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INTRODUCTION Commissioned by Dance/NYC and realized in collaboration with a coalition of research partners, the study you are about to read is a game changer for the segment of independent dance artists and projects that have entered into an arrangement known as “fiscal sponsorship” with legally registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit institutions. Under this arrangement, sponsors provide financial and legal oversight and share their tax-exempt status. The discipline-specific report follows Advancing Fiscally Sponsored Artists & Art Projects (Dance.NYC/FiscalSponsors2017) as the second primary deliverable of an artswide initiative focused on fiscal sponsorship, and it assesses sponsored dance in the artswide context. The report also builds significantly on Dance/NYC’s recent State of NYC Dance & Workforce Demographics (Dance.NYC/StateofDance2016) to understand sponsored dance artists and projects in relation to 501(c)(3) dance institutions. By extending its purview beyond institutions and offering the first-ever comprehensive snapshot of the characteristics, needs, and opportunities of the sponsored dance workforce, Dance/NYC seeks to advance a dance ecosystem in the New York City area that is expansive and equitable and to generate innovations that directly benefit artists and their artistry.
