New Music USA
US nonprofit grantmaker with open application cycles: Creator Fund grants, organization support and program funds across genres. Grant money — the kind you don't pay back — for US-based music makers.
- Best for
- US artists with a fundable project and patience for cycles. U.S.-based creators with an original, collaborative project and a specific artistic goal. It is particularly relevant to composers, experimental creators, film scorers and independent artists whose work may not attract conventional investors.
- Skip if
- You need money this month — grants run on seasons. You need guaranteed or immediate capital, are currently an undergraduate or master’s student, lack the required professional experience, have no collaborators, or are outside the eligible region for the current funding cycle.
- First move
- Read a past funded-project list before writing a word. Join the mailing list and review the eligibility calendar before developing an application. Prepare a concise project description, work samples, collaborator commitments, realistic budget and clear explanation of how the grant would advance your practice.
- Watch out
- Funding is highly competitive: the 2026 Creator Fund selected 64 artists from 980 applications. The main fund rotates eligible U.S. regions, generally allows applicants to apply only once every two years and requires one to five collaborators. The regular award averages about $3,000 and is capped at $5,000, so it may cover only part of a recording project.
- Reach
- Focused
- When
- Worth it once you have releases out.
- Based in
- United States