FAQs on New Music Inc

New Music Inc is an incubator program that helps small-budget, artist-led new music groups and organizations in Baltimore, Chicago, and New York City to generate new ideas, strategies and collaborations at pivotal stages in the group or collective’s development. The program provides each participating organization with financial support coupled with 12 to 18 months of hands-on skill-building in a cohort environment intended to foster collective learning and collaboration.  In each city, a locally based Program Coordinator will facilitate the program, working closely with participants in helping them reach their goals.  

New Music Inc is open to organizations, collectives, or groups working in any music style. Each cohort will consist of 50% BIPOC-led organizations to reflect the diversity of creators and artists who are contributing to each location’s music community. A 501(c)3 tax status is not required.  

The program will explore themes and challenges identified by participating organizations in collaboration with our Program Coordinators and New Music USA staff. We anticipate that this may include audience development, fundraising, marketing, equity and diversity, board development and other areas of strategic planning.  Our overarching goal is to create a supportive space through which a cohort of artist-led organizations can learn together, sharing the unique challenges and opportunities they face.   

The application deadline was June 12, 2023. We do not have a timeline for future programs at this moment.

The program provides each participating organization with financial support coupled with 12 to 18 months of hands-on skill-building in a cohort environment intended to foster collective learning and collaboration.

Eligibility 

New Music Inc does not aim to provide long-term financial support. Instead, this program aims to reserve as a catalyst for change, supporting collaboration, and new ways of working which assist organizations with long term planning, and sustainability.  Successful applicants in each city where the program has already taken place may not apply again.   

Music organizations can be based in any neighborhood or borough of New York City, Chicago, or Baltimore. We invite applications from any kind of small to medium sized organization including performance groups, music organizations/ collectives, ensembles, festivals, presenters, venues, and more  

All Applicant organizations must: 

•  have been working together as a collective/organization for 3 years 
•  have an annual budget under $250,000 
• demonstrate financial stability 
• have the capacity to participate in the program fully including staff and/or Board resources 
• be able to track and articulate outcomes be able to contribute strongly to the cohort 
• be self-motivated and enthusiastic to work with others on the stated program’s challenges 

Other considerations: 

• You do not need have a 501(c)3 status 
• For NYC applicants, organizations awarded in the initial New Music Capacity Building Program are not eligible to apply 

No. Fiscal sponsorship is also allowed and encouraged, but not required for those who are not 501c3 organizations.

NO. The New Music Inc is open to organizations, collectives, or groups working in any music style.  

Individual artists may not apply. We have supported individual creators through the Music Creator Fund which closed on December 15, 2022. We plan to re-open that program in mid-November 2023.

The awards are a set amount based on available funding in each location.The program provides each participating organization with financial support coupled with 12 to 18 months of hands-on skill-building in a cohort environment intended to foster collective learning and collaboration.

Baltimore-based organizations  are awarded unrestricted support in the amount of $6,000 and receive 12 months of program’s activities. 

Chicago-based organizations  are awarded unrestricted support in the amount of $8,000 and receive 18 months of program’s activities  (payments are made in two installments over 18 months). 

NYC-based organizations  are awarded unrestricted support in the amount of $10,000 and receive 18 months of program’s activities  (payments are made in two installments over 18 months). 

Apply online at newmusicusa.smapply.io/

• provide an organizational/collective bio or mission (limit 150 words). 
• Written/video/audio narrative outlining the following points (written narrative or up to 5 minute video)  
  • The work that you do including your commitment to music by living creators. Please explain how your approach different or similar to other organizations (Limit 150 words or brief video/audio) 
  • Describe how your collective/ organization engages with and includes the local community. Who, what, when, where?  (Limit 200 words or brief video/audio) 
  • List the three biggest challenges for your organization at this time and explain why. (Limit 250 words or brief video/audio) 
  • This program includes a grant to be used to build the capacity of your collective/ organization. Please summarize where the organization currently is in development and describe how it intends to use this funding. (Limit 250 words or brief video/audio) 
• Provide a brief outline of how you address equity, diversity, and inclusion within your collective/ organization and programming. (Limit 150 words) 
• 2 to 3 work samples; demonstrating the work of living creators 
• Programming list that articulates organization’s role as presenters or promoters of new music 
• Most recent budget 
• Last year’s financial statement/ budget

The application deadline is June 12, 2023, at 11:59 pm Eastern.

Please include 2 to 3 examples of your recent work that you have commissioned, performed, or presented. You may upload mp3, video or image files, or provide links to YouTube/Vimeo examples.

We recommend up to 5 minutes per work sample. You can submit any length of a work sample, however, If you are submitting longer works, please write suggested start and end times to view/listen. 

New Music Inc. Guiding Principles:  

Baltimore, Chicago, New York City 

Funding, mentorship, and cohort learning for small-budget, artist-led music groups and organizations. 

• We do not try to define what new music is. We are interested in hearing from organizations who are working with creators and artists working in any music style or genre who are influencing the future of music creation and sound.
• We aim for applicant and awardee organizations to be representative and reflective of the diversity of creators and artists contributing to the music community in each location.
• We look to recognize, and work against, the racial inequity that exists in the new music scene and increase recognition of BIPOC-led organizations within it.
• We aim to break down silos between different new music genre practitioners and stimulate exchange and learning amongst diverse, artist-led groups.
• We hope to serve as a catalyst for change, collaboration, and new ways of working to support organizations in becoming more sustainable. This program does not offer repeat funding.
• We anticipate that the needs of organizations across different US cities will vary and so our learning program will vary in accordance with participants’ needs. 

New Music USA is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. We strive for our applicants and awardees to represent a broad spectrum of diversity across size, genre, race, ethnicity, gender, age, ability, sexual orientation, religious belief, and geography. We encourage applications from Black, Indigenous, People of Color led, LGBTQIA+ led organizations, and organizations representing persons with disabilities. Each cohort will consist of 50% BIPOC-led organizations to reflect the diversity of creators and artists who are contributing to each location’s music community. When evaluating an application panelists often consider the following in their review:

• Impact, quality and breadth of program/content
  • Is the programming relevant and inclusive of the communities they serve?
  • Is there artistic exploration that feels relevant and considered?
  • What is the level of their experience? Do they demonstrate proficiency and mastery with their creative practice?

• History of performing or programming new music in your organization’s city
  • Does this organization regularly perform and program living artists in their community?
  • Do they demonstrate a strong level of engagement and service to their communities?

• Commitment to music by living music creators
  • Is the group committed to presenting, performing, creating or promoting new music by living music creators on a regular basis?

• Role in the applicant’s community/borough/neighborhood
  • Do they engage with the community in a meaningful way
  • How or will funding from this program increase or assist their impact?
  • Why is this organization important to and unique within the community?
  • What gap would be created if the organization no longer existed/had to reduce its activities?

• In a position to move to the next level through track record of gradually building audiences, growing profile and developing the organization
  • Do you feel the organization demonstrates readiness and strength to move to the next level of organizational development?
  • How cohesive does the organization seem?
  • How or will this program aid in their development?

Applications will be screened first by staff for eligibility and completeness. Applications will then move forward to a peer review process completed by panelists in each city. Panelists will review each application against the criteria listed below providing a score that will then be averaged to create a ranked list from which a cohort of awarded organizations will be created.

Please provide the organizational bio in the application form. The individual bio you can leave blank.

The application deadline was June 12, 2023. We do not have a timeline for future programs at this moment. New Music Inc does not aim to provide long-term financial support. Instead, this program aims to reserve as a catalyst for change, supporting collaboration, and new ways of working which assist organizations with long term planning, and sustainability.

Please provide the budget that best represents your upcoming fiscal year.

You can use this optional budget template to provide the required financial information: Budget Template.

Program activities will begin in  September 2023 and run through either August (Baltimore) or November (Chicago, NYC) 2024. Cohort meetings will begin in October 2023 and run approximately every other month through either July or October 2024.

The application deadline was June 12, 2023. We do not have a timeline for future programs at this moment. 

Applications are closed.

The application deadline was June 12, 2023. We do not have a timeline for future programs at this moment.

If you applied to the Organization Fund or Creator Fund in the past you may use that login, otherwise if you had a profile on New Music USA or only applied to the Project Grants program you will need to register on our SMAPPLY application portal newmusicusa.smapply.io

If you are uploading video work samples please prioritize .mp4 videos, using the most up to date software you have, as they will embed more seamlessly. If you are providing links to YouTube or Vimeo please be sure to provide “embed” links or conversely make sure your links are public. If you are providing links to password protected work samples, please make sure that you provide the password in the description of the work or at the tail end of your narrative, otherwise the panel will not be able to access your samples.

Please email [email protected]; please note that due to the high volume of inquiries please allow 48 to 72 hours for a response. Please also note that as the deadline approaches more immediate responses will be difficult.