Do I qualify for an emergency grant?
Musicians Foundation provides emergency financial assistance to professional musicians.
To qualify, you must meet ALL 3 requirements below.
1. You have worked as a professional musician in the U.S. for at least 5 years.
Your main work is as a musician who performs, composes, arranges, and/or teaches music.
2. You can provide documents showing your professional music work.
Accepted documents include federal tax returns (Form 1040), Form 1040-SR, a Social Security statement, a Social Security Disability statement, or federal tax-exempt status documents.
3. You are facing an unexpected emergency or hardship.
Our grants are meant to help professional musicians who, because of an unexpected hardship or emergency, lose work and/or cannot pay an essential expense. For example:
- You or a family member had an illness/accident that created a financial emergency.
- You needed dental surgery that you cannot afford.
- You lost work because you need to take care of a family member.
Loss of work or lack of work by itself does not qualify as an emergency.
DO YOU MEET ALL THREE REQUIREMENTS?
If YES: We encourage you to complete the Pre-Application.
If NO: You are unlikely to qualify for a Musicians Foundation grant.
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What can a grant pay for?
Grants may help with essential expenses such as:
- Rent
- Medical or dental bills
- Utilities
- Insurance
- Other essential expenses
Grants cannot be used for:
- Reimbursements for bills already paid
- Credit card bills
- Legal fees
- First or last month's rent
- Security deposits
- General income support
- Education
- Travel
- Artistic projects, promotion, or career advancement
We do not send grant money directly to applicants. Grant payments are made to the person, business, landlord, medical provider, or other organization that you need to pay.
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How do I apply?
The application has two steps.
Step 1: Pre-Application
Complete a short form telling us about your professional music work and the emergency you are facing.
Step 2: Full Application
If your Pre-Application meets our basic eligibility requirements, we will invite you to complete Part 2. You will provide more information and supporting documents then.
Applications may take 8–12 weeks to process.
QUESTIONS?
Email us at applications@musiciansfoundation.org or call us at 212-239-9138.
GIVEN THE LARGE VOLUME OF APPLICATIONS AND LIMITED BANDWIDTH OF OUR STAFF, EMAIL IS PREFERABLE.