experiences including music, dance, and theatre for people from health and human service facilities. The organization also provides prevention, education, and social/skill-building to confront issues such as HIV/AIDS and youth violence.
International Theatre Institute of the U.S. (ITI)
Theatre Communications Group
520 Eighth Ave., 24th fl.
New York, NY 10018-4156
(212) 609-5900/fax (212) 609-5901
Email: iti@tcg.org
Website: www.tcg.org
ITI, which operates in 92 countries, was founded by UNESCO to "promote the exchange of knowledge and practice in the theatre arts." ITI/US assists foreign theatre visitors in the U.S. and American theatre representatives traveling abroad.
League of Professional Theatre Women
c/o Harriet Slaughter
226 W. 47th St.
New York, NY 10036
(212) 501-6667/fax (212) 921-3254
Email: JDF248@aol.com
Website: www.theatrewomen.org
Contact:
Mimi Turque, vice president/membership (mimiturque@msn.com) or Penny M. Landau/MayaPR, publicity (MayaPRNY@aol.com)
The League of Professional Theatre Women is a not-for-profit advocacy organization promoting visibility and increasing opportunities for women through its programs, panels, and Women in Theatre TV series on Channel 75, CUNY TV.
Materials for the Arts
Department of Cultural Affairs
33-00 Northern Blvd., 3rd fl.
Long Island City, NY 11101
(718) 729-3001/fax (718) 729-3941
Email: info@mfta.org
Website: www.mfta.org
Materials for the Arts links goods donated from individuals and businesses to NYC public schools, social service organizations, and not-for-profit organizations with arts programming. Donors obtain a tax letter for their donation and recipients receive millions of dollars' worth of materials for free. Items often found at the warehouse include office supplies, household goods, paper, fabric, furniture, and assorted industrial discards. Call or log on for an application to become a recipient.
*Media Alliance
WNET/Thirteen
450 W. 33rd St.
New York, NY 10001
(212) 560-2919
The Media Alliance, a New York state media arts organization, is a membership organization dedicated to advancing the independent media arts in New York state. Programs and services include advocacy, conferences, workshops and forums, publications, information, referrals, and technical assistance.
The Museum of Television & Radio
25 W. 52nd St.
New York, NY 10019
(212) 621-6800
Website: www.mtr.org
There is something for everyone at the Museum of Television & Radio. The collection includes over 120,000 television and radio programs and advertisements from the 1920s to the present. Covered are the performing arts, sports, drama, comedy, variety shows, news and public affairs, advertising, documentaries, and children's programming. The museum is open Tuesdays through Sundays from noon to 6 p.m. and until 8 p.m. on Thursdays.
The National Theatre Workshop of the Handicapped (NTWH)
535 Greenwich St.
New York, NY 10013
(212) 206-7789/fax (212) 206-0200
Website: www.ntwh.org
NTWH is a professional training, production, and advocacy organization serving physically disabled adults who are talented in the performing arts. Instruction in acting, music, voice, movement, and playwriting are offered. Projects include presentation of new works on themes of disability.
New Dance Alliance
182 Duane St.
New York, NY 10013
(212) 226-7624
Email: newdancealliance@nyc.rr.com
Website: www.el.net/nda
NDA promotes the advancement of public knowledge and the creative process of experimental dance, performance art, and music through the Performance Mix Festival, Mix Artists With Children, low-cost rehearsal space, and Karen Bernard/Solo.
The New 42nd Street
229 W. 42nd St., 10th fl.
New York, NY 10036
(646) 223-3000
Website: www.new42.org
Founded in 1990, the New 42nd Street is an independent, nonprofit organization charged with long-term responsibility for seven historic theatres on 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues. In addition to running the New Victory Theater, New York's ultimate theatre for kids and families, the New 42nd Street built and operates the New 42nd Street Studios, a ten-story building of rehearsal studios, offices, and a 199-seat workshop/experimental theatre, named the Duke on 42nd Street, for national and international performing arts companies. With these institutions and the other properties under its guardianship, the New 42nd Street plays a pivotal role in fostering the continued revival of the Crossroads of the World.
New York City Arts Coalition
351A W. 54th St., ground fl.
New York, NY 10019
(212) 246-3788/fax (212) 246-3366
Email: info@nycityartscoalition
Website: www.nycityartscoalition.org
The New York City Arts Coalition encourages community and business leaders and elected officials to protect the creative freedom of the arts community through supporting adequate appropriations for the arts in the city and state budgets. It also develops and recommends public policy on arts and cultural issues through dialogue and discussion within the arts and culture sector. The Coalition has citywide membership consisting of nonprofit arts groups, arts professionals, and individual supporters of the arts.
New York City Department of Cultural Affairs
330 W. 42nd St.
New York, NY 10036
(212) 643-7770
Website: www.nyc.gov/culture
Contact: Sara Rutkowski
The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs is dedicated to supporting and strengthening New York City's vibrant cultural life. Among its primary missions is to ensure adequate public funding for nonprofit cultural organizations, both large and small, throughout the five boroughs.
New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA)
155 Avenue of the Americas, 14th fl.
New York, NY 10013-1507
(212) 366-6900/fax (212) 366-1778
Email: nyfainfo@nyfa.org
Website: www.nyfa.org
NYFA provides direct support to artists and arts organizations in all disciplines throughout New York state. It also serves the general arts community through extensive job, grant, and event listings on its website, NYFA Interactive. NYFA also publishes the arts e-zine NYFA Current and the arts newspaper NYFA Quarterly.
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center
40 Lincoln Center Plaza
New York, NY 10023-7498
(212) 870-1630
Email: performingarts@nypl.org
Website: www.nypl.org/research/lpa/lpa.html
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts houses one of the world's most extensive combinations of circulating, reference, and rare archival collections in its field. These materials are available free of charge, along with a wide range of special programs, including exhibitions, seminars, and performances. An essential resource for everyone with an interest in the arts—whether professional or amateur—the library is known particularly for its prodigious collections of non-book materials, such as historic recordings, videotapes, autograph manuscripts, correspondence, sheet music, stage designs, press clippings, programs, posters, and photographs.
New York State Council on the Arts
175 Varick St.
New York, NY 10014-4604
(212) 627-4455
Website: www.nysca.org
The New York State Council on the Arts is a funding agency that supports the activities of nonprofit arts and cultural organizations in New York state and helps to bring high-quality artistic programs to the citizens of the state. The council has been directed by the state Legislature to maintain the "paramount position of this state in the nation and the world as a cultural center" through the support of nonprofit arts organizations in New York state.
*New York Women in Film & Television
6 E. 39th St., Ste. 1200
New York, NY 10016-0112
(212) 679-0870/fax (212) 679-0899
Email: info@nywift.org
Website: www.nywift.org
New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT) is the pre-eminent entertainment industry organization for women in New York City. Part of a network of 40 chapters representing 10,000 women and men around the world, NYWIFT is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to helping women reach the highest levels of achievement in film, television, and other programming media. Founded in 1978 as a networking and educational forum, NYWIFT produces over 50 innovative educational programs and special events each year. NYWIFT's membership includes hundreds of Emmy and Academy Award winners working in all areas of the film, television, and new-media industries.
Nonprofit Coordinating Committee
1350 Broadway, #1801
New York, NY 10018
(212) 502-4191/fax (212) 502-4189
Email: info@npccny.org
Website: www.npccny.org
The Nonprofit Coordinating Committee of New York is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization established in 1984 to help nonprofits meet common challenges and problems, to serve as a meeting ground, and to strengthen the nonprofit sector as a whole. NPCC has over 1,300 members in the New York metropolitan area. It publishes a monthly newsletter, New York Nonprofits; offers workshops and roundtables on management issues; provides low-cost vendor services; convenes a monthly government-relations committee providing a watchful eye over government and legislative issues affecting the sector; and maintains a website with writing on matters pertaining to operating a nonprofit.
Nonprofit Finance Fund
70 W. 36th St., 11th fl.
New York, NY 10018
(212) 868-6710/fax (212) 268-8653
Website: www.nonprofitfinancefund.org
The Fund provides financing in the form of loans for capital projects and educates nonprofit managers about planning, developing, and maintaining their facilities. NFF works with nonprofits of all sizes. Technical services include energy conservation consulting, plan and bid reviews, capital improvement planning, and building upgrade and maintenance planning.
Non-Traditional Casting Project (NTCP)
1560 Broadway, Ste. 1600
New York, NY 10036
(212) 730-4750/fax (212) 730-4820
Email: info@ntcp.org
Website: www.ntcp.org
NTCP is an advocacy organization and educational resource for full inclusion in theatre, film, and television. The focus is to increase the participation of artists of color and artists with disabilities in the industry. Some of the programs include Artist Files/Online, the National Diversity Forum, and a wide range of consulting for decision makers as well as artists.
Pentacle
246 W. 38th St., 8th fl.
New York, NY 10018
(212) 278-8111/fax (212) 278-8555
Email: ivans@pentacle.org
Website: www.pentacle.org
For nearly 30 years, Pentacle has served the performing arts community as a leading resource and voice for emerging, minority, experimental, non-mainstream artists and companies. Pentacle offers a core of managerial and marketplace services and administers model projects of national, regional, and local scope.
Queens Council on the Arts
One Forest Park at Oak Ridge
Woodhaven, NY 11421-1166
(718) 647-3377/fax (718) 647-5036
Email: qca@queenscouncilarts.org
Website: www.queenscouncilarts.org
Queens Council on the Arts is the boroughwide arts council of Queens, N.Y. It provides artists and arts organizations with technical assistance in marketing, organizational development, community relations, funding development, and advocacy. Among QCA's services, the Queens Community Arts Fund (formerly Queens Regrants) provides local funding for arts organizations and individual artists' projects. QCA also publishes Artpages, a directory of arts management services, and the Queens Cultural Guide, an informative guide to the arts and cultural organizations in Queens. For more information on the services and publications of QCA, visit its website.
Stage Directors and Choreographers Foundation (SDCF)
1501 Broadway, Ste. 1701
New York, NY 10036
(212) 302-5359/fax (212) 302-6195
Email: info@sdcfoundation.org
Website: www.ssdc.org
Contact: Barbara Hauptman
The SDCF is a national service organization dedicated to fostering, promoting, and developing the craft and creativity of directors and choreographers.
Stage Managers' Association
PO Box 275, Times Square Station
New York, NY 10108-2020
Email: info@stagemanagers.org
Website: www.stagemanagers.org
The association was created by and for stage managers. Its purpose is to protect and promote the interests of professional stage managers and to serve as a clearinghouse for the dissemination and advancement of ideas and developments in the craft. Job postings are emailed directly to members. A searchable version of "The Stage Managers' Directory" is available through the association and online at www.stagemanagers.org/searchdir1.htm.
The Standby Program
135 W. 26th St., 12th fl.
New York, NY 10001-6833
(212) 206-7858/fax (212) 206-7884
Email: info@standby.org
Website: www.standby.org
The Standby Program provides low-cost video, audio, and film postproduction services including voiceover demos, video editing of demo reels, video duplication, and DVD production and duplication.
Support Center for Nonprofit Management
305 Seventh Ave., 11th fl.
New York, NY 10001-6008
(212) 924-6744/fax (212) 924-9544
Website: www.supportcenteronline.org
The center provides management training and consultation assistance to all nonprofit organizations in the NYC area. There is a fee for services. Additionally, the center provides free information and referral by phone on all aspects of nonprofit management.
TDF Costume Collection
601 W. 26th St., Ste. 325
New York, NY 10001
(212) 989-5855
Email: costume@tdf.org
Website: www.tdf.org/costume
The TDF Costume Collection rents theatrical-quality costumes to nonprofit organizations nationwide. See the website for details and a pricing grid.
Theater by the Blind
306 W. 18th St., #3A
New York, NY 10011
(212) 243-4337
Email: ischambelan@nyc.rr.com
Website: www.tbtb.org
Theater by the Blind is the only organization in the United States serving blind actors and writers and working for their movement into mainstream American theatre. The company is composed of blind, visually impaired, and sighted actors. It strives first for excellence in art, but also works actively to break down stereotypes about the blind and to make blind audiences feel accepted in the theatre.
Theatre Communications Group (TCG)
520 Eighth Ave., 24th fl.
New York, NY 10018-4156
(212) 609-5900/fax (212) 609-5901
Email: tcg@tcg.org
Website: www.tcg.org
TCG is a national organization for nonprofit theatre. It addresses the artistic and management concerns of theatres, as well as institutionally based and freelance artists. Publications include ArtSearch, a national employment service bulletin; "Dramatists Sourcebook"; and American Theatre.
Theatre Development Fund (TDF)
1501 Broadway, 21st fl.
New York, NY 10036-5652
(212) 221-0013
Website: www.tdf.org
TDF is dedicated to the support of professional theatre, both not-for-profit and commercial. Theatre, dance, and music tickets (deeply discounted at www.tdf.org for eligible groups, including union members and performing arts professionals); the Theatre Access Project (offering tickets and services for theatregoers with disabilities); TKTS (the discount ticket booths in Times Square and at South Street Seaport); the Costume Collection, which rents low-cost professional costumes to not-for-profit theatre companies and organizations; and NYC/Onstage, a 24-hour performing arts hotline.
Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU)
309 W. 104th St.
New York, NY 10025
(212) 714-7628
Website: www.truonline.org
TRU is a network of producers and producing organizations, both not-for-profit and commercial. Member services include monthly panel discussions on topics relevant to the business of theatre, featuring professionals in producing, design, directing, and technical theatre; a bimonthly newsletter with production and personnel listings; a database of 3,000 theatre professionals that members may use for referrals; cooperative producing ventures; and ongoing networking opportunities. Annual membership: $50 for individuals, $75 for companies. Nonmember meeting fee: $10. Nonmember newsletter subscription: $8 per year.
United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT)
6443 Ridings Rd.
Syracuse, NY 13206-1111
(800) 93-USITT (800-938-7488)
Fax (866) FXUSITT (866-398-7488)
Email: info@office.usitt.org
Website: www.usitt.org
USITT is an association of design and production professionals in the performing arts and entertainment industry. Membership services include the Annual Conference & Stage Expo, regional workshops, employment services, and grants for special projects. It is actively involved in design and education issues as well as international activities. Periodicals include a quarterly journal and a monthly newsletter.
Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (VLA)
1 E. 53rd St., 6th fl.
New York, NY 10022-4201
(212) 319-2787, ext. 1/fax (212) 752-6575
Website: www.vlany.org
VLA provides pro bono (free) legal services, mediation services, education programs, and publications to the New York arts community. Low-income artists and nonprofit arts organizations with arts-related legal problems are eligible for its services for a nominal fee. VLA also maintains a public arts-related resource library during business hours.