Help Every Child Step Into the Spotlight
Your generosity funds scholarships, world-class training, and the holistic programming that develops our students into artists and leaders. Every gift helps ensure no child is turned away because of cost.
Donate
Make a one-time or recurring gift to support DIW’s mission. Every dollar helps eliminate barriers and ensures young people get the training they deserve. Donate online, mail a check, or explore employer matching.
Donate Now
Your donation directly transforms lives through dance.
The Fabian Barnes Giving Circle
A community of dedicated monthly recurring donors who sustain the operating costs and transformative impact of DIW’s programs.
Fund a Cause
Each year, DIW runs dedicated funding campaigns that address specific needs in our community. Choose the cause that resonates with you most, or sponsor our performances.
Pointe Shoe Fund
Many of our families cannot afford the high costs of pointe shoes, and few suppliers cater to Black and Brown ballet dancers. At DIW, we believe inaccessibility should never be a barrier to a student’s career in the arts.
Boys in Ballet Fund
Supporting young men in breaking barriers and stereotypes in classical ballet, funding training, equipment, and mentorship opportunities. DIW’s #BoysInBallet initiative has generated 150K+ views and raised $50K+ to date.
Eunice L. Barnes Fund
Honoring a legacy of excellence, this fund supports holistic programming that develops artists into leaders, ensuring the vision that built DIW carries forward for decades to come.
Sponsorship
Align your brand or organization with one of Washington, D.C.’s most respected arts institutions. When you sponsor DIW, you invest in world-class performances and the young artists who bring them to life.
Sponsorship opportunities are available year-round. We work with each sponsor to find the right fit, whether that means supporting a specific production, an annual season of performances, or DIW’s broader public programming. All sponsorship contributions are tax-deductible.
Behind Every Performance
Venue costs, lighting and sound, set design, live musicians, guest choreographers, and the production management that brings each show to the stage. Your sponsorship ensures our performances meet the professional standard our students deserve.
Professional costumes, pointe shoes, performance attire, and the artistic materials that allow our young dancers to present at the highest level. Many of our students rely on DIW to provide everything they need to take the stage.
Free and subsidized tickets for families, community workshops, post-show talkbacks, school matinee performances, and outreach programming that ensures our productions are accessible to all of Washington, D.C.
Throughout the year, DIW opens dedicated sponsorship opportunities for signature productions and special events. These event-specific pages include detailed sponsorship tiers, benefits, and timelines tailored to that production.
When an event sponsorship is active, it will appear here. If you are interested in sponsoring an upcoming production, reach out to our team and we will share what is available.
How We Honor Our Sponsors
Visibility is tailored to each partnership, but here is what sponsors can typically expect.
Brand Visibility
- Logo placement in printed programs and playbills
- Recognition on DIW’s website and social media channels
- Inclusion in email communications to DIW’s subscriber base
- On-site signage and lobby presence at sponsored events
Engagement & Access
- Reserved seating and complimentary tickets for performances
- Invitations to exclusive rehearsals and behind-the-scenes events
- Opportunities to host clients or employees at DIW events
- Direct connection to DIW leadership and artistic team
Volunteer
Volunteers are an essential part of the DIW community. Whether you can give an afternoon or a full season, your time and talent directly support our students, programs, and events.
How You Can Help
From production support during Spirit of Kwanzaa to one-on-one mentorship with students, there are many ways to contribute your skills and passion to the DIW community.
Spirit of Kwanzaa, season performances, galas
Guide young dancers through career development
Office support, data entry, communications
Outreach, fundraising, campus beautification
“What we’re doing here is, we’re helping to save lives. That’s what dance did for me, and that’s what I feel like we’re doing for a lot of young people.”Fabian Barnes, Founder, Dance Institute of Washington
Support Our Mission
Help Every Child Step Into the Spotlight
Your generosity funds scholarships, world-class training, and the holistic programming that develops our students into artists and leaders. Every gift helps ensure no child is turned away because of cost.
46K+
Students served
since 1987
1,000+
Students served in
2025
$92K+
Scholarships & stipends in 2025
100%
Of programming is
subsidized
100%
Of graduates complete
high school
100% of DIW’s programming is subsidized. Through need-based scholarships and subsidized tuition, financial barriers never stand between a young person and world-class dance education. The results: 100% of our graduates complete high school, and 99% enter college or pursue professional careers.
Ways to Support
Three Ways to Make a Difference
Whether you give financially, fund a specific initiative, or share your time, every form of support strengthens the futures of D.C.’s young dancers.
Give Financially
Donate
Make a one-time or recurring gift to support DIW’s mission. Every dollar helps eliminate barriers and ensures young people get the training they deserve. Donate online, mail a check, or explore employer matching.
Direct Your Impact
Fund a Cause
Channel your support toward a specific initiative. Sponsor our programming and performances, or contribute to one of our dedicated campaigns: the Eunice L. Barnes Fund, Boys in Ballet, or the Pointe Shoe Fund.
Share Your Time
Volunteer
Give your time and talent to the DIW community. From event support to mentorship to administrative help, volunteers play an essential role in keeping our programs running and our students inspired.
Financial Stewardship
Investing in Our Mission
In 2025, DIW invested $2.91M into programs and operations that kept world-class dance education accessible to every student who walked through our doors.
Program Delivery & Artistic Investment
$2.19M
75% of total expenditures
The majority of every dollar contributed to DIW directly supports dance instruction, artistic talent, and the professional spaces required for high-quality training. Your investment sustains both the learning experience and the environment that makes it possible.
Organizational Administration & Support
$0.72M
25% of total expenditures
The infrastructure, staffing, and oversight that keep DIW running effectively each day. This ensures responsible stewardship of funds, operational stability, and the accountability required to sustain our mission.
When You Support DIW, You're Investing In
Other Ways to Give
Every Form of Support Matters
Mail a Check
Please make checks payable to “Dance Institute of Washington” and mail to our facility.
3400 14th St., NW
Washington, DC 20010
Employer Matching
Many employers offer gift matching programs that can double or triple your contribution. Check with your HR department to see if your company participates.
In-Kind Donations
We welcome in-kind donations of dancewear, equipment, office supplies, and professional services that directly support our students and operations.
Every Gift Opens a Door
Whether you give $25 or $25,000, your support provides vital scholarships, holistic programming, and keeps world-class dance education accessible to all.
“What we’re doing here is, we’re helping to save lives. That’s what dance did for me, and that’s what I feel like we’re doing for a lot of young people.”
— FABIAN BARNES, FOUNDER, Dance Institute of Washington