Each year the IBMA Foundation makes more than $10,000 in grants to worthy organizations that support bluegrass music-related educational, literary, artistic and historic preservation projects, and programs benefiting the general public. The amount available for grants is determined by both donations received during the previous year, and the performance of the investments that fund the organization.
When it was founded in 2007, it was known as The Foundation For Bluegrass Music, created at the behest of a major donor who wanted to see such efforts continue on after they were gone. The donation was to be made anonymously, and not simply to fund the International Bluegrass Music Association, which had and has its own mechanism for support. So the Foundation was created to work independently, as they continue to do, even though they have now merged with the IBMA for structural and tax purposes, hence the new name.
For 2018, awards totaling $11,600 were made to the following agencies and organizations:
- Black Swamp Arts Council, Tri State Youth Bluegrass Initiative (Archbold, OH)
- Bluegrass Ambassadors with the Hanna Miners, Silver Sound Foundation (Carbon County, WY)
- Coda Mountain Academy Summer Music Festival (Fayetteville, WV)
- Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival (Fairbanks, AK)
- Grey Fox Educational Fund, Grey Fox Bluegrass Academy for Kids (Oak Hill, NY)
- Makers Guild of Maine, Vacationland Bluegrass Camp (Searsport, ME)
- Nashville School of Traditional Country Music (Nashville, TN)
- San Diego Folk Heritage, Julian Family Fiddle Camp (San Diego, CA)
- The Crooked Road: Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail, Professional Development Seminar for Musicians (Abingdon, VA)
These grants can be for as much as $2,000 each, and preference is given to those who have a 501 (c) 3 tax status, like the Foundation.
With 2018 drawing to a close, the Foundation wants to remind everyone that the deadline for next year’s grants is December 1. The application form can be downloaded from the Foundation web site, requires a specific explanation of the project for which funds are being requested, and financial information about the requesting agency. It doesn’t take nearly as long as most government grant requests, but if you would like to apply for 2019, you would be advised to get started soon.
You can find all necessary details and a downloadable application form online. There is no fee to submit.
