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Microgrant
Wed, March 4 @ 9:00am





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A creative incubator, DanceWorks Chicago fosters a diverse next generation of movers and makers, empowering young artists to cultivate their unique voices through skill acquisition and development, collaborations and relationship-building with a global perspective, intense and intentional mentorship, and performances.

DWC is committed to supporting the growth of early career dancers even as the organization sunsets. Team DWC encourages artists to reach for development that is on the horizon by offering microgrants to support tuition-based professional development opportunities for Chicago and Chicago-land based dancers.

CALLING ALL DANCERS: Chicago and Chicagoland-based dancers, 18-30 years of age, working in any dance genre(s) are invited to apply for consideration to receive a microgrant of up to $500.

WHO’S ELIGIBLE (ALL must apply):

  • Applicant should be between 18-30 years of age as of Wednesday, March 4, 2026. 
  • Applicant should live in Chicago or a suburb of Chicago (within 60 miles of the city limits) as of March 4, 2026. 
  • Chicago-based = reside in Chicago  
  • Reside in Chicago = have a commitment to live in the city full-time 
    • Going to school / dancing in a project / visiting family here and living somewhere else does not meet the residency requirement.  
  • Chicago-based dancers, including those who have a past relationship with DanceWorks Chicago are eligible. Previous affiliation has no bearing on the award decision.  Professional development support for all dance forms is available. 

WHAT’S SUPPORTED

  • Request for support should be for a tuition-based dance / dance-adjacent educational offering, which can be in-person or digital and take place anywhere in the world. 
  • Professional development support for all dance forms is available.  
  • Opportunities can take place locally, nationally, or internationally

Eligible offerings: 

  • Dance master class series, workshop, summer intensive the duration of which is five days or more.  
  • Seminar, workshop, retreat of not less than five days in a dance-adjacent pursuit.  
  • Examples: dance writing, dance photography, costume design for dance, arts administration for dancers, stage makeup for dance artists, archiving for dance.  
  • NOTE: Payment must go to an organization that is committed to dance / dance-related practice, process, performance and cover dance / dance-related expenses. 

Ineligible offerings: 

  • Offerings which do not center the applicant’s pursuit of knowledge in dance / dance-adjacent pathways. Examples: study of French to master ballet terminology, financial literacy to learn to budget 
  • NOTE: Application fees, travel expenses, lodging costs, etc. are not eligible expenses for purposes of this microgrant. 

APPLICATION TIPS: 

  • Follow instructions.  
  • If you have a question, ask. If you’d like to vet an idea before submitting, please reach out.  
  • Email inquiries may be sent to Co-founder and Artistic Director Julie Nakagawa: jnakagawa@danceworkschicago.org 
  • Include your name_Microgrant inquiry in the subject line.  
  • Be clear, candid, and committed. 
  • Decision to award / not award support will be made on the merit of the application. This is not first-come first-serve, nor is it a lottery.  
  • The application portal will close at 5pm on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, or sooner, if funds are exhausted. 

DECISION / PAYMENT: 

  • Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, meaning as they are submitted.  
  • Decisions on applications will be made within 14 days of receipt of each application. 
  • Applicant will have 14 days following award of grant to submit documentation showing proof of payment.  
  • Payment will be issued to applicant within 7 days of receipt of proof of payment.  
  • All payments will be made before July 31, 2026. 

DOCUMENTATION: 

  • DWC will assemble a digital scrapbook shining a light on microgrant recipients. Each grantee is requested to submit photo documentation featuring the element of your experience for which you received support.  
  • Examples:  
    • Support was received for tuition relief for a summer program. Share photos of you in class, talking with workshop leaders, etc.  
    • Support was received to participate in a one-week, online dance archiving seminar. Share before and after photos of an archiving project.  
  • Due date to be mutually agreed upon between grantee and DanceWorks Chicago, with the latest due date being July 31, 2026, unless otherwise arranged.  

Help Sessions are available by email request: jnakagawa@danceworkschicago.org. Include your name_Microgrant inquiry in the subject line.  Check out the FAQ Guide for more info. 

Access the application HERE. 

We look forward to getting to know you!