A seven-member Peer-review Panel, which did not include members of the national Steering Committee, met virtually on August 25th, 2023, to review the 73 applications received from throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. The Panel recommended 59 applicants to a Subcommittee of the national Steering Committee. The Subcommittee consisted of Steering Committee members who were not eligible to apply. These individuals were complemented by two Foundation staff members. Proposals were evaluated based on the eligibility criteria and the General Operating Support proposal and budget request submitted.
The Subcommittee decided which theaters would be awarded a grant and the grant amount. All 52 successful applicants have received a two to three-year grant. The Subcommittee reviewed and were guided by the recommendations of the Peer-review Panel but were the final arbiters. Establishing a Subcommittee of non-applying Steering Committee members and foundation officers to determine grant recipients and grant amounts was instituted to minimize the appearance of a conflict of interest while ensuring that programmatically or geographically restricted philanthropic funds were deployed appropriately. The Latino Theater Company did not take part in the application process but is receiving an administrative fee to lead and manage the NLTI.
Selection Process & 2023 Timeline:
The NLTI’s grants were made through a competitive application process. Once eligibility was established, Latinx theater organizations were invited to submit a full proposal. To receive funding, they had to articulate a strategic vision for deploying General Operating Support grants that makes sense for their particular situation, challenges, and opportunities.
May 1, 2023 - Announcement of National Latinx Theater Initiative to its database, which consists of approximately 160 Latinx theaters and other stakeholders. (The announcement was accompanied by a brief questionnaire to Latinx theaters to determine Eligibility criteria requirements.)
May 26, 2023 - Eligibility questionnaires were due.
June 13, 2023 – RFPs sent to select Latinx theaters.
June 19 – July 12, 2023 – Nonprofit Finance Fund conducted Webinars and individual “office hours” sessions to help applicants craft compelling and sound applications.
July 17, 2023 – NLTI grant applications were due.
August 25, 2023 – Peer-review Panel met virtually.
September 6, 2023 – Subcommittee met to determine grant recipients and amounts.
September 7 - 23, 2023 – the 52 NLTI Grantees selected were notified and contracts negotiated.
October 1 & 2, 2023 – Year 1 awards were made, and the National Latinx Theater Initiative was broadly announced to national and local media crediting both local and national funding partners.