Great Performance Fund for Theater

A grant from the Great Performance Fund for Theater helped Theatre Lila produce "The Mojo and the Sayso," a poignant play about a family's struggle to overcome the tragic death of their son.

The Great Performance Fund for Theater is an endowment fund at Madison Community Foundation created to support professional theater in Madison’s Overture Center for the Arts.

The fund distributes approximately $80,000 each year to help with production costs. Professional theater companies seeking to perform at the Overture Center may submit applications. Agencies who already have Great Performance Fund endowments at MCF are ineligible to apply.

Guidelines

Eligible applicants must be a not-for-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status professional theater. Applicant organizations must also meet three of the following four requirements to apply:

a) Have an equity contract
b) Have offered a minimum of three self-produced productions per year for two consecutive years*
c) Pay a contracted fee and/or salary to two or more actors for each production
d) Pay a contracted fee and/or salary to at least one member of its support staff

*prior to the 2020-2021 season, as Overture closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Grant Application

Download the Great Performance Fund for Theater application. Upon completion, please email your application to grants@madisongives.org with your organization’s name in the subject line. Applications should not exceed three pages. Submissions longer than this will not be reviewed. Materials sent by mail or fax will not be accepted. 

Timeline

Electronic applications are due by 4:30 p.m. on April 15, 2024. Supplemental information will be requested by May 3, 2024. Awards will be announced by May 15, 2024.