Our thirtieth year of grantmaking was a time of celebration, of honoring history and community, and a catalyst for examining our future of supporting contemporary American music. After a year and half of reflection, careful analysis, and planning, we are excited to announce a new generation of grant programs at the Aaron Copland Fund for Music. Beginning in 2026, we will be launching two new programs in place of our current Performance, Recording, and Supplemental programs:
- General Support Program: A program supporting organizations with a history of substantial commitment to contemporary American concert music, jazz, or both with plans to continue that commitment. Unrestricted grants through this program will be available for performing ensembles, presenters, and music service organizations whose artistic excellence and impact encourages and improves public knowledge and appreciation of contemporary concert music and contemporary jazz by American composers.
- Project Support Program: A program supporting special projects and initiatives of exceptional importance to contemporary American concert music, jazz, or both. Restricted grants through this program will be available for performing ensembles, presenters, music service organizations, and recording companies for discrete, standalone activities that encourage and improve public knowledge and appreciation of contemporary concert music and contemporary jazz by American composers.
We will also be employing a two-round system for these programs, similar to the structure of our Recording Program: a brief preliminary application round followed by a full application round for invited applicants. It is our hope that this two-round system will both lower the barrier to entry to our grant programs and limit the need for full applications to the most competitive applicants each year.
The 2025 cycles for our Performance and Supplemental programs will take place with their usual deadlines, and while the 2025 Recording Program cycle will be the last for the program, support for recording projects will still be available through the Project Support Program. We will continue to provide more information about these changes as they become available, but understand there may be questions in the interim. We have prepared some FAQs in anticipation of this and ask that any additional questions about our new programs be directed to info@coplandfund.org.
While these changes represent a departure from how we have historically approached grantmaking, our commitment to supporting the field remains unchanged. We are energized to continue our work with our current applicants and grantees, and eager to welcome new voices as we begin this next chapter of the Aaron Copland Fund for Music.