Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Fund

Launched in 2021, the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Fund represents a rare evolution: an accomplished arts organization transforming its legacy into a philanthropic resource, giving back to the field that sustained it while contributing to its future.

For over three decades, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet created, presented, toured, taught, and celebrated dance, distinguished by its artistic voice, pioneering spirit, and entrepreneurial energy. The Fund carries that experience forward through a renewed sense of purpose, putting its legacy to work. Building on that foundation, the Fund invests in artists, organizations, and initiatives that advance artistic excellence, expand access and engagement, and strengthen the field. Guided by a spirit of curiosity and innovation, it champions bold creative work, encourages meaningful collaboration, and fosters practical solutions that benefit performers, presenters, educators, and audiences alike.

The Fund advances its mission through three complementary initiatives: ENCORE! preserves and renews artistic repertoire, DANCE PARTNERS strengthens the infrastructure that brings dance to audiences, and NEXT STEPS invests in the people who will shape the art form’s future.

The mission of the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Fund is to carry forward the legacy of Aspen Santa Fe Ballet by fostering creativity, entrepreneurial spirit, and excellence through meaningful investments in artists, organizations, and initiatives that strengthen the dance field nationwide.

We believe legacy is not a static inheritance, but a living responsibility: to preserve something extraordinary while ensuring that it continues to evolve.

For more than three decades, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet experienced firsthand the opportunities, challenges, and uncertainties of sustaining a performing arts organization. Throughout that journey, we benefited from the generosity and trust of individuals and institutions who believed in our artistic ambitions. Their support made it possible to take risks, pursue new ideas, and contribute meaningfully to the dance field.

Today, the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Fund brings that experience to philanthropy, guided by a simple aspiration: to carry forward the generosity we received while becoming the kind of funder we ourselves valued as an arts organization.

We believe effective philanthropy begins with listening, mutual trust, and respect for the people and organizations doing the work. Our role is to recognize potential and provide meaningful support while remaining attentive to the challenges facing the dance community.

Guided by gratitude and experience, we approach this new chapter with curiosity, humility, and a willingness to
explore new ways of giving, believing that the true measure of philanthropy lies not in what is given, but in what it makes possible.

Our Funding Process, Our Funding Approach

The Aspen Santa Fe Ballet Fund’s grantmaking is intentionally invitation-based. Rather than operating through an open application process, we identify and invite organizations and opportunities that align closely with our mission, values, and areas of focus.

Recognizing that our resources are finite, this approach allows us to make thoughtful, focused investments and develop meaningful relationships with the artists and organizations contributing to the vitality of dance in the United States.

Our funding decisions consider the priorities of all three initiatives—ENCORE!, DANCE PARTNERS, and NEXT STEPS—seeking a thoughtful balance while fostering opportunities that strengthen their collective impact. Together, these initiatives advance our mission of supporting a vibrant and sustainable future for dance.

Once invited, applicants can expect a straightforward, flexible, and collaborative process, free of rigid application deadlines and burdensome administrative requirements. We recognize that the time and resources devoted to securing and administering a grant are resources diverted from an organization’s mission, and we strive to keep those demands to a minimum. We favor open dialogue over excessive paperwork and are committed to fair, timely decisions that allow our funding to have meaningful impact.