Dance scene to lose funding from Altria: how companies are coping.

The list of the Altria Group grant recipients for the 2006 fiscal year reads like a Who's Who of the dance world. From major U.S. dance companies like New York City Ballet, Miami City Ballet, the Joffrey Ballet, Paul Taylor, and Alvin Ailey to mid-level and smaller companies like Bill T. Jones, Tere O'Connor, and Urban Bush Women, companies depend on the generous support of Altria. Dance presenters like Lincoln Center, Danspace Project, and Dance Theater Workshop receive money too.

So when Altria announced an overall restructuring plan that involves cutting back on its arts funding, it was a devastating blow to the dance world. The parent company of Phillip Morris, Altria has been an unusually active supporter of dance and a leader in the world of arts philanthropy (see "News," Nov. 2002). In 2006, Altria gave $7.5 million in grants to arts organizations. But, with their new plan in place, only half of the organizations are promised future support, and that's only for 2008.

While Altria has given fair warning of the cuts, organizations are scrambling to find alternative support. According to Dona Lee Kelly, director of development for the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, some companies are using this opportunity to create strong relationships with corporate boardrooms and to reach their fundraising potential. Kelly sees the company's 25th anniversary this year as an opportunity to leverage corporate support. "When the funding shifts, we have to respond to it," says Kelly. "We're working very hard to build our organization so that we have all different kinds of donor programs. We're trying to find the pockets that weren't there before."

When asked how the Altria cuts will affect the Joyce Theater, executive director Linda Shelton sighs and says, "I expect it will. Altria has been generous to the Joyce over many, many years." While the Joyce has one more year of Altria funding, they've just begun the search for a new sponsor.

Christopher Conway, vice president of development for Chicago's Joffrey Ballet (who is also interim development director for Miami City Ballet) sees these recent cuts as a sign of a larger shift in arts philanthropy. While once the arts community could rely on local corporate funds, these companies are becoming global and losing connections to their headquarter cities. To close the gap left by the Altria cuts, both the Joffrey and Miami City Ballet are turning mostly to foundations and individual donors who are, says Conway, "connecting with dance in a passionate way."

"Every few years things change," says Peggy Cheng, development manager of NYC's Danspace Project. "We mourn the loss of Altria's support, but they gave us plenty of advance warning." Danspace, like the Joyce, is searching for a replacement, but it will be difficult to find an exact replica of Altria. "There's no single supporter that will replace Altria's funding," says Gheng, who is reaching out to several private foundations.

Dance Theater Workshop's former executive director, Marion Dienstag, agrees. While DTW is in talks with corporations that might be able to fill some of the gap left by Altria's cuts--Time Warner, American Express--she says, "It doesn't fill the vacuum. Where are the others?" She hopes that young companies such as Google or hedge funds will recognize the importance of the arts and follow the example set by Altria. In the end, Dienstag insists, "It's not just the money, it's the civic-mindedness, the sense of corporate responsibility to the arts. That will be the hardest to replace."