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DANCE PROJECT OF WASHINGTON HEIGHTS INC
NEW YORK, NY · EIN 471583227 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE A62 · Arts, Culture & Humanities · Small ($100K-$1M) · danceprojectwh.org
revenue
$501K
expenses
$602K
net assets
$-310K
employees
20
volunteers
60
program ratio
76%
mission · from form 990

PAY-WHAT-YOU-CAN DANCE CLASSES AND BILINGUAL PROGRAMMING, SUMMER CAMP, AND EVENTS FOR CHILDREN OF ALL AGES, ADULTS OF ALL SKILL LEVELS, AND FAMILIES.

profile · synthesized from sources

Dance Project of Washington Heights is a nonprofit organization providing accessible dance education to children, youth, and adults in Upper Manhattan. Through pay-what-you-can classes, bilingual programming, and community events, it removes financial barriers to participation. The organization serves a diverse, predominantly Latinx and Black student body, with programs spanning creative movement for infants to performance ensembles.

named programs · 5 · from sources

What they call their work

Artist Studio Rentals
Low-cost rental of studio space for rehearsals, classes, and events, subsidized by NYSCA to support artists and nonprofits in Upper Manhattan.
Pay-What-You-Can Dance Classes
Weekly dance classes for infants, children, teens, and adults with tiered tuition based on ability to pay, including supporter, sustainer, and community levels.
Performance Ensembles
Year-round ensembles for students age 9 and up, including Junior, Senior, and Latin Dance Ensembles, featuring rehearsals, performances, and community events.
Pre-Dance Classes
Creative movement classes for infants, toddlers, and their caregivers, offered on a drop-in basis with pay-what-you-can options.
Seasonal Camps
Winter, spring, and summer vacation camps for children age 4 and up, combining dance education with arts, crafts, nutrition, and anatomy workshops.
activities · 7 groups

What they do

  • Subsidized Rehearsal and Performance Space 1 activity
    • Affordable studio space rental for artists and community groups
      Makes studio space available to external dancers, choreographers, arts groups, nonprofits, and community members at subsidized artist rental rates of $10 per hour, supported by grant funding. Proceeds from rentals support dance education programs for local children and families.
  • Performing Arts Archival Preservation 1 activity
    • Archival access to performances
      Makes videos from past performances available for download or streaming and offers professional photos from performances for purchase in various formats through Zenfolio, preserving and sharing artistic output with the community.
  • Community Wellness Movement Classes 1 activity
    • Infant and family movement programs
      Provides Infant Movement classes for babies and parents, supporting early engagement in dance and movement within family contexts.
  • Ballet and Dance Education Programs 1 activity
    • Pay-what-you-can dance instruction for children and adults
      Offers affordable, pay-what-you-can dance classes for children and adults in Washington Heights, with pricing designed to ensure access regardless of financial circumstances. Programs serve over 300 students from diverse ages, backgrounds, cultures, and socio-economic statuses, including 104 male students and 65 at ballet level 2 and 31 at level 3.
  • Summer Day Camp Programs 1 activity
    • Seasonal dance camps and vacation programs
      Offers seasonal vacation camps for children ages 4 and up that include dance education, workshops in dance history, anatomy, nutrition, and arts and crafts. Programs are part of broader efforts to provide comprehensive arts engagement.
  • Dance Performance and Community Engagement 1 activity
    • Virtual dance and choreography programming
      Develops and delivers virtual formats for dance and choreography programming to support remote access to the arts, expanding reach beyond in-person offerings.
  • Community Music Performances & Education 1 activity
    • Youth performance ensembles and community performances
      Operates resident performance ensembles for youth ages 9 and up who perform at community events such as festivals, cultural celebrations, and medical center events. Includes documentation of performances through photography and videography.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$501K
Contributions & grants$208K42%
Program service revenue$237K47%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$56K
expenses
Total expenses$602K
Program expenses76%
Admin / overhead20%
Fundraising4%
Salaries & benefits$132K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineProfessional Fees
balance sheet
Total assets$135K
Cash$63K
Investments$0
Liabilities$445K
Net assets$-310K
Liquid reserves1.3 mo
6 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue +6.5%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 1
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
HEATHER GODFREY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR/ DIRECTOR 35 $55K
board members · 4
  • GINA BORDEN — TREASURER
  • MERY DIAZ — CHAIRMAN
  • RODNEY HAMILTON — BOARD MEMBER
  • SARA MARTIN — SECRETARY
relationships · 12

Who they work with

  • Columbia Medical Center Partner — Performance ensemble participates in events hosted by Columbia Medical Center.
  • Council Members Carmen De La Rosa and Sean Abreu Government — City Council members supporting the organization through public funding.
  • Governor Kathy Hochul Government — State executive whose administration supports the organization through the New York State Council on the Arts.
  • New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Government — Public funder supporting Dance Project of Washington Heights in partnership with the City Council.
  • New York State Council on the Arts Funder — Provides grant funding that enables reduced artist rental rates.
  • New York State Council on the Arts Government — State arts council providing support for Dance Project of Washington Heights programs.
  • Sherwin-Williams Partner — Collaborated with The Today Show to provide a welcoming reception space for Dance Project of Washington Heights.
  • The Today Show Partner — Featured Dance Project of Washington Heights and hosted a reception space gift with Sherwin-Williams.
  • United Palace Partner — Collaborates on performances and programming, as indicated by photo credits and community engagement at the United Palace venue.
  • Univision Partner — Featured program leaders Heather and Eury on Noticias to discuss the program and its impact in Washington Heights.
  • Volunteer Matching Grants Funder — Provides financial support to Dance Project of Washington Heights when employees volunteer their time.
  • Zenfolio Partner — Platform used to sell professional photos from performances
strategies · 3

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Community Building Through Universal Arts Access
    methodology: community_building_through_access
    By removing financial, social, and logistical barriers to dance education, the organization builds cohesive, empowered communities because access to the arts is viewed as a unifying, transformative social practice.
  • Inclusive Pedagogy and Faculty Representation
    methodology: inclusive_pedagogy
    By employing a diverse, socially conscious faculty and using child-centered, neuro-inclusive teaching practices, the organization fosters belonging and engagement in dance education because representation, warmth, and pedagogical responsiveness are seen as essential to inclusive learning and community transformation.
  • Removing Financial Barriers to Enable Transformative Access
    methodology: removing_barriers_to_access
    By eliminating cost as a barrier through pay-what-you-can, tiered tuition, and cross-subsidized programming, the organization increases equitable access to dance education because it believes financial inclusivity enables transformative individual and community outcomes.