Overview  Grants  Programming  Resources

 

What is the THRIVE! grant program?

 

The THRIVE! Uplifting Theatres of Color grants, developed and administered by Theatre Communications Group (TCG) with an Advisory Circle of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) theatre leaders, provide unrestricted funds for those who have all too often been outside the grantmaking sector’s funding opportunities: Black theatres, Indigenous theatres and Theatres of Color (BITOC) based in the US (including Tribal Nations and US Territories) which are closely connected to and have positive impact on their chosen communities.

To do their best work, BITOC need support for salaries, rent, supplies and activities, as well as funds to offset loss of income caused by the pandemic. THRIVE! is providing general operating support so that BITOC can do what they do best - serving communities through theatre. THRIVE! aims to ease some of the pressures that BITOC face in fundraising, assist them in investing in their staff and artists, and help in their organizational success, beyond the scope of artistic projects and programming.

 

Who supports the THRIVE! grant program?

 

This grant program was initially offered with generous support from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation for BITOC across the country and from the Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation as a supporting partner for BITOC in Western states. A subsequent round has been made available by Theater League of Kansas City for BITOC with an operating budget of $500,000 to $3,300,000 nationwide.

The mission of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation is to improve the quality of people’s lives through grants supporting the performing arts, environmental conservation, medical research and the prevention of child abuse, and through preservation of the cultural and environmental legacy of Doris Duke’s properties. For more information, you can visit www.ddcf.org or contact [email protected].

The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation works to advance equitable change by creating access to systems and solutions that expand economic opportunity, promote innovative approaches to education, improve access to supportive care for life-threatening illness, and lift up social impact theatre. We practice active philanthropy, support outstanding leaders with bold ideas, and explore innovative approaches and models that can be tested locally and, if successful, implemented nationally.

Theater League of Kansas City is a not-for-profit civic performing arts organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in the communities it serves with the thrill of live! theater. Founded by Mark Edelman in Kansas City in 1977, the organization has presented the Best of Broadway in theaters across the country to well over a million patrons. Today, the League supports a broad range of professional theater through grants, student ticket subsidies and new works development in its hometown of Kansas City and performing arts organizations around the country.

 

      

 

Who are the grant recipients?

 

To date, there have been four rounds of the grant, with a total of 64 unique grantees in 21 cities and territories. Below is the list of recipients for each round in alphabetical order.

 

RESPOND grants

  1. A Call to Conscience Interactive Theater for Social Change
  2. Amaterasu Za
  3. Bindlestiff Studio
  4. Black Arts MKE
  5. Black Creators Collective
  6. Canady Foundation for the Arts
  7. Cara Mía Theatre Co.
  8. Ebony Repertory Theatre
  9. KC Melting Pot Theatre Productions
  10. Kennie Playhouse Theatre
  11. Lower Depth Theatre
  12. Medina Theater Collective
  13. Native Voices
  14. New Native Theatre
  15. Sankofa African American Theatre Company
  16. Teatro Hispano De Dallas
  17. Tee Zee Productions
  18. Turtle Theater Collective
  19. UNIVERSES
  20. Voices in the Dark Repertory Theatre
  21. Yangtze Repertory Theatre of America, Inc.

 

RECOGNIZE grants

  1. Alternative Theater Ensemble
  2. Bindlestiff Studio
  3. Breaking Wave Theatre Company
  4. Eagle Project
  5. East West Players
  6. Golden Thread Productions
  7. Hattiloo Theatre
  8. Ikidowin Acting Ensemble
  9. Junebug Productions
  10. KC Melting Pot Theatre Productions
  11. Last Call
  12. National Black Theatre Workshop
  13. Native Voices
  14. New Native Theatre
  15. Pangea World Theater
  16. Penumbra Theatre Company
  17. Safe Harbors NYC
  18. San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company
  19. Silk Road Cultural Center
  20. Su Teatro
  21. Teatro Vista Productions

 

Indigenous Theatre grants

  1. Amerinda
  2. Natives of the Apocalypse
  3. Red Eagle Soaring
  4. Spiderwoman Theater

 

Theater League of Kansas City grants

  1. African-American Shakespeare Company
  2. Bishop Arts Theatre Center
  3. Black Ensemble Theater
  4. Cara Mía Theatre
  5. Congo Square Theatre
  6. East West Players
  7. GALA Hispanic Theatre
  8. Golden Thread Productions
  9. Karamu House
  10. Ma-Yi Theater Company
  11. Miracle Theatre Group
  12. Native Voices
  13. Pangea World Theater
  14. Pillsbury House Theatre
  15. Ping Chong & Company
  16. Pregones Puerto Rican Traveling Theater
  17. Repertorio Español
  18. San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company
  19. Silk Road Cultural Center
  20. St Louis Black Repertory Co
  21. Su Teatro
  22. Teatro Visión
  23. Teatro Vista Productions
  24. The Ensemble Theatre Houston
  25. The Front Porch Arts Collective
  26. The North Carolina Black Repertory Company
  27. The Theater Offensive
  28. Theater Mu
  29. True Colors Theatre Company
  30. ViBe Theater Experience