About New Orleans Theatre Association
New Orleans Theatre Association Inc. concentrates its giving on live performance and related arts work in New Orleans, with recent grants supporting opera, theatre, chamber music, dance, and artist residencies. The largest recent award in the data was $50,000 to New Orleans Opera Association for production of Blue, alongside a $40,000 grant to Tenn Wms Theatre Co for Season 8 and another $40,000 grant to CC Chamber Music Festival for Spring Concerts. That pattern points to a funder that backs productions, seasons, concerts, and program-specific arts activity rather than broad unrestricted support.
The foundation’s recent awards also show sustained attention to organizations working in the city’s performing arts ecosystem. Crescent City Stage received support for Vanya, Sasha, etc., while The NOLA Project was funded for the production White. Grants to Lyrica Baroque, New Orleans Jazz Celebration, and NO Ballet Association show that music, dance, and jazz sit alongside theatre in the portfolio. Support for Nocca was specifically tied to artists in residence, indicating that the funder also invests in the infrastructure that helps artists create and present work.
What New Orleans Theatre Association Funds
Theatre is a central part of the foundation’s portfolio. It gave $20,000 to Crescent City Stage for Vanya, Sasha, etc., $15,000 to Intramural Theatre for The Trees, and $15,000 to The NOLA Project for White. It also supported Goat in the Road twice in the recent list, including $15,000 for Play/Write.
Music and dance appear as parallel priorities. CC Chamber Music Festival received $40,000 for Spring Concerts, Lyrica Baroque received $15,000 for Take Note, and NO Ballet Association was funded for Summer Dance Camp. The foundation also supported New Orleans Jazz Celebration for Jazz at the Sandbar, linking its arts giving to live public programming.
It also funds literary and tribute programming. Tennessee Williams Festival received $15,000 for Tribute Reading, and Melange received support for Upstairs Lounge, showing interest in works that combine performance with literary or commemorative presentation.
How New Orleans Theatre Association Gives
Typical grant size clusters tightly around $15,000, with the reported range at p25 $15,000, median $15,000, and p75 $20,000. The recent awards list shows that larger grants are reserved for a smaller number of productions, while many recipients receive the same standard amount across performances, festivals, and camps. The foundation appears to make repeated awards to some organizations across 2023 and 2024, including New Orleans Museum ArtNOLA, NO Ballet Association, Goat in the Road, Melange, Crescent City Stage, and Tennessee Williams Festival. It operates a named grants program, the NOTA Grants Program, and that program accepts unsolicited requests.
