The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) gives grants to organizations rather than to individuals, generally ranging from $5,000 to $150,000. Specific grants come up regularly in the area of music, such as its Access to Artistic Excellence program. These grants have detailed guidelines: the project must meet NEA's criteria and the applicant must be able to demonstrate that it does.
National Endowment for the Arts
1100 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20506
202-682-5400
nea.gov
The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, created by Aaron Copland and started in 1992, supports contemporary American music. One of their three grant programs is dedicated to recording and distribution by contemporary American composers. The grants run up to $20,000 and are based on 50 percent of recording costs. Musicians must find complementary sources to cover the other half of their music production. Musicians must complete recordings within two years of receiving the grant.
The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Inc.
254 W. 31st Street, 15th Floor
New York, NY 10001
212-461-6956
coplandfund.org
The Philadelphia Music Project is a subdivision of the Pew Charitable Trust. Its mission is to support the works of contemporary American composers, from the recording process to the dissemination of the recorded material, in electronic or physical form. Its grants are designed for composers to record at the highest level of performance possible and apply to composers in the Philadelphia region.
Philadelphia Music Project
The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage
1608 Walnut Street, 18th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19103
267-350-4960
pcah.us/music
The Artist Trust supports Washington state artists individually in a variety of disciplines, including music. A group of art patrons and artists started the Trust in 1987 by to remediate to the lack of support of individual artists. As of 2010, these grants ranged from $1,500 to $25,000 and reward innovation and unique voices.
Artist Trust
1835 12th Ave.
Seattle, WA 98122
206-467-8734
artisttrust.org