As the holidays rapidly approach, we enter a season of gratitude and giving. With Halloween just around the corner, there’s a feast of sweet treats to be had. Many dance companies around the country are twirling into autumn with their sights on more expansive futures.
The Oregon Arts Commission recently awarded 181 local arts groups with grants for the 2025 fiscal year. The recipients of these grants, all non-profit arts organizations, include Portland favorites BodyVox and Oregon Ballet Theatre, who will receive $11,776 and $17,722, respectively, in awarded funding.
Particularly as the arts continue to rebuild in a post-covid world, these grants not only support dance financially, but also affirm organizations of their artistry, value, and contributions. This kind of financial backing encourages artists to continue creating and sharing their work which in turn nourishes the greater community.
Not to be outdone, The Joffrey Ballet received a momentous $5 million dollar donation from The Grainger Foundation that supports and renames the Joffrey Academy of Dance to the Grainger Academy of The Joffrey Ballet.
As firm believers in the power of arts education, The Grainger Foundation is no stranger to Joffrey. For over eight years, they have long supported the ballet organization’s inclusive dance programming and funded a variety of artistic projects, scholarships, and resources for students.
This generous gift will help the Academy offer additional scholarships, allowing students access to study and pursue dance at a world-class organization regardless of background and economic barriers.
Year-round training comes at quite a cost for aspiring dancers. Joffrey comprehensively offers support for expenses like physical therapy, dancewear, and housing, as well as additional creative stipends for their Studio Company dancers, the highest level in the Academy. It is donations like these from The Grainger Foundation that enable dance to continue to be accessible to the next generation.
Meanwhile, the Rhode Island Coalition for Arts & Preservation launched a campaign known as “Yes on 5” that seeks voter approval on Question 5 — a $10 million bond appearing on the upcoming election ballot. A “yes” vote would provide matching grants to three primary local arts organizations, including Newport Contemporary Ballet.
Question 5 would borrow money from the state to continue an arts grant program that improves facilities and an organization’s ability to give back to the community through art. If approved, each of the primary arts centers are slated to receive $2 million in grants with the remaining $4 million being distributed by Rhode Island State Council on the Arts to other non-profit cultural organizations. Newport Contemporary Ballet, for example, plans to dedicate their funding to the construction of the Center for Arts, Dance & Education, an interdisciplinary arts facility housing performance spaces, training, and offices.
Todd Trebour, Executive Director of the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, stated: “When Rhode Island invests in its vibrant, economically critical, statewide arts and cultural communities, Rhode Islanders all across the state win.”
There’s no doubt that the arts enhance and drive society forward. By supporting, donating, and investing in dance, communities and organizations help ballet companies gain recognition and appreciation on larger platforms. We can’t wait to see the amazing progress these sweet treats inspire in dancers across the nation!
Looking for ways to support dance in your community? Keep an eye on your local company’s socials for upcoming Giving Tuesday campaigns and check out their current performance schedule to uplift live theater.
