Year-Round Campaign
The Eunice L. Barnes Scholarship Fund
Remove the financial barriers standing between talented young dancers and the career-building summer training opportunities that shape professional futures.
Named after DIW founder Fabian Barnes’ mother, the Eunice L. Barnes Scholarship Fund was created to advance the careers of talented young dancers of diverse backgrounds by funding access to competitive summer intensives and apprenticeship programs across the country.
Why It Matters
The Training That Makes a Career Possible
Dance training goes beyond the performance season. Students training at elite levels spend all summer at the ballet barre, perfecting their technique so they return to the studio stage-ready in the fall.
The Eunice L. Barnes Scholarship Fund, named after DIW founder Fabian Barnes’ mother, was created to advance DIW dancers’ training year-round. The scholarship removes financial barriers standing in the way of summer training opportunities, allowing students to attend life-changing summer intensives around the country. Thanks to the Eunice L. Barnes Scholarship Fund, DIW students have spent summers training with Dance Theatre of Harlem, Washington Ballet, Princeton Ballet School, American Musical and Dramatic Academy, MOVENYC, and many more.
Scholarships resource all costs associated with prestigious summer training, which can cost up to $10,000 once tuition, housing, travel, meals, clothing, and equipment are accounted for. These opportunities are essential to our students’ career opportunities in the arts. DIW intentionally directs dancers toward career-advancing intensives and professional companies that share DIW’s commitment to advancing racial and economic equity in the arts.
Help us to create a pipeline in the arts industry that is diverse, inclusive, and consistent.
Who Is Eligible
Any DIW student in the upper division who is accepted into a summer intensive program. Your contribution makes a direct investment in advancing equity and diversity in dance.
Your Support
$100
Covers a student’s training materials and supplies for a summer intensive.
$250
Funds a week of meals and living expenses during an intensive program.
$500
Provides round-trip travel to a summer intensive program.
$1,000
Covers room and board for a multi-week summer intensive.
$2,500
Funds tuition for a top-tier summer intensive or apprenticeship.
$5,000
Provides a full scholarship covering tuition, travel, room, and board for one student’s summer.
Want to Support DIW in Other Ways?
Explore our other giving campaigns, make a general donation, or volunteer your time. Every form of support strengthens the futures of D.C.’s young dancers.