Independent folk artists and industry professionals seeking funding to support their careers are invited to apply for $500 grants through The Village Fund administered by Folk Alliance International.
The nonprofit organization’s board of directors voted to establish the fund during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide support for musicians and independent music industry professionals in need. Its minimum requirements include proof of recent association with Folk Alliance International (membership, FAI conference attendance, or attendance at any of the conferences hosted by its regional affiliates within the last three years); proof of work in the music industry; and statements of financial burden or loss of income. Applications — available online at https://folk.org/resources/the-village-fund/ — close on December 12, 2022.
Note: Those previously awarded grants via The Village Fund are not eligible to apply. Nor are current employees, board members, contractors, consultants and immediate family members of FAI staff.
As of December 2021, Folk Alliance International had distributed $50,000 in grants and plans to distribute $13,000 for this round, according to Jennifer Roe, FAI’s interim executive director. These funds will be supplemented by any additional donations that come in, she added, noting that anyone wishing to donate to the fund may do so via completing a secure online donation form via visiting the same link that appears above.
Acknowledging that making a living in music can be challenging in the best of times, Roe observed that the pandemic exacerbated the situation. “Indeed, it was the impetus behind our decision to establish The Village Fund to provide grants to those in need,” she said. “As event cancelations rippled through our community – causing artists, agents, managers, festivals, venues and others within it to suffer significant financial losses – our previous executive director and our board of directors saw the need to act and to help those in need within our own folk family.”
The Village Fund derives its name from the rural origins of various folk music traditions, the urban village s that expanded the folk music audience, and the recognition that folk music forms one global village of fans, artists, and industry professionals alike.
“At a time when our industry was already experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime shutdown due to the pandemic, I was also managing ongoing health issues which made my financial situation even more dire,” said a previous grant recipient who requested anonymity. “The Village Fund grant from FAI was a blessing and helped reduce the enormous stress I was under.”
Founded in 1989, Folk Alliance International (folk.org) is a nonprofit organization that aims to serve, strengthen, and engage the global folk music community through preservation, presentation and promotion. Facing the Future: Sustainability in Folk Music is the theme of its next annual conference, which is set for February 1-5, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri.
Editor’s Note: I am completing my third and final three-year term on the Folk Alliance International board of directors in February. A past president of the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA), I continue to serve on its board.
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