For grant providers
What funding makes possible
Grants and donations pay the musicians, teachers, spaces, and access costs. Dancers never pay at the door for our dances and lessons.
We pay the musicians and teachers. Nobody pays at the door.
The price of a ticket should not decide who gets to hear a live band, take a first lesson, or join a local dance community. Grants and donations let us remove that price entirely. We hire working musicians and teachers, secure accessible public spaces, and welcome people without asking them to pay or arrive with a partner.
The record we can stand behind
These figures are calculated only from completed event entries published in the archive.
- Attendances
- 563
- Evenings of free dancing and instruction
- 17
- Artists paid
- 78
- Community partners
- 4
What we track
- Attendance and the number of events delivered
- First-time participation when people choose to share it
- Musicians, instructors, venues, and community partners paid or engaged
- Practical access details and access requests for each event
- What worked, what changed, and what we would do differently next time
What future funding supports
- Live musician and instructor fees
- Accessible venue, sound, and portable floor costs
- A repeatable series of free events rather than a one-off night
- Community partnerships that bring dancing into new neighborhoods
Commitments
Access comes with every event
Every event publishes cost, partner and experience expectations, restrooms, transit, parking, and floor conditions before someone leaves home.
Supporting materials
Ask for what you need
We can share event records, a program narrative, and the supporting materials currently available. Annual budget, governance details, and formal evaluation results will be added here when confirmed.
Donations keep the door open
Grants fund big seasons of work. Donations from dancers and neighbors carry it between them, and every dollar goes toward musicians, teachers, and accessible spaces.
$125 sponsors one dancer through a block of dance classes.
The Swing Arts Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
- Where does the money go?
- Musicians, instructors, accessible venues and sound, scholarships and class fee support for dancers who need them, and free public events. Donations are processed through Zeffy, which passes on the full amount.
- Where has past funding come from?
- Grants and community programming funds, alongside individual donations. Our first documented grant support was the Bellevue Community Programming Fund for the 2025 event at Bellevue City Hall.
- How can I help without money?
- Come to an event and bring someone who has never tried. Ask a new dancer to dance. Offer a venue, a sound system, or photography. Tell us about a neighborhood that should have free dancing in it.
We also fund scholarships and class fee support so dancers can keep learning after the free lesson ends. Where else to dance, and how to ask for help with fees
Talk with us about a grant
Tell us what your program supports and which materials would help your review.