NY Foundation for the Arts
Grants, fiscal sponsorship, and professional development for New York artists
Overview
The New York Foundation for the Arts supports artists across disciplines with grants, fiscal sponsorship, professional development programs, and a comprehensive resource database. For actors in the New York area, NYFA is a gateway to funding and career support opportunities.
NYFA's fiscal sponsorship program allows individual artists to receive tax-deductible donations and apply for grants that require nonprofit status. Their NYFA Source database lists thousands of grants, residencies, and awards available to artists nationwide.
How It Works
The organization has distributed millions of dollars in direct grants and facilitated significantly more through its fiscal sponsorship and advisory services. NYFA fellows include many prominent artists who received early-career support through the foundation.
Many of NYFA's resources, including the Source database and professional development webinars, are available for free. Grant applications and fiscal sponsorship involve separate processes with their own eligibility requirements and fee structures.
Who Uses It
A critical resource for New York-based actors who want to fund personal projects, access grants, or receive fiscal sponsorship for independent work. Explore the Source database regularly to discover funding opportunities that match your creative goals. NYFA has been supporting individual artists since 1971, making it one of the longest-running arts service organizations in the country, and its programs have evolved to serve artists nationally and internationally, not just those based in New York. Each year, NYFA awards over four million dollars in direct cash grants to individual artists across visual, performing, and literary disciplines, making it one of the most significant sources of direct artist funding in the United States.
Pricing & Plans
Many of NYFA's core resources are available completely free of charge, including the NYFA Source database that lists thousands of grants, residencies, and awards available to artists nationwide, as well as professional development webinars and online educational content. The fiscal sponsorship program has a fee structure based on the amount of funds raised: eight percent on the first $500,000, six percent on amounts between $500,001 and $2,000,000, and four percent on amounts exceeding two million dollars, with Artist Projects also requiring a one-time contract fee of $150 to join and an annual renewal fee of $150 effective July 2025. NYFA fellowship grants, which are unrestricted cash awards to individual artists, are awarded through a competitive application process at no cost to apply, with grant amounts typically ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 depending on the program and funding cycle. Professional development programs including workshops, panels, consultations, and intensive programs vary in pricing, with many offered free or at subsidized rates, while some specialized intensives may carry modest fees. Compared to other fiscal sponsors like Fractured Atlas, which charges a flat eight percent fee, NYFA's sliding scale can be more favorable for projects that raise larger amounts, while Fractured Atlas may be more straightforward for smaller projects. The overall value proposition is exceptionally strong, as NYFA's combination of free resources, competitive grants, and professionally managed fiscal sponsorship provides a comprehensive funding infrastructure that would cost thousands of dollars to replicate through private financial and legal services.
Pros & Cons
What's Great
NYFA's greatest strength is the breadth and depth of its service offerings, which combine direct grants, fiscal sponsorship, professional development, and a comprehensive resource database into a single organization that addresses nearly every funding and career development need an actor might have. The NYFA Source database is arguably the most comprehensive aggregation of artist funding opportunities available anywhere, listing thousands of grants, residencies, fellowships, and awards that would take hundreds of hours to discover and research independently. The fiscal sponsorship program is backed by over five decades of institutional experience and financial management expertise, giving donors and grant-making foundations confidence that funds administered through NYFA are professionally managed and compliant with all IRS regulations. NYFA's professional development programs, including mentorship for immigrant artists and tailored resources for artists at different career stages, demonstrate a commitment to serving diverse creative communities rather than focusing solely on established professionals. The organization's national and international reach means that while it is headquartered in New York, artists across the United States and beyond can access its resources, grants, and fiscal sponsorship programs. NYFA fellows include many prominent artists who received critical early-career support through the foundation, and the fellowship program's alumni network provides ongoing connections and credibility that benefit recipients throughout their careers.
What Could Be Better
NYFA's fiscal sponsorship program has been operating on a limited basis with restricted acceptance, creating uncertainty for artists who want to join the program and potentially long wait times for application processing. The eight percent fee on the first $500,000 of funds raised through fiscal sponsorship, combined with the $150 contract fee and $150 annual renewal, can be costly for smaller projects that raise modest amounts, where the percentage-based fee structure means a disproportionate share of funds goes to administration rather than the project itself. NYFA's grant programs are highly competitive, with acceptance rates that can be quite low, meaning that most applicants invest significant time in the application process without receiving funding, which can be discouraging for actors unfamiliar with the competitive grants landscape. The organization's headquarters and many in-person programs are based in New York, which creates an inherent geographic advantage for New York-based artists while actors in other parts of the country may feel less connected to the organization's community and networking benefits. The NYFA Source database, while comprehensive, requires significant time investment to navigate effectively, as the sheer volume of listings can be overwhelming and many opportunities have narrow eligibility criteria that require careful reading to determine applicability. Professional development programs, while valuable, tend to serve artists broadly across all disciplines, meaning that the content may not always be specifically relevant to the unique career challenges and opportunities that actors face compared to visual artists, writers, or musicians.
Our Recommendation
NYFA is an essential resource for actors who are interested in creating their own work, producing independent projects, or accessing grants and funding opportunities that can support their artistic development outside of traditional audition-and-booking pathways. If you are developing a one-person show, producing a short film, or launching a community-based performance project, NYFA's fiscal sponsorship program provides the nonprofit infrastructure you need to receive tax-deductible donations and apply for foundation grants without forming your own 501(c)(3). New York-based actors should explore the full range of NYFA's offerings, as the proximity to the organization's in-person programs and networking events adds significant value beyond what is available online. Actors who are not actively producing their own projects can still benefit enormously from the NYFA Source database, which lists fellowships, residencies, and grants specifically for performing artists that do not require a specific project proposal. If you are considering fiscal sponsorship and are comparing NYFA with alternatives like Fractured Atlas or The Field, evaluate each based on their fee structure, the specific services included, and the types of donors and foundations each organization works with, as compatibility matters as much as cost. Actors at the beginning of their grant-seeking journey should start with NYFA's free professional development resources to learn the fundamentals of grant writing and fundraising before investing time in competitive applications.
Pro Tips
Create a free account on the NYFA Source database and set up alerts for your discipline and geographic area, as new funding opportunities are added regularly and automated notifications ensure you never miss a relevant deadline. When applying for NYFA fellowships or grants, invest significant time in your application materials, as the competition is fierce and applications that clearly articulate your artistic vision, demonstrate a track record of work, and present well-organized support materials stand out from less polished submissions. If you are considering fiscal sponsorship, reach out to NYFA's program staff before submitting your application to discuss whether your project is a good fit, as this preliminary conversation can save you time and help you frame your application in alignment with the program's priorities. For actors producing independent projects, start your fiscal sponsorship application well before you plan to begin fundraising, as the review and onboarding process takes time and you want your sponsorship to be active before you approach donors or apply for grants. Attend NYFA's professional development workshops even if you are not currently seeking funding, as the skills taught in these programs including grant writing, budgeting, and project planning are transferable to every aspect of your acting career from self-producing to managing your own business affairs. Network with other NYFA-sponsored artists and fellows, as this community includes accomplished artists across disciplines who can become collaborators, mentors, and advocates for your work in ways that extend far beyond the initial fiscal sponsorship or grant relationship.