LOS ANGELES (CelebrityAccess) – Live Music Society, the nonprofit organization that has awarded more than $4 million in grants to small venues and listening rooms across the US since 2020, has opened applications for their third annual Music in Action grant. This year’s application window runs from January 8 to February 14 at 11:59 pm Pacific Time. Initially launched in 2023, Music in Action grants are designed to support initiatives to improve the venue experience for musicians, audiences, and staff, cultivate an engaged and connected community, and achieve long-term health and business growth. Applicants can request up to $50,000 in funding. This year’s grant recipients will be announced in June.
The Music in Action grant empowers small venue owners and managers to develop strategies that engage local communities, expand audiences, and boost revenue. It supports creating committed networks of patrons, volunteers, artists, staff, donors, and sponsors while promoting inclusivity and economic growth in the communities served. Particular focus is given to uplifting historically marginalized groups, including BIPOC, Latinx, LGBTQ+, and individuals with disabilities.
Live Music Society is returning its American Road Trip series to kick off the third annual grant round. The series celebrates grantee venues nationwide. The latest installment, “American Road Trip: Music in Action at Cole’s Bar,” spotlights the 2023 grantee’s Open Jam project in Chicago. This bi-monthly event allows emerging artists to perform with other local musicians.
Since its inception, Music in Action has supported 41 venues in major cities and small towns across the country, spanning both coasts, the South and the Midwest. Recipients have included intimate spaces like Rebel Rebel Studio & Lounge in Berea, Kentucky, which hosts residencies for emerging artists, and Jalopy Theatre in Brooklyn, New York, home to the expanded Brooklyn International Music Festival. Nonprofits like the Fogartyville Community Media and Arts Center in Sarasota, Florida, are using their grant to support the second annual Creative Nexus series while other recipients, such as The Spot on Kirk in Roanoke, Virginia, Devil’s Backbone Tavern in Fischer, Texas, and La Peña Cultural Center in Berkeley, California, are celebrating Latinx and Hispanic music in their communities. The Blue Jay Listening Room in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, will host an emerging women songwriters series. At the same time, the Acorn Center for the Performing Arts in Three Oaks, Michigan, brought the JazzReach residency to their venue in November, offering free clinics and all-ages concerts to expand music education in rural Michigan.
General Eligibility Requirements for applicants include venue and grantee business entity locations within the United States or its territories, a legal capacity of 50-300 individuals (including standing room), operational status on or before January 1, 2021, a primary focus on live music (featuring solo artists or bands), a minimum of 50 annual music performances per year.
Music in Action grants will be evaluated based on five general criteria:
• Innovation/Creativity: The selection committee will evaluate whether projects are novel, solve a meaningful problem, and/or create value for the venue.
• Feasibility: Can the program be implemented and evaluated during the grant period?
• Relevance: To the venue, audience, or the local community.
• Reach/Inclusivity: How might the project increase accessibility for historically marginalized groups?
• Potential Impact: How will the project be evaluated and its impact measured? Include the intended outcome and methods for tracking its success.
To complement the grant application process, Live Music Society will host a series of free public webinars this month, offering valuable insights to small venue owners and operators.
Winter 2025 Live Music Society Webinars:
• January 14 – Aaron Henderson – Grant Writing: The Narrative; Guiding participants through writing a compelling grant proposal.
• Learn how to craft a compelling story for any grant proposal. This session will help you navigate what funders are looking for and provide tips for ensuring your venue’s unique challenges and mission are effectively communicated.
• January 21 – Aaron Henderson – Grant Writing: Budgets; Supporting your story by creating realistic and funder-friendly budgets.
• Create a solid, funder-friendly budget to support your grant application. This webinar will provide practical tips on linking budget items to project goals and avoiding common pitfalls in grant budgeting.
Live Music Society also offers an annual Toolbox Grant, which provides practical support to small venues and fosters long-term growth and success. In November, the nonprofit celebrated a significant milestone: surpassing $1 million in total grant funding within a year. Of this, the Toolbox Grant alone supported 34 venues, the highest number of recipients awarded in a single grant cycle for the program.
