New Music Inc is regional incubator program that helps small-budget, artist-led new music groups and organizations generate new ideas, strategies and collaborations at pivotal stages in the group or collective’s development.
Donor Name: New Music USA
State: California
County: Los Angeles County (CA)
Type of Grant: Program
Deadline: 07/31/2025
Size of the Grant: $1000 to $10,000
Grant Duration: 2 Years
Details:
The program is currently running in Los Angeles; prior regional cohorts included Baltimore, Chicago, and New York City.
With the support from The Music Man Foundation and the Perenchio Foundation, this first Los Angeles iteration of New Music Inc will combine flexible financial support with professional development opportunities for ten Los Angeles-based organizations, who must commit to the program’s activities for the duration of 17 months. Selected groups will receive:
- A $10,000 grant for general support aimed to help offset participation in the program (two installments over 17 months)
- Assistance in developing a strategic plan. You will be guided by the Program Coordinator to set clear goals and objectives.
- Eight cohort learning sessions (3 in-person,5 virtual): a mixture of learning and collaborative sessions to gain knowledge and skills around pertinent topics, to share progress and ideas, and to hear from guest speakers and experts in response to needs expressed by members of the cohort. Cohort learning sessions will begin in September 2025 with one 2-hour meeting running approximately every other month through December 2026.
- Four 1:1 check ins between participant organizations and the Program Coordinator
- Dedicated mentorship sessions (4 to 6 sessions) with a Los Angeles-based arts professional
- Up to $4,000 to be used as a travel exchange to collaborate with peer organizations from alumni New Music Inc cohorts in either Baltimore, Chicago, or New York
- Additional opportunities to collaborate and exchange with alumni cohort members based in New York, Chicago, and Baltimore.
Eligibility Criteria
New Music Inc does not aim to provide long-term financial support. Instead, this program aims to serve as a catalyst, by supporting collaboration and new ways of working to assist organizations with long term planning and sustainability.
- Eligibility requirements:
- Must be based and doing work in Los Angeles County
- Must be an organization and NOT an individual artist
- Have a minimum of three years of performing, programming, and budget activity at the time of the application
- Have an average annual budget between $10,000 to $500,000 over the past three years. They aim to build a cohort with a diverse range of budget sizes. As such, they strongly encourage applications from organizations whose budget falls below $250,000.
- Have a dedicated organizational bank account
- Have a commitment to producing, performing, and/or commissioning the work of living, US/territories-based music creators on a regular basis in Los Angeles
- Have the capacity to participate in the program fully including a dedicated staff, volunteer, and/or Board liaison.
- Other considerations:
- You do not need have a 501(c)3 status.
For more information, visit New Music USA.
