Who is eligible to apply:

Theater artists who are Chicago area residents independently producing readings or plays within the City of Chicago. Submissions must identify the project’s “lead producer” or producers. 

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By “independent,” we mean:

IPI supports productions not programmed or sponsored by a theater company with 501c3 tax status. Key personnel may be connected to or employed by a theater company, but the production for which support is being sought is not part of any company’s season or programming. (The independent production can of course receive help from theater colleagues without being “disqualified” from this opportunity.) If you work with a team that produces occasionally under a particular name but is not incorporated as a company, you would still be considered independent for the purposes of this application. 

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What we can support:

We are currently prioritizing the production of plays vs. other types of performance arts such as concerts, open mic nights, dance recitals, etc. Grants from the Independent Productions Initiative are intended to help with the overall cost of public performances, whether a staged reading, single-night performance or full run of a play. Currently, we do not have the capacity to provide funding for: 

• Individual artist fellowships or residencies 

• Pre-production new play development writer-support

• Private workshops, School drama department productions 

 

Requirements and Priorities:

This initiative was started by theater artists in support of theater in Chicago, intended to expand resources and opportunities, and address current needs. We will only support productions that are committed to ensuring spaces, structures, and processes free of racism, transphobia, homophobia, ableism, misogyny, classism, or other bias.

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As artists ourselves, we are continuously iterating, adapting, and evolving our approaches and grantmaking criteria. Although we recognize that there will always be questions and variations, we will adhere to the following eligibility requirements for our 2026 cycle: 

• A public performance must take place within 12 months of the grant received. Your production must provide IPI a shareable, accessible link to performance information; schedule, location, ticket info if applicable, etc., to share on our website.

• The performance must be within the City of Chicago. 

• The project must submit a short report afterwards. We will be asking for attendance figures, a financial overview, and a personal statement on the experience overall. 

• Commit to paying personnel on their project. 

• Uphold the standards for producing entities concerning what’s right, fair, and ethical as outlined by the Dramatists Guild; (https://www.dramatistsguild.com/benefits-andservices/ best-practices-contests-festivals), by Chicago Theater Standards (https://notinourhouseorg.wordpress.com and by We See You, White American Theater (https://www.weseeyouwat.com/statement)

• A commitment to accessibility. Our panelists will be taking accessibility into consideration as part of the review process. By accessibility, we are thinking about artists and audiences. Economic accessibility is of particular interest, as these funds are intended to broaden access to the form (not restrict it to the privileged few). Keep this in mind as you detail your admissions / ticket plan, as well as any efforts/intentions around audiences / artists with different needs (ASL, ADL, etc.).  There are resources on the 3Arts website offering further guidance.   

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Grants

We will be making grant decisions with consideration to the following priorities: 

• Diversity and the equitable distribution of funds across teams and the  communities in which projects are centered;

• The ability of producing teams to carry out the project, which might relate to experience level, other funding secured, community support, etc.

• Artist and team compensation is a requirement— and a priority for us as artist advocates! If you are not intending to pay people, then your production would

• not be a candidate for a grant from this Initiative. Although we are not currently restricting grants to compensation exclusively, we are assuming that is where the bulk of our funding will go.    

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Scale of Grants:

This project is in its “pilot” phase, with fundraising ongoing. In our first round of funding (fall of 2025), we awarded 22 grants totalling $48,000. In our second round (spring of 2026), we anticipate awarding at least $55,000 in grants ranging from $1,000 to $5,000.​

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Process:

We ask applicants to keep in mind that this is money raised and allocated by Chicago theater community volunteers, so we’re grateful in advance for your patience and understanding of our capacity.   

Grant awardees will be selected by a panel of volunteers who are part of our founding group, after a review of applications. No member of that group can receive a grant for their own work. They are doing this simply for the benefit of  the theatre community overall. Decisions will be made based on the priorities listed on the previous page.  

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Timeline:

• March 2 – Open for submissions

• March 6, 11 a.m. – Informational session.

  • Join the Zoom (no advance registration is required).

• April 10 – Application window closes  

• June – Decisions made;  grant distribution can begin 

• Your production should take place between June 2026 - June 2027.

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If Funded:

You will have a coach/specialist from Redtwist Theatre who will be available for questions and advice. Generally speaking (based on each project’s need), grant amounts will be distributed as direct payments up to the amount of your grant to cover the budget items you choose, e.g. artist compensation and  space rental fees. In other words, thanks to Redtwist Theatre serving as fiscal sponsor and partner, the contact person helming your project does not take on personal income tax liability relative to the full contribution– i.e. does not receive the grant in their name in a lump sum for redistribution. (They are of course responsible for the taxes on whatever payment might come to them personally as their own stipend or fee).   Please note that as mentioned throughout this document, artist and team compensation is a requirement. If you are not covering personnel compensation from other sources, we ask that you use our grant for that. In fact, given the small size of these grants, we are assuming payouts will be primarily for people, and in some cases towards space rental costs. 

Along with the dollars awarded, funded projects get “coaching” as needed from our partners at Redtwist, and from the IPI committee members who have a wealth of different connections and resources to share; use of Redtwists’s ticketing platform if desired; promotion on the IPI tab on Redtwist’s website page, and other benefits. 

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Note:

For projects that are not seeking grant support but are in need of a tax-exempt fiscal sponsor for contributions already pledged or pending and earmarked for specific independent productions, contact us at independentartists@redtwist.org. An administrative fee of 7% on donations is charged for sponsorship services.