As a CDSS Affiliate, there are two ways you can help people who are active in your local communities get to camp:
- Priority Admission: Nominate them for priority admission in our camp lottery
and/or
- Matching Scholarship: Support them financially by offering a scholarship for CDSS to match
Affiliate Priority Admission
Each CDSS Affiliate may designate up to two people to receive priority admission to any camp session(s). Priority admission nominations must be submitted by the lottery deadline (March 16, 2025). We guarantee up to eight spaces per session for affiliate nominations.
If there are more than eight nominations for a camp session, we will hold a pre-lottery name drawing for the eight guaranteed spaces. The remaining affiliate-nominated registrants will join the regular camp lottery.
Priority admission is available for intensive courses. The registrant must meet any participation requirements noted in the course description (where applicable). The lottery deadline for intensive courses is March 9, 2025.
Use this form to make priority admission nominations.
Affiliate Matching Scholarships
CDSS matches contributions made by affiliates sending their members to camps. Find more information here on our camp website. CDSS matching scholarship funds are reserved for those with financial need.
Use this form to pledge financial support for a community member to attend camp.
If you offer lottery priority and a matching scholarship to the same person, please fill out both forms. One type of support doesn’t automatically qualify them for the other. You can also offer different people in your group just lottery priority or just financial support.
Save the dates for the celebrations of our 2025 CDSS Lifetime Contribution Award winners:
Federal nonprofit tax exempt (501(c)(3)) status is available for CDSS Affiliates in the US who meet certain guidelines. You must apply to receive this benefit. The annual fee is $75 (in addition to membership dues).
Benefits of nonprofit status
- Receive discounted rental rates at some venues
- Become eligible for some non-CDSS grant funding
- Become eligible to receive tax-exempt donations
- Become eligible for nonprofit bulk mail permits
Apply for nonprofit status
Please email this form to mreyna@cdss.org. You must meet these exemption guidelines to be eligible for nonprofit status.
Sample documents for nonprofit exemption
Info for annual filing
All affiliates are their own financial entities and must file with the IRS and CDSS annually, regardless of size or annual income. Failure to do so can result in having your 501(c)(3) status automatically revoked by the IRS. CDSS does not file a group return.
Groups with gross receipts under $50,000 can file the simple, quick, 990 e-Postcard. Additionally, you must send a financial report to CDSS that shows income and expenses (profit and loss statement) and total assets and liabilities (balance sheet). If you have a format or program you use for this, it’s fine to send us a report that way. Or, you can use the CDSS template.
Groups with gross receipts above $50,000 must file a full 990. This has sufficient information to satisfy CDSS’s requirements and can simply be forwarded to us.
This financial reporting is due to CDSS on the same schedule as it must be reported to the IRS: five months after the end of your financial year.
For information on how to file with the IRS, please visit their website. Here are some resources to help you file your IRS Form 990:
All documents should be emailed to mreyna@cdss.org or mailed to:
Country Dance & Song Society
116 Pleasant St., Suite 334
Easthampton, MA 01027
Contact Us
Affiliate Coordinator
- group affiliation and renewals
- insurance and 501(c)(3) coverage
- community grants
mreyna@ x109
What It Covers
This is a general commercial liability policy. It is not accident insurance. This policy covers expenses related to a legal claim against your group due to your operations. (Looking for caller’s insurance instead? Click here.)
Coverage is $2,000,000 per occurrence, with an aggregate limit of $4,000,000 for the policy; directors and officers (D&O) insurance and terrorism coverage are not included.
There are additional coverages of
- $300,000 premises rented to you limit (any one premise)
How It Works
The insurance year runs May 1—April 30.
The cost is $700, $920, $1075, or $1250 for full year coverage (including affiliate membership dues), depending on how many events you are covering, or $75 per calendar day. Neither fee is refundable after your coverage begins. Please allow two weeks for processing your application. If you require a certificate sooner than that, please let us know. We will send you certificates of insurance as soon as we receive them from our insurance agent.
Insurance FAQs Apply for insurance
Contact Us
Affiliate Coordinator
- group affiliation and renewals
- insurance and 501(c)(3) coverage
- community grants
mreyna@ x109
Being an affiliate is an important way to support our work! We welcome groups that offer activities related to our mission, including English country dance, contra and square dance, morris and sword dance, and the music that is an integral part of these traditions.
Benefits of Affiliation
As a CDSS Affiliate, you’ll join the more than 260 groups across the US and Canada who are supporting our shared dance and music community. You’ll also receive:
And also enjoy the benefits we offer to all groups:
- Advice: we offers advice on programming, group organization, financial reporting, bylaws writing, registration procedures, sound equipment, and staff suggestion
- Financial assistance: grants are available to help groups start new events (weeks, weekends, festivals), train leaders, create publications, and provide equity trainings for organizers
- Equipment rental: ritual dance equipment (swords, hankies, bellpads) is available on short term loan and for a modest fee
Become an Affiliate
US Groups
CDSS Affiliates in the US are eligible for group liability insurance and 501(c)(3) status, as well as all of the perks offered to all affiliates.
Per-day/single event insurance is available for Affiliates for $75/day.
Canadian Groups
CDSS Affiliates in Canada receive all of the perks offered to all CDSS Affiliates, but are not eligible for insurance or nonprofit coverage.
The affiliate membership fee for Canadian groups is adjusted annually to match the current exchange rate. The fee for Canadian groups is $75 USD.
International Groups
CDSS Affiliates outside of the US and Canada receive all of the perks offered to all CDSS Affiliates, but are not eligible for insurance or nonprofit coverage. The membership fee for international groups is $100 USD per year.
All Affiliate memberships renew on May 1 of each year.
Become an Affiliate Renew Your Affiliate Membership
Contact Us
Affiliate Coordinator
- group affiliation and renewals
- insurance and 501(c)(3) coverage
- community grants
mreyna@ x109
Welcome to the CDSS community! We’re glad you’re here!
Not an Affiliate yet? Join here.
Your Group’s Benefits
What’s New
Spring/Summer 2025 CDSS NewsThe latest issue of the CDSS News is out now! Read about celebrating Chuck Ward’s legacy with music workshops at Fall Frolick, training new dance callers in California, our new podcast(!), and more!
Community Culture & Safety ToolkitNew in the Resource Portal for organizers! The Community Culture & Safety Toolkit is a comprehensive guide to help organizers develop the policies, procedures, and supporting documents needed to understand and facilitate safety in their communities. Topics include creating a statement of community values, code of conduct, and etiquette guidelines; establishing protocols for handling complaints and infractions; and evaluating the safety of a physical space. The toolkit also includes bonus guides on facilitating community meetings, role terminology, and managing chemical sensitivities.
Natural Disaster SupportWe are helping to connect donors with dance and music community members who have been directly affected by natural disasters. If you are one of those affected, please fill out this form to be included in the list. If you are fortunate enough to be able to help, read their stories and send your support.
More News
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Create Connections
- Web Chats for Organizers
A few times a year, we host Web Chats on a range of topics of interest to dance and music organizers, offering insight and distilled wisdom from other organizers and experts. See the full archive of recordings here.
- Camp
Our camps are a great way to meet new people and build community connections across the continent! Camps also often include special training courses for callers, musicians, and organizers. See this summer’s schedule here.
- Resource Portal
The CDSS Resource Portal contains a vast range of resources by and for the dance, music, and song community.
- Affiliate Surveys
We’ve conducted a number of surveys of our affiliates and other constituents. Find the reports from those surveys here.
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Find Funding
- Community Grants
CDSS grant funding is available to affiliates for a wide range of acitivities such as workshops (including DEI and equity training), publications, research, startup funds, and more. Find out more about grants here.
- Non-profit Exemption/501(c)(3) Status
All US affiliates are eligible to receive 501(c)(3) status, which provides all the benefits of tax exemption including accepting tax-deductible donations, access to some grant funding, preferential rates at some venues, and more. You must apply specifically to become a part of this exemption. Find out more here.
Contact Us
Affiliate Coordinator
- group affiliation and renewals
- insurance and 501(c)(3) coverage
- community grants
mreyna@ x109
Thanks to the Massachusetts Cultural Council for their generous support.