About NPN

The National Performance Network (NPN) is a group of diverse cultural organizers, including artists, working to create meaningful partnerships and to provide leadership that enables the practice and public experience of the arts in the United States. NPN annually leverages nearly $3,000,000 in financial support for the creation and touring of contemporary artists and their work.

The National Performance Network has brought innovative performing artists to all corners of the United States for more than 25 years. NPN was founded to address the issues of artistic isolation and the economic constraints of moving art around the country and the sharing of artistic and community voices. Today, the National Performance Network is comprised of 61 artist-centered presenting organizations, the NPN Partners, representing every region of the country and supporting more than 500 artists each year.

In 2007 the Visual Artists Network (VAN) was created as a pilot program of NPN and was formally launched with the selection of 15 VAN Partners, leading contemporary arts organizations from across the United States. Patterned after the National Performance Network, VAN provides opportunities and subsidy support for under-recognized visual artists, nurtures the creation of experimental artwork and supports the touring of contemporary visual artists and their work.

About the NPN Creation Fund

Support is rare for the research and development of new performance, and too often artists and presenters are compelled to define new work before fully exploring the development phase. The Creation Fund provides direct and unencumbered assistance to the creation process and encourages others to do the same.

The Creation Fund contributes at least $10,000 directly to artist toward the commissioning of new work. NPN Partners apply for Creation Fund support for projects by any local, regional or national artist or company. This flexibility encourages NPN Partners to work with local artists while introducing and promoting these artists’ work to the national community. Co-Commissioners may include any presenter of the producing company itself.

NPN is supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts (a federal agency), the Ford Foundation, the MetLife Foundation, the Nathan Cummings Foundation, Lambent Foundation, Open Society Foundations, Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Southwest Airlines and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.