Supplemental Program

*NOTE: Performing Organizations may apply to the Supplemental Program only if they operate a discrete and substantial program beyond their general performing activities that qualifies for Supplemental Program funding. All requests to apply to both Performance and Supplemental Programs must be approved in advance; please contact the Grants Manager for further information.

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 or program history as an organization

The Program's Objective

To support non-profit organizations that have a history of substantial commitment to contemporary American music but whose needs are not addressed by the Fund’s Performance and Recording programs.

Application snapshot

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

Eligibility

Who is eligible?

Funding is available for eligible activity occurring between September of the current year and August of the following year. The period for the current cycle is September 1, 2023 to August 31, 2024.

Eligible applicants must:

• Be a publicly supported non-profit or fiscally sponsored organization with a history of substantial commitment to contemporary concert music (music written within the last 40 years);
• Have a minimum of two years of programmatic activity prior to the time of application (except for special projects of extraordinary significance; please contact the Grants Manager for approval)

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 exceptionally important activities relating to contemporary American music that are out of the scope of an organization’s regular program activities; projects are often (but not necessarily) discrete initiatives.

What is eligible?

• Professional development programs
• Advocacy and service
• Archival activity
• Radio and television programming
• Composer residencies
• Any other contemporary American music-related activity that has been reviewed and approved by the Grants Manager

What is not eligible?

• 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.
• Performance or presenting activity unrelated to eligible activities of the Supplemental Program*
• Unincorporated or for-profit organizations except via a fiscal sponsor
• Endowment funds
• Music publishing projects
• Student ensembles**
• Volunteer, community, and amateur ensembles**
• Educational institutions**
• Composer commissioning fees and/or honoraria***
• Composition competitions (except as part of a larger program of support for composers)

*Performance activity specific to main stage concert events and regular season programming is eligible for the Performance Program, but not the Supplemental Program. Performance activities that are directly related to Supplemental Program activities are eligible; this could include, for instance, performances related to professional development or composer residencies.

**Such organizations are not generally eligible but may apply if authorized in advance by the Grants Manager. 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.

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

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 concert music, please contact the Grants Manager.

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.

Music Service/Advocacy Organization:
Organizations that support composers and performers through grants, residencies, training programs or similar activities, or aid in the preservation and dissemination of contemporary American concert music and jazz. 

NOTE: any organization whose activities include musical performances must apply as a Presenter and submit appropriate media samples. Applications from organizations whose activities include musical performances cannot be evaluated without media samples.

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

NOTE: Main stage performance activity is not eligible in this grant program; please visit the Performance Program guidelines to review eligibility. 

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

NOTE: Main stage performance activity is not eligible in this grant program; please visit the Performance Program guidelines to review eligibility. 

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

If your organization does not already have an account:

You will need to create a new account. Please allow 3-5 business days for approval. 

Please ensure that your organization does not already have an account before creating a new one; if you have an account, but do not have access to login credentials, please contact the Grants Manager.

If your organization already has an account:

Log in here, then click on the "apply now" button at the top of this page to begin the online application process.  

Please DO NOT create duplicate accounts. If you are not sure whether your organization already has an account, please contact the Grants Manager.

PLEASE NOTE: The online application does not automatically self-save. It is not necessary to complete the application in one session, but the application must be saved at the end of every session and should be saved at least once during each session to avoid lost work.

Applicants must prepare and submit the following materials:

Organization Information

• 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, proof of fiscal sponsorship should be supplied in lieu of the IRS determination letter and the legal name and federal tax ID of the fiscal sponsor should be provided in the appropriate fields.
• If the applicant organization is not based in the United States, submit a letter from a lawyer in the home jurisdiction of the applicant confirming its equivalence to a publicly funded U.S. 501(c)(3) organization.
• 3-year financial snapshot including the prior fiscal year, current fiscal year, and projected forthcoming year.

Applicant Information

• Select Applicant Type from the drop-down menu (see "Definitions” section for more information.) 
  • Note: Any organization whose activities include musical performances must apply as a Presenter and submit appropriate media samples. Applications from organizations whose activities include musical performances cannot be evaluated without media samples. 
• Mission statement 
• For applicants applying for support for live performances: the number of events projected (including online-only performances) for the support year and the two years prior.

Proposal

• Time Period for which Support is Requested (if General Operating Support is requested, please indicate support period as “2023-2024 season”) 
• Request Type: Select whether applying for General Operating or Project Support.
• 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 available for exceptionally important activities relating to contemporary American music that are out of the scope of an organization’s regular program activities, and often (but not necessarily) a discrete initiative. 
• Requested Amount: Amount of funding requested. See “Funding Provisions” below for typical award amounts. 
• Proposal Narrative: Specific details, repertoire, and the nature of activity for which support is requested. Project Support applicants should also include a brief summary of intended repertoire or other related activities for the support season, particularly regarding contemporary American concert music. 
• Information about Principal Artistic Personnel: Please provide a list of the current artistic decisionmaker(s) with links to their professional biographies. 
• Audiences: Description of the constituencies or audiences served, including size, demographics, and geographic regions.   
• Project Budget: For Project Support applicants: a detailed project budget that includes revenue and expense detail, including projected funding sources. Please note which elements of funding have been secured at the time of applying. 
• Grantee summary of activity for the immediate prior grant round: Please provide a brief description of the applicant’s activities during the past two years, and proposed activities for the upcoming season. 
• Miscellaneous remarks: Please include only information that is relevant to the current application that was not provided elsewhere in the application.

Musical and Media Materials

Note: Musical and Media Materials are required for all applicants whose activities include musical performances. Please be sure to select “Presenter” as your application type if your organization’s activities include musical performances and provide the necessary materials.

• For all Applicants submitting audio files, the Fund requires that each Applicant submit three 3–5-minute audio samples (MP3 format; submit excerpts of larger works when necessary) that accurately represent the programming for the funding period. These samples should be: 
  • Recordings of representative live performances (not studio recordings) of the core ensemble playing together. Extended soloistic passages are not recommended.  
    • Presenters and Festivals should provide recordings of the ensembles and performers programmed during the requested funding period.  
    • Recordings should have been made within the previous three performing seasons.   
  • If project support is being requested for the work of one or more composers, the applicant is strongly encouraged to include a representative recording of that composer(s) work, even if the recording features performers other than the Applicant’s core ensemble. If no such recording is available, please explain in the Miscellaneous Remarks. 
• If a visual element is essential to the presentation of the music, the Foundation strongly recommends submitting video samples, in addition to the required audio samples, of the performers, company, and creative team. Video samples should involve live performance of contemporary concert music; promotional trailers and news clips with substantial spoken commentary should not be submitted, unless there is no alternative (please indicate timing of musical content in this case).
  • Note: The Fund recognizes that there may be legal or contractual restrictions that could prohibit an applicant from sharing video work samples; if so, please state in the Miscellaneous Remarks.
• For each recording and/or video submitted, provide the title of the work, names of the composer and performer(s), and date of the performance.
• The applicant is strongly encouraged to submit a score in PDF format for the work performed on one of the three recordings, marked at the point at which the audio sample begins. If this presents serious difficulties, please state in the Miscellaneous Remarks. (The Fund does not accept physical scores.)

Please note that work samples should represent a range of repertoire and instrumentation. If available work samples do not strictly meet the requirements set out in these guidelines, please contact the Grants Manager for advice.

Supporting Materials

• Performances and repertoire: A list of all projected performances and repertoire, including dates and specific performers when relevant, for the support season, and two years prior (i.e., three consecutive years of programming, including the support season). The review panel will consider the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Please do not submit this list in the form of season brochures.
• Foundation, corporate, and government support: A list with award amounts of foundation, corporate, and government support for the support season, and two years prior (i.e., three years of support information including the support season). Applicants must differentiate between secured and prospective funding. Please include reasonable funding projections to the extent necessary.
• Board of Directors: A list of members of the Board of Directors (or equivalent governing body) and their principal professional affiliations.
• Organizational budgets: A completed budget template (found here) for three consecutive years of organizational budgets. This must be provided even if an audited financial statement is submitted. Applicants unable to provide this level of financial detail should contact the Grants Manager.
• Financial Statements: The most recent audited financial statement, if available. (We recognize that not every applicant will have an audited financial statement, but, if one is available for any of the past three fiscal years, the latest one must be submitted.)

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, although 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.

Review Procedures

The following criteria will be applied in evaluating grant proposals: 

• Are the applicant’s performances, recordings, programmed repertoire of outstanding artistic quality?
• Does the proposal further the Fund’s mission of encouraging and improving the public’s knowledge of and appreciation for contemporary American music?
• For general operating support applicants: Has the applicant demonstrated a consistent or increasing commitment to high-quality performances of contemporary American concert music?
• Has the applicant demonstrated the financial ability to carry a season or project to completion?
• Will granting the request promote the performance and dissemination of contemporary concert music?
• Has the applicant demonstrated that their activities enrich their community’s appreciation of and access to contemporary concert music, particularly as it applies to underserved and marginalized communities?

Application Deadline

The deadline for applications is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on or about November 1 each year. Applicants will be notified of funding decisions by the end of the following February. Please do not contact the Fund to check the status of your application. 

IMPORTANT: You are responsible for complying with all legal and contractual requirements that may apply to the creation of your materials. The Aaron Copland Fund for Music 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 the Grants Manager prior to the time of application.

Telephone: 212-461-6956 (Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET) 
E-mail: onlinegrants@coplandfund.org  

Updated: September 28, 2023