INVEST*UPLIFT*TRANSFORM. Whippoorwill Arts is on a mission to provide opportunities for roots musicians and artists to thrive and nurture their creativity with a focus on collaboration, fair wages, equity, and social justice. We would like to bring four projects to attention while we are awaiting approval of our 501c3 status.
Our top two funding priorities are:
- MusicAlive! which provides fair guaranteed pay for roots musicians performing for marginalized audiences and in public for free. This project is being piloted in December 2021 in the San Francisco Bay Area. We are seeking sponsorship gifts and grants for MusicAlive!
- We conducted a landmark national Roots Musician Survey in 2021 exposing a music ecosystem rife with inequities and increasing stress and decreasing income streams for working musicians (excluding hobbyists and top 10% of earners). The study findings are launching a series of programs and reforms to address steep inequities in the music ecosystem that harm musicians and their ability to create and survive. Grants for further research, support the publication of the survey findings, and underwrite resulting initiatives are critical. Our focus is on developing ethical, equitable Pay Guidelines for working musicians and expanding the funding options for direct support to musicians. (The research was conducted in collaboration with the 6 biggest national roots musician member organizations and released to the public in October 2021. Slover Linett, a leading arts survey research firm from Chicago, conducted the research.)
In addition, other Whippoorwill Arts programs model direct musician support and welcome grants and gifts:
- Banjo Boy Coffee Concerts showcases and guarantees pay for BIPOC roots musicians in high-quality online performances.
- Our nationally recognized COVID-19 Safety for Musicians is meeting a critical need to help musicians navigate the pandemic environment at a time when many of them have a dire economic necessity to work and accept gigs no matter what. We are seeking additional resources to publicize these guidelines and provide additional tools for musicians.
- Whippoorwill Arts Artist Awards and Fellowships honor and award top US-based roots musicians with a cash grant, festival appearance, a fellowship program, and access to future creator grants.
Learn More: https://www.whippoorwillarts.org/