Creator Fund is a grant from New Music USA that supports individual music creators working in any genre who need funding to advance to the next stage of their creative practice. The program is open to creators based in the South, West, and New York regions. Funding amounts vary.

The fund is supported in part by the ASCAP Foundation Bart Howard Fund, the BMI Foundation, and other contributors. Applications are periodically reviewed; applicants should check New Music USA's website for current application windows. This is a competitive grant aimed at individual artists rather than organizations.

New Music Creator Fund - New Music USA New Music Organization Fund Capacity Building Program Impact Fund (Previous Program) Music Alive (Previous Program) New Music Solidarity Fund (Previous Program) Project Grants (Previous Program) Frequently Asked Questions Community Events Calendar All Articles and Interviews Different Cities, Different Voices New Music Toolbox / How-Tos The Creator Fund offers grants to individual music creators working in any genre who need support to get to the next stage of their creative practice.

Applications Under Review The Creator Fund offers grants to individual music creators working in any genre who need support to get to the next stage of their creative practice. Applications Under Review Support for New Music USA and its many programs and activities is provided by foundations, corporations, government agencies, and hundreds of individual contributors.

The Creator Fund is funded in part by The ASCAP Foundation Bart Howard Fund, BMI Foundation, the Howard Gilman Foundation. Grants to artists in New York are made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and with public funds form the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

The Musgrave Performer — Composer Collaboration Grant is made possible by the generosity and creativity of composer Thea Musgrave and her husband, conductor Peter Mark. New Music USA acknowledges and is grateful for the support of its endowment donors, including the Mellon Foundation, Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust, Helen F.

Whitaker Fund, Baisley Powell Elebash Fund, Hewlett Foundation, Fidelity Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, and Francis Goelet Charitable Lead Trusts. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Enter your email address.

Enter the an email address you'd like to share with. You may enter a short note here. (Pictured above: Annea Lockwood, photo by Julia Dratel) The New Music Creator Fund offers grants to individual music creators working in any genre who need support to reach the next stage of their creative practice.

The program supports costs related to the creation of new work and new projects developed in collaboration with other artists and practitioners. Examples of costs supported through the fund include (but are not limited to) performer/collaborator fees, project-specific equipment, joint R&D and workshopping of new project ideas, and other essential costs such as childcare for yourself or a collaborating artist.

Our aim is to enable music creators to take the lead in the development of new and existing ideas and projects. We believe in supporting new music in all its forms across the US, and our Creator Fund grantees represent geographic diversity and a broad range of musical styles. PDF versions of the Creator Fund and Musgrave grant guidelines.

New Music Creator Fund: Overview and Guidelines The New Music Creator Fund offers grants to individual music creators working in any genre who need support to reach the next stage of their creative practice. The program supports costs related to the creation of new work and new projects developed in collaboration with other artists and practitioners. Individual performers may also apply if their collaborator is a music creator.

New for 2026: Applicants are invited to indicate their interest in being considered for the Thea Musgrave Performer-Composer Collaboration Grant, an annual award of $10,000 that is awarded through the Creator Fund.

Made possible through the generosity of the esteemed composer Thea Musgrave and her husband, Peter Mark, the grant provides funding to a composer and performer(s) for the creation of new work and the collaboration required to bring it to fruition. This is an endowed grant that will be offered every year. For more information about the Musgrave grant, please read the guidelines here .

All applicants for the Musgrave grant must adhere to the guidelines for the New Music Creator Fund program, including all eligibility criteria as outlined below. Applicants who apply for the Musgrave grant and are not selected will automatically be added to the regular Creator Fund application pool. Please note that the average Creator Fund grant is $3,000, with awards made up to $5,000.

If awarded a regular Creator Fund grant, the composer and performer(s) are not required to fulfill the parameters specific to the Musgrave grant. Our Definition of Music Creator For us, the term ‘music creator’ refers to any individual composer or artist who creates original music. Some music creators may also be performers; some may only create music for other people to perform.

All these individuals are eligible to submit applications to this fund. Our Definition of New Music At New Music USA we support and champion new music in all its forms; every sound is welcome. Anyone who is influencing the future of music creation and sound is creating new music!

Our application portal will open on November 6, 2025, at 10 am ET/7am PT and will remain open for two weeks, closing on November 21, 2025, at 11:59pm ET/8:59pm PT. Decisions and internal notifications will be made early April 2026, and the public announcement will be made in June 2026. In 2024, we made major changes to the New Music Creator Fund guidelines to: Increase the percentage of applicants per US region receiving support.

Streamline the application evaluation process. Reduce wait times from application submission to decision notification and award. These changes encompass three areas of the program: 1.

Application Cycles based on Geographic Regions The program’s application cycles are based on the 4 main geographic regions outlined by the US Census Bureau: The West, Midwest, South, and Northeast/Mid-Atlantic. Each cycle of the program serves two alternating regions plus New York. This year’s cycle (November 2025 deadline) is open to applicants based in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, and New York.

Next year’s cycle (November 2026 deadline) will be open to applicants based in the West, South, and New York. Applications from New York are accepted every year in respect of our endowment allocation for New York-based artists. In line with our regional cycles, New York applicants may not apply more than once every two years.

If you are based in New York and applied for the Creator Fund in November 2024, you are not eligible to apply again until November 2026, regardless of whether or not you were awarded a grant.

Geographic Regions: State/Territory Breakdown Midwest – eligible to apply in November 2025 (application open November 6-21, 2025) Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin New York – offered every year, but applicants may not apply more than once every two years.

In other words, if you applied to the Creator Fund in November 2024, you cannot apply again until November 2026, regardless of whether you received a grant or not. If you are a New York applicant and apply this year, you will be eligible to apply again in November 2027.

Northeast/Mid-Atlantic – eligible to apply in November 2025 (application open November 6-21, 2025) Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont South – e ligible to apply in November 2026 Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, US Virgin Islands, Virginia, West Virginia West – eligible to apply in November 2026 Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, California, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Mariana Islands, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming We have made changes to our eligibility criteria to improve our assessment process.

Applicants must complete an eligibility quiz before accessing the application. We ask that you pay close attention to the following changes before reading the complete criteria below: All applicants will now be required to watch (live or by viewing on demand) the Creator Fund Application Webinar which will take place on Wednesday, October 22, from 2-3pm ET – Register HERE .

The webinar will be available on the program page for those who cannot attend in real time. Reporting your attendance/viewing will be based on the honor system – thank you in advance for your cooperation!

All applicants must read the Creator Fund FAQs As stated above, to maintain alignment with the new regional cycles and to ensure equitable access for applicants from different geographic regions, all Creator Fund applicants (including those in New York) can only apply to the program every 2 years.

Other Eligibility Criteria Students are not eligible for the New Music Creator Fund, with the exception of PhD/DMA candidates who have completed coursework and are considered ABD (All But Dissertation). ABD candidates are eligible to apply. Applicants must be at least 21 years of age.

Applicants must have a minimum of 3 years of experience as a professional musician. We define professional musicians as those who have received public performances of their work or who regularly perform music publicly. In both cases we would expect you to have received financial compensation for at least some of your work.

For this year’s cycle, the applicant must be a music creator based in New York State or one of the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic or Midwest states listed above. The New Music Creator Fund encourages new collaborations. Each applicant must list between 1-5 collaborators on their application.

A collaborator may be another musician, ensemble, an artist from a different discipline, a venue/presenter, or a producer; someone who you work with to bring your project to fruition. Collaboration could focus on e.g. the creation of new work, a live or virtual performance, a recording, or the research and development (R&D) time you need with your artistic collaborators.

See the “What the Creator Fund Supports” section below for a complete list of what the program supports. The New Music Creator Fund is for individuals only; organizations cannot apply. Each applicant may only submit one application.

If an applicant appears on another application as a collaborator, only one project containing the applicant may be selected for an award. If a collaborator appears on more than one application, only one project containing the collaborator may be selected for an award.

Applicants may not have received an award from any of New Music USA’s programs that fund individuals in 2024 or 2025 (i.e. Next Jazz Legacy, Reel Change, or Amplifying Voices). The Fund only supports new work; projects involving revisions or arrangements are not eligible. Projects that have already been publicly presented, either in part or whole, are not eligible.

Performance, presentation, or completion of project should not take place before the grant is awarded, in June 2026. Requests solely for promotion/marketing/PR are not eligible. Other Essential Requirements Applicants must have audio/video samples of their work.

Applicants must include a resume/CV with their application materials. 3. Our Application Review Process Our review process will be shortened to reduce waiting times from application to award.

New Music USA staff will first screen applications for completeness and to ensure that they meet the eligibility criteria. Then, the applications will enter a peer review process: 40-50 independent panelists from around the country will evaluate the applications and determine the awardees. Every application will be assessed by at least 3 panelists.

Applications will be evaluated based on artistry, impact, and feasibility , outlined below. Review Criteria (in order of importance) Artistry: A rtistic merit of the project and artist(s) involved based on submitted work samples and/or existing body of work. This includes projects that display originality and artistry that will shape the future of music creation and sound and/or projects that involve artistic growth and innovation.

Please be sure to submit the very best examples of your music. Impact: T he difference this project will make to the next steps of your and your collaborators’ careers as professional artists. We are interested in projects with the most potential to have a significant impact on creative practice; how this project will help provide a breakthrough or lead to artistic and professional growth for you and your collaborator(s).

Feasibility: Feasibility of the proposed project, including budget appropriateness, project timeline, plans for public dissemination, and strength of collaboration. PLEASE SEE THE CREATOR FUND FAQs FOR MORE DETAILS ON THE REVIEW PROCESS AND CRITERIA. What the Creator Fund Supports We are open to hearing from you about the support you need to initiate or sustain collaboration with other artists and to help you keep creating.

We envision that costs incurred through your collaborative work may include: Support for the time you need to create new material and initiate new collaborations with your proposed artist(s) Creation fees for a new idea or work in progress that does not have additional support Performer or other collaborator fees Project specific equipment Technical assistance/skills building Support for digital presentation/creation of music videos Joint R&D (research and development) into new project ideas Other costs you consider to be essential e.g., childcare for yourself or a collaborating artist The Creator Fund Does Not Support: Projects that are already 100% funded Projects that have already been completed Funds for international collaborators Individuals who are enrolled in a degree-granting program.

Applicants who are PhD/DMA candidates and have completed coursework and considered ABD (All But Dissertation) are eligible to apply. Applications must be led by music creators and can involve creative collaborators from any discipline. Number of Awards We Can Make We plan to make a total of 50 to 60 awards of up to $5,000 each with funding from New Music USA’s endowment and annual funders.

The average grant is $3,000. In addition, there will be one $10,000 award granted to the recipients of the Thea Musgrave Composer-Performer Collaboration Grant. This award, which is part of the Creator Fund, is funded by an endowed gift from Thea Musgrave and Peter Mark.

To learn more, please read the Musgrave grant guidelines here . This strand is open to artists who live in New York state only. Approximately 40 to 45% of our funding for individual creators will be allotted and we anticipate awarding roughly 24 to 25 artists in this strand.

This Cycle’s Regions: Midwest and Northeast/Mid-Atlantic Approximately 55 to 60% of our total funding for individual creators will be allotted to artists from the Midwest and Northeast/Mid-Atlantic. We anticipate awarding roughly 33 to 36 artists in this strand.

The New Music Creator Fund and the New Music Organization Fund are endowed programs that are made possible by the generous funders who either donated to our endowment or generously donate to New Music USA annually. Some of these funders had or have specific requests regarding the kinds of work we support because of their geographical location or specific area of interest.

We are providing the facts and figures below so that all applicants have a better insight into these allocations, which influence the applications our advisors select. Please note that applications may cover a number of the categories listed below; others may not fit with any.

Roughly 25% of the Creator and Organization Fund applications we award must include the creation of new work (e.g. commissions and facilitation of brand-new pieces of music) Roughly 25% of the Organization Fund applications we award must include creation or programming of live music for dance (creation, performance, choreographer, and dancer fees) Geographical restrictions are as follows: 54% of our grants budget is available without geographical restriction 37% is restricted to New York City based artists/organizations 7% is restricted to New York State based artists/organizations 2% is restricted to California Bay Area based artists/organizations New Music USA is committed to inclusive and equitable treatment across all our activities.

We welcome the unique contributions that all artists bring in terms of their education, opinions, religion, culture, music style, ethnicity, race, gender, gender identity and expression, nation of origin, age, dis/ability, sexual orientation, languages spoken, religious beliefs, and geography. We encourage applications from all people including Black, Indigenous, People of Color, LGBTQIA+ artists, and artists with dis/abilities.

Application Questions/Requirements Project Samples demonstrating artistic quality for music creator/key collaborator(s) 2 to 3 work samples demonstrating recent work by you and your collaborating artists. You may provide links to YouTube, Vimeo, or upload mp3/mp4 files. You can complete this section by submitting a written response OR by uploading a video or audio file (maximum 5 minutes).

Please choose only one of these approaches as our review panel won’t have time to assess both. To move forward in the review process, you MUST answer the following four questions in your narrative: Question 1: Please tell us about your proposed project and collaboration (250 words or less). Some questions you might consider in your response: Tell us about your project.

Who you’re proposing to collaborate with and why? Is this a new collaboration? If an existing one how is this moving in a new direction or contributing to artistic growth?

Would this collaboration happen without support from New Music USA? Question 2: Tell us about the impact this project will have and the difference this project will make in advancing your and other participants’ careers. (100 words or less) Some questions you might consider in your response: How will this project advance or help you move forward to the next stage of your creative practice?

What will happen once the project is completed? How will this work impact or contribute to your community, if applicable (e.g., your community of artists, the community you are in, your audience, etc.) Question 3: Please outline how you would use the money if awarded. (100 words or less) Question 4: When will you do this work?

(100 words or less) Please provide a timeline for the project including any relevant dates and plans for public performance or dissemination. Please outline how you plan to use the funds, as well as any funding received or projected to date for the proposed project. Please share short descriptions with each budget line.

Support for the time you need to create new material and initiate new collaborations with your proposed artist(s) Creation fees for a new idea or work in progress that does not have additional support. Performer or other collaborator fees Project specific equipment Technical assistance/skills building.

Support for digital presentation/creation of music videos Joint R&D (research and development) into new project ideas Other costs you consider to be essential e.g., childcare for yourself or a collaborating artist. Support from New Music USA’s Team Due to the high volume of applications, New Music USA is only able to provide email assistance for technical issues with the application site.

For help with your application the following services will be available: Application Webinar – October 22, 2pm ET – Register HERE It is required to attend or watch this webinar on demand in order to apply Q&A: November 12, 2pm ET– Register HERE All Webinar and Q & A sessions will be recorded and uploaded to this page Creator Fund FAQs provide answers to most questions.

If you have a technical issue with the application site, email [email protected] with “Technical Issue” in the subject line. Due to the high volume of applications, New Music USA is not able to: Accept applications after the stated deadline of November 21, 2025, at 11:59pm ET. Consider or inform applicants of incomplete or improperly submitted applications.

Notifications and any communications about your application will be made via email from our application site in April 2026. Please add [email protected] to your address book to ensure you receive these communications. You will be required to document grant-funded activities, keep records of expenses, and submit documentation and receipts.

You will be required to submit a final report or update on funded activities by June 2027. For further questions and information, please read the FAQs HERE . Musgrave Grant Guidelines Thea Musgrave Performer – Composer Collaboration Grant The Thea Musgrave Performer-Composer Collaboration Grant is an annual grant of $10,000 that is awarded through the New Music Creator Fund.

The grant, made possible through the generosity of the esteemed composer Thea Musgrave and her husband, Peter Mark, provides funding to a composer and performer(s) for the creation of a new work and the collaboration required to bring it to fruition. This grant is inspired and informed by Thea Musgrave’s lifelong commitment to pursuing strong collaborations with extraordinary musicians.

One $10,000 Musgrave grant will be awarded as part of each cycle of the New Music Creator Fund. The grant funds will be split between composer and performer(s) and will cover the composer’s commission fee, the performance fee, and costs associated with workshopping the new work.

One grant of $10,000 will be awarded through the New Music Creator Fund to a composer and solo performer, duo, or chamber ensemble (fewer than 8 players) for the creation, workshopping, and performance of a new work. The Musgrave grant will uniquely support composers and performers who work with notated music in the broadly defined genres of contemporary classical or experimental music (acoustic or electro-acoustic).

The grant will support the creation of a work of ~10 minutes in length for a solo performer, duo, or chamber ensemble (fewer than 8 players). The funds, to be used primarily to offset commission and performer fees, will be divided between the composer and performer(s) based on the scope of the project.

The composer and performer(s) will agree to organize at least 2 workshop sessions to collaborate on the new work, with 3 or more sessions preferred. The new work must be performed, presented, or produced publicly at least 3 times over the grant period (2 years). Applicants for the Musgrave grant must apply to the New Music Creator Fund program.

You will be able to indicate your interest in being considered for the Musgrave grant on the Creator Fund application. Applications may be submitted by either the composer or performer(s). Please be sure to list the participating composer and/or performer(s) as collaborators on the application.

All applicants must adhere to the guidelines for the New Music Creator Fund program, including all eligibility criteria. Applicants who apply for the Musgrave grant and are not selected will automatically be added to the regular Creator Fund application pool. Please note that the average Creator Fund grant is $3,000, with awards made up to $5,000.

If awarded a regular Creator Fund grant, the composer and performer(s) are not required to fulfill the parameters specific to the Musgrave grant. The deadline to apply is Thursday, November 21 at 11:59pm ET. More information and application instructions may be found in the Creator Fund guidelines.

Born in 1928, and still composing music almost a century later, Thea Musgrave is a musical icon. Over a remarkable international career, Thea has created a body of work bursting with energy, ready to leap off the page and seize our imagination. Her music abounds with such style and sophistication, constantly asking fresh and daring questions of musical forms and traditions.

She lures us in by suffusing her music with so much of the world we know, drawing in particular on paintings, poems, myths and her Scottish heritage as the starting point for so many of her musical voyages. She has long been beguiled by the inherent theatre of the concert hall, compelling soloists and ensembles to assume new formations, making audiences think anew about what we are witnessing onstage – and our part in it.

This was evident in her thrilling Clarinet Concerto, proudly commissioned by the Royal Philharmonic Society in 1969. In recognition of her remarkable artistry and achievements, Thea has received many significant awards including two Guggenheim Fellowships, the Ivors Classical Music Award 2018, and The Queen’s Medal for Music. She was awarded a CBE on the Queen’s New Year’s Honour List in 2002, as well as Honorary Membership in the RPS.

In February 2025, Thea’s opera Mary, Queen of Scots was newly staged by the English National Opera to packed houses and much critical acclaim. We invite performers and audiences to delve into the extraordinary canon she has gifted us, teeming with treasure: athletic and adventurous for its players; atmospheric, suspenseful and cinematic for its listeners.

To discover more, visit the dedicated page on the website of her publisher Novello & Co and Chester Music, part of Wise Music Group, which features her complete repertoire, details of key works, her biography and career highlights, and a short film of Thea talking about her music. Her website is theamusgrave. com.

Peter Mark is a renowned conductor, viola player, and teacher. For over 35 years, he conducted the Virginia Opera where he was also Founding Artistic and General Director. In this role, leading over 100 productions, he conducted the US premiere of Thea Musgrave’s opera Mary, Queen of Scots and the world premiere of her opera A Christmas Carol , both of which he has recorded.

He subsequently conducted the forces of the Royal Opera at Sadler’s Wells in the European premiere of the work and later conducted the world premiere of Thea’s opera Simón Bolívar, which was excerpted for the Proms. He has conducted on five continents, and works extensively as an opera coach with singers around the globe live and on Zoom with his unique OperaVoiceBodyWork. com.

Peter began his career as an eminent viola player, and toured extensively throughout Europe, South America, and the UK as a soloist. He performed as Principal with Chicago Lyric Opera, Assistant Principal at the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and taught at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he met visiting professor Thea Musgrave. They were married in 1971 in London.

In 1973, Thea wrote her Viola Concerto for Peter which he premiered that year at the BBC Proms with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Thea conducting. Recordings of Webinar and Q&A Session Recording of Application Webinar (October 22) View the slides here and the Q&A here Recording of Q&A Session (November 12) View the Q&A responses here and the slides here.

What the Creator Fund Supports Who qualifies as a "music creator" for this fund? Do performers fall into that category? “Music creator” refers to any individual composer or artist who creates original music.

We consider everyone who is creating original material – songwriters, producers, composers, improvisers – to be music creators. Some music creators may also be performers; some may only create music for other people to perform. Individual performers may apply only if their collaborator is a music creator as outlined.

What types of projects does the fund support? What sort of projects can I apply with? See the ‘What the Creator Fund Supports’ section in the Creator Fund guidelines for examples of costs and projects funding from this program can cover.

For examples of funded projects, please click the ‘ Grantees’ link here or at the top of the program page to see past awardees and descriptions of their projects. What genre of music and musical styles do you support? All of them!

You will be asked to list a primary genre and secondary genre on your application. We know that genre classifications are imperfect. We use them so that your application can be evaluated by panelists that are most familiar with the kinds of music you create.

For example, if you are a jazz artist then we would assign your application to panelists who are jazz artists. Please think about who might be best to review your work when you select the primary genre tag; is it someone versed in hip-hop? Classical?

Sound art? Etc. You may pick as many additional genres as you’d like in the “secondary” genre section. Can I apply for promotional or marketing support only?

No. You may include costs associate with promotion or marketing in you r overall budget , but if you r project is solely for paying PR/marketing, the project is not eligible. Is there a timeline that proposed projects must adhere to? At the time of application, your project may be already in progress OR not yet started.

However, project activities should be planned, ready to begin, and/or in progress by the time the grant is awarded in April 2026. You cannot apply for a project that will be completed before June 2026 (the public announcement date), or that is already complete. This means that the performance, presentation, or completion of your project cannot take place before June 2026.

Please note that a project beginning years from now won’t be considered as the need won’t be as urgent as others applying to this fund. Awardees have up to two years to complete their projects. If awarded, you will be asked to provide updates on your progress and a final report.

Does my project have to be brand new, or can it be related to something I’ve already completed? We are most interested in work that is new or in early stages of development. That being said, there are instances when projects related to a work you’ve previously completed will be considered.

Here are some examples: If you’ve written an album but haven’t yet recorded it, the recording would be eligible for this fund. If you’d like to make a new music video for a song you’ve previously written and recorded, costs related to the music video would be eligible. If you have a previously existing idea, but have not written or recorded it yet, time and space to develop the work would be eligible.

If you recorded an album but want to take it to the next level by working with choreographer to create live dance to match the music for a future performance, that would be eligible for the fund. Why has New Music USA introduced regional application cycles? In recent years, the Creator Fund has seen an increasing number of applications, meaning that the likelihood of being awarded has been low.

By limiting applications to certain US regions each cycle, we are hoping to increase your chances of being awarded and deepen the funding in each region. Which geographic regions are eligible in 2025 and 2026? Applicants based in New York, the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic, and the Midwest will be eligible to apply in November 2025.

Applicants based in New York, the West, and the South