The National Endowment for the Arts is offering a grant for American Masterpieces: Dance preservation and educational outreach.

Nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3), U.S. organizations; units of state or local government; or federally recognized tribal communities or tribes may apply. To be eligible, the applicant organization must:

• Meet the Arts Endowment’s "Legal Requirements," including nonprofit, tax-exempt status, as detailed in the FY 2010 Grants for Arts Projects guidelines, at the time of application.
• Have a three-year history of programming prior to the application deadline.
• Have submitted acceptable Final Report packages by the due date(s) for all Arts Endowment award(s) previously received.

For projects that involve multiple organizations, one organization that meets the eligibility requirements above must act as the official applicant, submit the application, and assume full responsibility for the grant.

Organizations are limited to one American Masterpieces: Dance application per year.

An application in response to this announcement does not preclude an organization from applying under other Arts Endowment funding opportunities including Grants for Arts Projects. In each case, the request must be for a distinctly different project.

The designated fifty state and six jurisdictional arts agencies (SAAs) and their regional arts organizations (RAOs) are not eligible to apply under the American Masterpieces: Dance guidelines.

American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic Genius is a major initiative to acquaint Americans with the best of their cultural and artistic legacy. Through American Masterpieces, the National Endowment for the Arts will sponsor performances, exhibitions, tours, and educational programs across all art forms that will reach large and small communities in all 50 states.

This component of American Masterpieces will celebrate the extraordinary and rich evolution of dance and choreography in the United States. Through American Masterpieces: Dance, reconstructions and restagings of significant work of the highest quality will be experienced by Americans in communities across the nation.

The Arts Endowment plans to support a variety of projects that are artistically, historically, and culturally significant and that reflect the breadth of dance forms, styles, and techniques.

Grants will be awarded in two areas:

• For dance companies, presenters, and festivals: The reconstruction or restaging of significant American dance works and their performance at home and on tour.

• For college and university dance programs: The restaging, performance, and documentation of significant dance choreography in order to provide dance students with access to the legacy of American dance history. While faculty can assist with a project, the primary reconstructor/artist must be someone from outside the campus.

All projects must be accompanied by related educational, interpretive, or contextual components. These may include lectures, master classes, seminars, exhibitions, study guides, or cooperative learning projects with educational or community institutions. Curriculum-based educational components for children and youth must ensure the application of national or state arts education standards.

Substantial efforts should be made to engage and expand dance audiences by reaching underserved communities.