Performance Program

All applicants must meet the following requirements:

• 501(c)(3) non-profit status (or foreign equivalent), or fiscal sponsorship
• Two or more years of performance history as an organization

The Program’s Objective

To support performing and presenting organizations whose artistic excellence encourages and improves public knowledge and appreciation of contemporary concert music and contemporary jazz music by American composers.

Application snapshot

• Eligibility
• Definitions
• How to apply
• Funding provisions
• Review procedures
• Application cycle and deadline
• Questions?

Eligibility

Who is eligible?

Eligible applicants must: 

• Be a publicly supported non-profit or fiscally sponsored organization
• Have a minimum of two years of programmatic activity prior to the time of application (except for special projects of extraordinary significance; please contact our Grants Team for approval)

Eligible organizations include:

• Chamber-sized ensembles of any instrumentation
• Chamber orchestras
• Symphonic or other full-sized orchestras
• Opera companies
• Dance companies and/or ensembles (see note below)
• Vocal ensembles and choruses
• Presenters
• Festivals (see note below)
• Presenter/ensemble hybrids

Special note for dance applicants: Dance productions that significantly feature contemporary American concert music performed by live musicians are considered eligible. The Fund’s review is focused on assessing the quality of music and musical performance, not the choreography. 

Special note for festival applicants and other applications with professional training activities: If the primary focus of the organization or project is public performance of music at a professional level, the applicant should apply to the Performance Program; if the primary focus of the organization or project is educational activities, workshops, professional training, or career development, the applicant should apply to the Supplemental Program. 

Special note regarding soloists: Soloists are not eligible to apply on their own, but presenters may apply to present a soloist.

What is eligible?

Funding is available for eligible activity occurring between September 1, 2024 and August 31, 2025.

The Performance Program is dedicated to the support of performance-related activities that improve the public’s knowledge of contemporary American concert music. 

The program also supports online streaming performances. Expenses such as recording and electronic distribution can be considered as eligible costs in a request for general operating or project support when related specifically to live performance.

General operating support is available for organizations with a history of substantial commitment to contemporary American concert music and with plans to continue that commitment. 

Project support is also available for organizations that  do not typically engage in substantial programming of contemporary American music, but are planning an initiative of exceptional importance to such music in the forthcoming season. Please note:

• In general, a single concert program featuring multiple composers but only one eligible contemporary American composer is not competitive for support.
• Contemporary American music spread intermittently throughout the course of a season would not be eligible for project support.

What is not eligible?

• Applications from individuals
• Programming outside the field of American concert music and jazz; this includes commercial, pop, Broadway-style musical theater, sacred, holiday, and traditional concert band music.
• Unincorporated or for-profit organizations except via a fiscal sponsor
• Endowment funds
• Music publishing projects
• Volunteer, community, and amateur ensembles*
• Student ensembles*
• Educational institutions*
• Composer commissioning fees and/or honoraria**
• Composition competitions (except as part of a larger program of support for composers) 

*Such organizations are not generally eligible but may apply if authorized in advance by our Grants Team. Educational institutions may not apply for activities involving school-age students, student ensembles, or credit-bearing university-level activities but they may apply for eligible activities that involve professional musicians (including faculty). However, the participation of some professional musicians in an ensemble that is primarily a student activity does not make that activity eligible for support. 

Educational institutions may apply for eligible activities that involve professional musicians; examples include faculty recitals and concert presentations featuring professional musicians. Contact our Grants Team for more information.

**Organizations that are part of a commissioning consortium and wish to apply for support for activities related to a commissioned work should contact our Grants Team for further information.

Stand-alone recording projects (e.g., a studio album) are not eligible for this program, but may be eligible for the Recording Program.

Definitions

Contemporary:
For the Fund’s purposes, music composed within the last 40 years is considered contemporary. The Fund provides support for concert music and jazz composed within that time period; if your project falls outside of this scope but is of exceptional importance and relevance to contemporary American music, please contact our Grants Team.

Concert Music:
For the Fund’s purposes, concert music includes opera, orchestral and chamber music for instrumental and/or vocal ensembles, as well as concert music in experimental genres and similar formats. Popular music, including commercial, pop, Broadway-style musical theater, sacred, holiday, and traditional concert band music, is not fundable.

American Music:
Music by composers with U.S. citizenship, wherever they may live, as well as non-citizen composers who have lived and worked in the U.S. and its territories for a significant period.

Performing Organizations:
Performing groups such as orchestras, opera companies and chamber music groups with a consistent core membership, as well as ‘flexible’ ensembles with consistent artistic leadership and identity, are considered performing organizations. Dance companies are also eligible to apply for projects that involve live performances of contemporary American music.

Presenters:
Music venues or similar organizations whose principal activity is to present live musical performances by a variety of performing groups throughout the year.

Festivals:
Organizations whose principal activity is to present live musical performances by a variety of performing groups for a discrete period.

Project (as it relates to Project Support):
The Fund considers a "project" to be an exceptionally important activity or set of activities relating to contemporary American concert music outside the scope of an organization’s regular programming, and often (but not necessarily) a discrete initiative.

How to Apply

We have recently changed how accounts are set up and managed on our website. Click here for more information.

If your organization does not already have an account:

You will need to submit an account request. Staff will assess your organization’s eligibility; only organizations that are considered eligible will receive account approval. Staff may reach out via email with eligibility questions. Please allow up to 5 business days for your account status to be determined.

The last day to submit an account request for the 2025 Performance Program cycle will be Friday, June 20, 2025.

Once you have an account, you will need to set up an organization profile. More information about organization profile set-up and management can be found here.

Organization profiles are limited to one per organization. If you do not know whether your organization already has a profile, or know that your organization has applied for funding in the past but do not have access to login credentials, please contact our Grants Team.

If your organization already has an account:

Log in here. If you are a member of multiple organizations, select the organization for which you wish to begin an application. Then click on the "Apply Now" button at the top of this page to begin the online application process.

Please note: It is not necessary to complete the application in one session. The system will periodically save a draft of your application, however, please save your work often using the save button to avoid potential loss of progress.

Applicants must prepare and submit the following materials:

Organization Profile

• Address and contact information
• A copy of the IRS determination letter confirming tax exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and that the applicant is not a private foundation.
  • For organizations applying with a fiscal sponsor, select your fiscal sponsor from the drop-down list and upload proof of fiscal sponsorship in lieu of the IRS determination letter. If you do not see your fiscal sponsor in the drop-down list, please contact our Grants Team.
  • For organizations not based in the United States, submit a letter from a lawyer in the home jurisdiction of the organization confirming its equivalence to a publicly funded U.S. 501(c)(3) organization.
• The legal name and Federal tax ID Number for your organization
• The date your organization's fiscal year ends

Applicant Information 

• Select Type of Organization from the drop-down menu (see "Definitions" for more information)
• Mission of the organization (750 characters maximum)
• Number of concerts projected in the support year and performed or presented each of the last two years

Proposal

• The amount and type of support (general operating or project support) requested, and purpose of the request.
• A proposal narrative including a general description of your organization's activities, plans for the upcoming season, and any other significant points to make your case for support. (5000 characters maximum)
• If project support is requested:
  • A description of the project (3500 characters maximum)
  • A breakdown of the project costs and sources of income
• History of the organization and information on the principal artistic personnel and/or ensemble members. (2500 characters maximum)
• Description of the audiences that are served, including size, age groups, and geographic regions. (2500 characters maximum)
• Only for applicants who received an award in last year’s Performance Program: A summary of the activity during the period covered by the award, a general description of how the award was used, and a brief explanation if the activity differed substantially from what was proposed in the prior year's application. (1500 characters maximum)

Musical Materials

• Recordings of 3 contemporary compositions in MP3 format performed by the ensemble (for performing ensemble applicants) or a representative sample of the ensemble(s) to be presented (for presenter applicants)
  • Each recording should be between 3 and 5 minutes in length.
  • All musical samples must be recorded within the two performance seasons immediately prior to the application date.
  • Recordings should be of live performances and not edited studio sessions unless no live recordings are available.
  • Musical examples should demonstrate the performance quality of the members of the ensemble playing together in representative repertoire, rather than feature extended soloistic passages.
  • Each submitted recording must include the title of the work, names of the composer and performer(s) and date of the performance.
• For 1 of the 3 recordings, applicants may include a score in PDF format marked at the point at which listening is to begin. (Only the pages of the score that reflect the relevant recording sample should be included.)
  • Score samples are not required for submission, but strongly encouraged if available; this can include non-traditional scores, such as graphic notation, written instructions, etc.
• For projects featuring the work of a particular composer(s) or a performer(s) not already represented in the musical samples: a recording of a representative sample of the recent work of that (those) composer(s) or performer(s), even if the recording is by performers other than the applicant ensemble, must be included. If necessary, the sample may be from a performance or a recording session prior to the two performance seasons immediately prior to the application date, but should be as recent as possible. If sample recordings cannot be furnished for a proposed project, or if there are questions about the appropriateness of sample recordings for a proposed project, contact our Grants Team for advice.
• For opera, ballet projects, and any other applicant for which the visual element is important to the presentation of the music: video work samples of the company, performers, choreographer, project’s director, and other key personnel may be submitted in addition to the required MP3 musical materials. Video samples should involve live performances of contemporary music.
  • If a video work sample is not available due to legal or contractual obligations, the reason for the omission of such samples must be clearly stated in the proposal

Work samples should represent a range of repertoire and instrumentation. If available work samples do not strictly meet the guidelines’ requirements, contact our Grants Team for advice.

Supporting Materials

All supporting documents should be letter size PDFs in portrait orientation.

• A list of all performances and repertoire in the Support Year, the current year, and the previous year, listed in that order. This should amount to three consecutive years of information and include titles, composers, and work durations. Works written by American composers within the last 40 years should be indicated with boldface type for both the composer’s name and the name of the work. Please do not submit this list in the form of season brochures.
• A list with award amounts of foundation, corporate, and government support for the Support Year, the current year, and the previous year. This should amount to three consecutive years of support information. (Projections are acceptable for the support year and, to the extent necessary, the current year.)
• A list of members of the Board of Directors (or equivalent) and their principal affiliations.
• Budget for the Support Year and financial statements (audited if available) for the current year (projections are acceptable) and the preceding year. This should amount to three consecutive years of financial information. Download recommended Excel budget template.
  • For applicants whose performance season and fiscal year do not coincide, please indicate this in the application.

Funding Provisions

Applicants should be aware that support in one year does not imply continuation of that support in subsequent years. In general, grants will range between $1,500 and $20,000; the average grant award for the Performance Program is approximately $4,000. Larger grants may be awarded to larger performing organizations with an extraordinary commitment to contemporary concert music or a particularly significant project. The Fund does not award grants larger than the amount requested by the applicant. For more information on grantees and award amounts, please see the past grants page.

Review Procedures

Funding decisions will be made by a peer panel chosen by the Fund. The following criteria will be applied in evaluating grant proposals:

• For ensembles: artistic quality of the ensemble's performances, as determined from the work samples, and its overall repertoire.
• For presenters, or organizations that are otherwise involved with performances: artistic quality of the ensembles and repertoire being presented.
• For general operating support applicants: commitment to high-quality performances of contemporary American music over a substantial period of time.
• Demonstrated financial ability to carry a season or project to completion.
• Impact of the funded activity on encouraging and improving the public knowledge and appreciation of American contemporary music.

Please be advised that the panel may consult an applicant’s web site, social media accounts, and other publicly available information as a means to verify information contained within a proposal.

Application Deadline

The deadline for applications is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, June 26, 2025. Applicants will be notified of funding decisions in or around November 2025. Please note: Grant awards will be disbursed following award announcements; staff will be in touch with further information.  

Please do not contact the Fund to check the status of your application.

The 2025 cycle will be the last cycle of the Performance Program. For more information about future funding opportunities, see our new grant programs announcement.

IMPORTANT: You are responsible for complying with all legal and contractual requirements that may apply to the creation of your materials. The Copland Fund hereby disclaims all legal responsibility in connection with your submissions. In case of questions, consult your legal advisor.

Digital Millennium Copyright Act ("DMCA") Policy

Questions?

Prospective applicants are first encouraged to read the Frequently Asked Questions. If a question is not answered there, please contact our Grants Team prior to the time of application.

Telephone: 212-461-6956 (Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET)
E-mail: onlinegrants@coplandfund.org

Updated: May 6, 2025

See lists of grantees from previous rounds