Community Partnership Grant Announcement 2024-2025

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation Rolls Out Staggered Grant Program; Starts with Education Grants for Schools and Nonprofit Organizations

The Foundation increases the maximum grant request from $5,000 to $7500

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEW ORLEANS (May 21, 2024) – The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation is excited to announce the opening of its Community Partnership Grant program.  The Foundation begins its grant application season with a staggered opening date. Open today are the Education In-School and Education After-School categories which provide funding for arts education programs in Louisiana schools and after-school programs. Grant applications for the remaining three categories: Presenting, Media Documentation, and the Louisiana Cultural Equity & Creation grants which support performers’ fees, the documentation and exhibition of Louisiana culture and individual artists will open on Monday, May 27^th.  This year, the organization will continue to support the local creative economy and arts education by increasing the maximum grant request in all five categories from $5,000 to $7500.  

The Education grant categories support music and art education programs in Louisiana K-12 schools and after-school summer programs. The In-School category provides funding for music and art instruction that take place at Louisiana K-12 schools during the school day. Schools (public or private) may apply for money to pay for instruments, instrument repair, sheet music, visual art supplies, or other needed materials to support arts instruction as part of the school’s curriculum. The After-School category supports after-school and summer educational arts programs offered by nonprofit organizations to pay the professional teaching fees of the artists or educators who provide arts instruction.  The grant period is September 1, 2024, through August 31, 2025.

“We’re dedicated to helping schools bring music and arts education to life, whether during regular school hours, after school, or during the summer”, says Executive Director, Don Marshall.

For the first time, the Foundation is increasing the maximum grant request from $5,000 to $7,500 in all five categories. Over the past decade, the organization has invested over $15 million throughout Louisiana’s creative community, supporting hundreds of Louisiana schools, nonprofits, and artists.

Each category within Community Partnership Grants is specifically tailored to facilitate the realization of artistic endeavors throughout the state. It serves as a platform for artists, non-profit organizations, educational institutions, and government entities to cultivate projects that align with their distinct objectives. Whether you are an artist endeavoring to actualize a new project or an organization aiming to effect positive change through the arts, we stand ready to provide comprehensive support across all regions of Louisiana. To apply for Education grants, schools and organizations must create an account in the online grant platform GoSmart. The deadline to apply for the Education grants is Friday, June 21.  For application assistance and general questions, contact Grants and Programs Administrator Elizabeth Ramoni at grants@jazzandheritage.org or 504-558-6100.   Learn more at www.communitypartnershipgrants.org

About the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation invests proceeds from Jazz Fest and additional funds that we raise for year-round programming in education, economic development, and cultural enrichment. Education programs include the Don “Moose” Jamison Heritage School of Music, the Tom Dent Congo Square Lectures, the Class Got Brass competition presented by the Gia Maione Prima Foundation for school brass bands, a youth audio workshop program, youth vocal workshops, and more! Economic Development initiatives include the Community Partnership Grants, the Catapult Fund accelerator program, and Sync Up entertainment industry workshops. Cultural enrichment programs include the Jazz & Heritage Concert Series and annual Foundation Festivals: the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival, the Congo Square Rhythms Festival, the Tremé Creole Gumbo Festival, and Louisiana Cajun-Zydeco Festival.  Importantly, these are free programs that the Jazz and Heritage Foundation has developed over many years to ensure that we give back to Louisiana. The Jazz & Heritage Foundation owns radio station WWOZ 90.7-FM and the Jazz & Heritage Archive. The Foundation also owns the George and Joyce Wein Jazz & Heritage Center – an education and community facility named for the late Jazz Fest founder George Wein and his wife Joyce. The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation established the Jazz & Heritage Music Relief Fund – a statewide relief fund to support Louisiana musicians who were affected by the pandemic. In the last two years the Jazz & Heritage Foundation has been able to provide relief funds of nearly $3 million dollars supporting musicians, music industry gig workers, Black Masking Indians, and other indigenous cultural practitioners. To learn more about the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, please visit us online at www.jazzandheritage.org