A total of $125,000 in grants is being offered by Black Music City, the project that awards annual grants to Philadelphia-area Black creatives for new artistic works that honor Philadelphia’s rich Black music heritage. Local Black creatives working in any artistic medium are encouraged to apply for individual Black Music City artistic grants of between $1,500 and $5,000 each, starting Nov. 15.
Applications can be made at BlackMusicCity.com through January 31, 2024. Past Black Music City grantees are also eligible to apply for grants to build upon their previous projects.
A Selection Committee of Black Philadelphia professionals prominent in the arts, media and business communities will review the grant applications, from which 30 recipients will be selected. The 2024 Black Music City grant winners will be announced in March.
In addition to the grant money they receive, each recipient is offered informational and support sessions before the completion of their new works. The creators and their new works are featured in videos, and celebrated online and in special events held during June, which is celebrated as Black Music Appreciation Month.
Established in 2020, Black Music City has increased the amount of available grant funds each year, awarding a total of $263,000 in grants to 99 recipients in its first three years. Lead support for Black Music City 2024 is being provided from the William Penn Foundation through a two-year Creative Communities grant. Black Music City’s three founding partners – Philadelphia public radio music stations WXPN-FM and WRTI-FM, and REC Philly, a place for creators – administer the project and help promote the grant recipients and their new work to the broader Philadelphia arts community and beyond.
WXPN General Manager Roger LaMay said, “A goal for the Black Music City partners going forward is to not only continue to increase the amount of available funds, but also to increase opportunities for promotion and exposure of the selected artists and their work.”
Full information about available grants, eligibility, and submission process is available at BlackMusicCity.com. Follow and share with #blackmusiccity.