Grants For Young Musicians: When it comes to launching your music career off the ground as a young independent musician you have to cross several hurdles and overcome numerous challenges. If you’re new to the music industry without having any backing of a record label then there are ways to cover the cost of recording, promoting and releasing your own music by applying for musical grants that are funded by nonprofit organizations, government agencies and numerous other organizations.
Emerging young artists and independent musicians can get funding for the musical career by applying for these grants that not only provide the much needed financial support but also provides recognition and validation and can be a sign that you are a committed and dedicated artist who is serious about pursuing a career in the music industry. This guide will provide a list of the available music grants for young artists and how you can apply for them.
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Highlights of this Post
What Kind Of Music Grants Are Available For Young Musicians?
Music grants for young artists are available in a variety of styles and grant awards. These music grants provide general support for musicians of all styles and ages. While few grants cater to musicians who perform a specific genre, musicians that fit specific demographics there are a lot of musician grants that are specific to recording, touring and purchasing musical instruments.
Becoming recipients of music grants for young artists will help you to stand out from the crowd and will boost your exposure and even help you get connected to professionals in the industry. They are awarded to emerging young artists who show a lot of potential without the financial means to realize their musical projects without external support. These grants help young artists to purchase equipment, secure management, book recording time, music promotion, cover touring expenses, advertising, social media campaigns etc.
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Are There Government Grants For Young Musicians?
Yes there are a lot of government grants for musicians available. For instance the National Endowment For The Arts is a federal agency that provides a wide array of grants and programs for musicians.
A lot of local government agencies also provide grant funding for musicians of all ages and styles. Young musicians are not restricted to government grants only as there are vast extensive private organizations, nonprofits and foundations that provide financial aid and other types of support to musicians of all ages and types.
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What Are The Eligibility Criteria To Qualify For Music Grants For Young Musicians?
The eligibility criteria to qualify for music grants for young musicians are as follows:
- Applicants must be citizens of the United States or lawful residents of the state or 0-1 visa holders
- Must fulfill the age limitation of the program
- Applicants must demonstrate robust financial need
- Must prove they have done specialization in any medium of music
- Must submit a resume, application form, work samples and artist statements displaying their recent work
- Applicants must make sure their proposal aligns with the objectives and goals of the program
- Must provide a detailed proposal about how their music project will impact the community positively and how getting a grant will help you in your career.
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What Are The Available Music Grants For Young Musicians?
National Endowment For The Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is a federal program that is committed to supporting the uh across the country. The music portion of the national endowment emphasizes advancing all music and is a wide-reaching grant with varied amounts of assistance.
The National Endowment For The Arts provides grants to musical organizations and also provides a limited number of jazz fellowships for musicians or contributions to jazz that are worthy of national recognition.
Young professionals who are looking for opportunities from the National Endowment for the Arts should keep an eye on the debility of programs and can get grants ranging between $20,000 to $25,000 on fulfilling eligibility criteria.
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ASCAP Foundation
The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers Foundation is a charitable organization that provides a wide array of grants and financial awards to young artists who can fulfill their eligibility criteria of the foundation.
The foundation is a branch of ASCAP, a not-for-profit performance rights organization that is responsible for public performance as well as licensing agreements. The foundation is committed to supporting music fans covering musicians and the future of music in diverse ways for instance grants, programs, and scholarships that are geared towards young musicians.
These grants and programs cover jazz musicians, musical theater and many other performance types. The awards of the organization are quite extensive which means there are plenty of opportunities for young artists to emerge. The foundation also hosts many talent development programs to assist aspiring musicians.
Alice M. Ditson Fund
Alice M. Ditson Fund is a philanthropic organization that supports musicians and composers in the United States. Established in 1929, the fund awards grants to individuals, organizations, and institutions working in classical and opera music fields.
This special fund aims to give underrepresented contemporary American classical concert musicians, particularly younger composers, a platform to express themselves, particularly in a concert setting.
MusicLink Foundation
MusicLink Foundation is a non-profit organization that provides music lessons to underserved children in the United States who otherwise could not afford them.
Established in 1989, MusicLink’s mission is to make music education accessible to all children, regardless of their financial means. This is also one of the best musical instrument grants for schools. The foundation also provides instruments and materials to participating students and teachers.
Chamber Music America
Chamber Music America (CMA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and promoting the creation, performance, and appreciation of chamber music in the United States. Founded in 1977, CMA provides resources, networking opportunities, and funding to help musicians, presenters, and ensembles build sustainable careers and create new works.
YoungArts Foundation
Established in 1981, YoungArts Foundation provides opportunities for recognition, further education, and professional development to talented young artists in the early stages of their careers. YoungArts is open to U.S. citizens and permanent residents between the ages of 15 and 18 (or in grades 10-12) who demonstrate exceptional talent in the arts.
Cherry Tree Foundation
The Cherry Tree Foundation is a US-based charity supporting students who show promise in the arts. They make one-time awards of a small amount to youngsters who are talented in music, drama, or the arts.
All applicants must be between the ages of 10 and 18 and active participants in the Cherry Tree Foundation program. Applicants are selected based on individual or group artistic talent, achievement, and need. The number of awards varies throughout the year but ranges from $50 to $1,000.
New York Foundation for the Arts
The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) is a non-profit organization that supports artists and cultural organizations in New York. Established in 1971, NYFA provides various resources, including grants, fellowships, professional development programs, and resources for artists and cultural organizations.
Its goal is to promote and support the growth and development of the arts in New York and to ensure that artists and cultural organizations have the resources they need to thrive.
Academy of Country Music: Lifting Lives Grant
The Academy of Country Music’s Lifting Lives Grant is a charitable initiative that provides support and resources to organizations that serve the needs of communities in health, wellness, education, and the arts.
They provide financial support for initiatives such as music therapy, instrument repair, and artist-in-residence programs, all of which employ music as a medium to advance educational and therapeutic goals.
Guitar Center Music Foundation
Guitar Center is popular for being a leading musical instrument retailer nationwide however the Guitar Center Music Foundation provides grant funding to musicians so that they can purchase instruments worth $5000. The grants are intended for music education programs and schools to improve music education among students across the country.
National Assembly Of State Arts Agencies
The National Assembly Of State Arts Agencies is a popular nationwide nonprofit organization that advocates for the arts and also supports local art agencies.
The assembly supports diverse types of arts and music of all forms. The organization has sponsored the annual National Arts and Humanities Youth Program awards that once celebrated and rewarded young artists nationwide.
Even though the Youth Program award has been discontinued, the National Assembly of State Arts Agency is providing resources and workshops to support young musicians and also conducting webinars, on-demand learning tools and a broad range of cultural youth development programs.
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BMI Foundation
A nonprofit organization known as BMI Foundation supports the creation, performance and study of music through scholarship, commission and grants.
The foundation provides a wide array of grants for different genres of music including classical and jazz musicians.
The BMA foundation distributes invitation-only rewards for performers and jazz musicians among other winners.
- The Charlie Parker Jazz Composition Prize is provided annually to a nominated jazz performer with a cash price of $3000.
- The BMI Future Jazz Master Award is provided every year to one eligible jazz performer between the ages of 17 to 24 and the winner gets a cash prize of $5000 in addition to the prestige and recognition that comes with the award for showing the future jazz master award has an open application process so you must meet eligibility criteria.
- The BMI Composer Award is open to any composer under the age of 28 who belongs to the classical music genre and provides them with a cash grant of $20,000.
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Foundation For Contemporary Arts
Foundation For Contemporary Arts was established in 1963 by artists to support their peers and today it is one of the prestigious and sought-after sources of grants for young musicians in the United States of America.
Foundation for Contemporary Awards provides substantial financial assistance and caters to the immediate needs of artists with small grants ranging between $500 to $2500.
The emerging funding grants are unnecessary financial means for young artists who need urgent support for their ongoing musical projects and this makes the foundation an invaluable resource for needy musicians.
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New Music USA
The New Music USA for young artists stands as a beacon to remove all support and assistance for experimental and contemporary music. It provides financial support to composers, performances, symbols, groups and individual artists. The grants provided by the foundation are designed to motivate innovation across a wide spectrum of musical projects.
The grants help young musicians and other artists from composition and recording to performances and serve as a cornerstone for creative exploration. Eligible artists not only receive financial support from the foundation but also gain exposure and recognition for their projects.
New York State Council on the Arts, NYSCA
New organizations that are interested in producing choral music, chamber music, jazz and orchestra music including nonprofit music organizations, community schools and individual musicians can apply for assistance from this foundation. In 2018 they awarded nearly $3 million to 219 grants to more than 207 different organizations so there are a lot of opportunities for you here.
Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation
The Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation is pleased to give financial assistance in the form of grants to musicians who need a little more help to explore and perfect their craft through touring, growing their audience, and general career development.
They provide several different opportunities, such as grants to support travel and accommodations for US artists who have been invited to perform at festivals outside the country, creative fellowships, and a French-American Cultural Exchange that provides financial assistance to French jazz musicians who are traveling to the US and vice versa.
Atlantic Music Festival Fellowships
Fellows of the Atlantic Music Festival will receive reimbursement for their tuition, lodging, and meals for their four-week stay at the festival. This fellowship is open to instrumentalists, songwriters, conductors, and opera singers.
The Atlantic Music Festival Fellowships are awards or scholarships given to talented musicians who attend the Atlantic Music Festival, a musical event, or a summer program. The details of these fellowships, such as the eligibility requirements, application process, and benefits, are not specified and may vary from year to year.
Musicians Foundation
Musicians Foundation is an organization that is doing excellent work in the field of music grant-making. Their financial assistance programs and grants go to musicians of any age, general instruments who are going through financial hardship due to personal, family crises, medical or natural disasters.
Even though you need to fulfill the eligibility criteria and work as a professional musician for a minimum of five years in the United States it is an incredible opportunity for those who can qualify.
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Luminarts Cultural Foundation
A lot of fellowship opportunities are provided by Luminarts Cultural Foundation in classical music, visual arts, jazz music, and creative writing for young artists in the Chicago area.
The eligibility criteria to receive a fellowship program through this foundation is to be aged between 18 to 30 and live within 150 miles of the Chicago area.
You must be enrolled in a degree or graduate program or other professional artist development program to qualify. A $52,000 grant was provided to classical musicians in 2019 and $30,000 to jazz musician applicants.
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A Blade Of Grass
A Blade Of Grass provides a fellowship program to support young college artists to create experiences, exchanges and structures that highlight social problems and inspire the audience. They support fellowship with $20,000 if you can fulfill the eligibility criteria.
To be eligible for a $20,000 fellowship you need to be a minimum of 25 years of age and prove you are an artist who believes that the project has the capacity to impact the society positively. You also get an opportunity to engage with other artists and get ongoing promotion of your project.
McKnight Artist Fellowships
McKnight Artist Fellowship Program helps Minnesota artists with cash rewards of up to $25,000 per year. The prizes are open-ended, meaning they can be put toward anything, including taking the time to learn, experiment, explore, and do various other activities. They welcome musicians of any style to participate and receive assistance in the field of music from the American Composers Forum and the MacPhail Center for Music.
The McKnight Artist Fellowships are awarded annually by the McKnight Foundation to Minnesota-based artists in various disciplines, including musicians. The fellowships are designed to provide financial support and recognition to talented artists, allowing them to focus on their work and take their careers to the next level.
Beebe Fund for Musicians Grants
Beebe Fund helps classical musicians with a grant of $22,000 for their travel and accommodation costs for an entire year. The Beebe Fund for Musicians is a US-based nonprofit organization that provides grants to classical musicians to support their education, professional development, and career advancement.
The Beebe Fund awards grants to young musicians, particularly those in the early stages of their careers, to help cover the costs of tuition, study, and performance opportunities. The organization’s mission is to help talented and motivated musicians pursue their dreams and reach their full potential.
Berklee Fellowships for Graduate Students
Berklee College of Music offers fellowships for graduate students through scholarships and grants. These fellowships are awarded to highly talented and motivated students who demonstrate financial need and are designed to support the continuation of their academic and creative pursuits.
They offer a variety of fellowships, some of which include funding for internships with select business owners in new media, technology, and various creative industries.In addition, they provide funding for programs designed specifically for Berklee College of Music graduate students.
Tennessee Arts Commission
The Tennessee Arts Commission provides financial support for creative individuals, as well as other projects, education, and many other things.
There is a fellowship available to professional artists of any background or musical genre, including composers, and it is called the Individual Artist Fellowship.
The recipient of this fellowship receives $5,000. The only requirement for eligibility for this fellowship is that you already have a steady income from your musical endeavors before applying.
Music for All
Music for All is a national non-profit organization based in Indianapolis, Indiana that promotes music education and music-making across the United States. Music for All offers a variety of programs and events for young musicians and music educators to develop their skills, connect with others who share their passion for music, and perform in front of large audiences.
Music for All also provides resources and support to music education programs across the country, including grants and advocacy efforts. Its goal is to help ensure that all students have access to quality music education and that music remains an integral part of the school curriculum.
Conclusion
Music grants for young musicians are financial opportunities that are given to students or young artists to cover the cost of an educational music career. This financial aid comes from a variety of sources like government agencies, foundations, private organizations, nonprofits etc. The grants are awarded based on the financial need or merit and talent of the young musician. If you are working as a musician for some time and in need of financial assistance you can apply for the aforementioned music grants and get a reward to launch your music career.
Learn more about How to Apply for Classical Music Grants at the Get Government Grants’ section today. Our resources will help you to find the right type of support based on your needs and requirements.
