About Play on Shakespeare
To enhance understanding of Shakespeare’s plays in performance by promoting and creating contemporary modern English translations and delivering them via theatrical productions, workshops, trainings, publications, podcasts, and film.
Focus Areas
theatrearts & cultureliterary translationplaywright commissionseducation and trainingdramaturgy
Who They Fund
BIPOC artists and playwrightstheater companies and producing organizationscollege and university theater programstranslators and translation projects/native-language communities
Funding Style
program support
About Play on Shakespeare
Play on Shakespeare centers its grantmaking on contemporary modern English translations of Shakespeare and the productions that bring those translations to the stage. A clear example is its $325,000 grant to the National Asian American Theatre Company Co Inc in New York for performances of Hansol Jung’s translation of Romeo and Juliet, followed by a $320,000 program-support grant to the same organization in 2025. The foundation also backs translation as a production tool and as a teaching tool, with grants tied to workshops, staged readings, commissions, and rehearsals. Recent awards show support for theaters, conservatories, and Shakespeare-focused companies working on plays such as King Lear, Coriolanus, Twelfth Night, and Richard II. The organization’s stated purpose is to enhance understanding of Shakespeare’s plays in performance by promoting and creating contemporary modern English translations, then delivering them through theatrical productions, workshops, trainings, publications, podcasts, and film. Its grantees include producing organizations, university-affiliated programs, and translation projects serving both general theater audiences and specific communities.
What Play on Shakespeare Funds
Translation is a core theme in the grant record. Play on Shakespeare gave $27,500 to Portland Center Stage for a workshop of the translation of Coriolanus, and $25,000 to Perseverence Theatre Inc for a one-time native language translation project. It also supported Hansol Jung’s translation of Romeo and Juliet through $26,000 to Chagrin Foundation for the Arts and Culture for that production. The foundation pairs translation with development work: New York Live Arts Inc received $30,300 for a blueprint to workshopping plays for BIPOC artists, while The Acting Company and Studio Acting Conservatory Inc each received program support in 2025. On the performance side, grants backed staged readings of Richard II and the Henry IV/Henry V sequence at Shakespeare Festival of Dallas, along with Shakespeare-related performances and workshops at African-American Shakespeare Company.
How Play on Shakespeare Gives
Typical grants cluster around a mid-five-figure level: the p25 is $12,000, the median is $25,000, and the p75 is $31,000. Recent awards include both larger production-support grants and smaller workshop- or project-based awards, showing a mix of ongoing program support and one-time funding. The foundation funds organizations rather than individuals and does not make program-related investments. Its active Production Support program accepts unsolicited proposals and asks for a concise description of the production, funding request, budget, and related details.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$1.5M
Total Assets
$2.6M
Total Revenue
$2.9M
Total Expenses
$3.6M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $12K and $31K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$12K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$31K
Geographic Reach
National12 states funded
About 16% of grants go to recipients in NY.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
LUE DOUTHIT
Accepts unsolicited proposals
Unlock Deep Analysis
Sign up for a free Kindora account to access AI-generated insights into this funder's giving patterns, decision-makers, and fit signals.
Get Started FreeSee Similar Funders
Free Kindora accounts unlock side-by-side comparisons with foundations that share this funder's focus areas and giving profile.
Get Started FreeExplore related grant guides
Want a Personalized Pitch for Play on Shakespeare?
Sign up free to see how well your nonprofit fits this funder, get an AI-generated pitch, and unlock similar foundations.
Free plan available
No contracts
Cancel anytime