General Operating Grants
General Operating Grants-Application Period Closed
We accept General Operating Grant applications from 501 (c)(3) nonprofit music organizations whose entire mission aligns with our funding priorities and demonstrate strong management practices and high programmatic standards. The application period for Round 1 opens on March 3 and closes on April 4, 2025.
Funding Priorities
Participatory Music Making: High-quality, hands-on, relevant music-making, music-training, that is, or will be, a permanent part of an organization’s annual programming and serve, or will serve, an established cohort of participants that engage with the program regularly.
Career Mobility: Career Mobility is career development for youth or adults in any area of the music industry. Commercial (e.g. production, recording, live event, instrument makers, retail, etc.) musicians, and teaching artists.
Eligibility
- Have a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) designation. Non-US organizations are not eligible for General Operating Grants.
- New or existing organizations are eligible.
- Any musical genres is eligible.
- Meet one or more of the foundation’s funding priorities.
- Prioritize historically underserved communities and groups of people.
- Measurable goals and outcomes.
- Excellent programmatic standards.
- Demonstrate strong organizational and fiscal management.
- Grants must be used for the organization's charitable purpose, but are not restricted to a program or cost center.
- Align with one or more music product industry segments: Band/Orchestra (wind, brass, strings, large/small ensembles); Fretted Instruments; Percussion; Electronic & Recording; Printed and Digital Music; Keyboard; Pro Audio & Lighting; Other Genres.
Timeline
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| March 5 | Application Live |
| March 5 & 19 | Virtual Information Sessions (9:30 am PT) |
| April 4 | Round 1 Application Due |
| June 6 | Invitation to Submit a Round 2 Application |
| July 1 | Round 2 Application Due |
| September 30 | Award Notification |
Virtual Information Sessions
Application Process
To apply for Round 1, please review our guidelines and begin the application process by completing the short eligibility quiz. Organizations will apply through the foundation's Cybergrants Portal.
Round 1. Interested nonprofit organizations or international equivalents are encouraged to apply through our online portal by the April 4 deadline. Download the full guidelines to review the requirements.
Round 2. Selected organizations from Round 1 will be invited to submit a Round 2 proposal by the July 1 deadline. Round 2 of the application process is designed to help us get to know your organization better and will include a virtual site visit.
To prepare your proposal, we recommend reviewing the application PDF (link below) before starting the online application. You may use this document as a working copy for your narrative, then copy and paste it into the portal. To ensure a strong and competitive application, we recommend following all the provided instructions carefully. Proposals must be submitted through the online grant portal.
Application Documents