Special Awards in the Arts Guidelines

The Gerbode Foundation is pleased to announce a $300,000 fund for the creation and development of new music projects by California music creators: composers, folk & traditional artists, songwriters, producers, and sound designers. The new work will be commissioned and produced by Bay Area nonprofit arts presenting organizations that can apply for grants of $50,000 each.

1. To highlight the creative excellence of innovative California music creators: composers, folk & traditional artists, songwriters, producers, and sound designers.

2. To support projects that are diverse in creative methodology, gender, race, ethnicity, and geography.

3. To encourage and deepen the partnership between the lead artist(s) and the presenting organization.

4. To recognize and support Bay Area arts presenting organizations, interdisciplinary arts organizations, and community-based arts nonprofits in their commitment to commission, develop, and produce new work by California artists.

5. To support organizations and ensembles that are deeply rooted in community.

Required by June 5, 2023: To ensure eligibility, all applicants must speak to Olivia Malabuyo Tablante, Program Director at the Gerbode Foundation, before submitting an application. Olivia is also available to answer any questions about the program. You can schedule a phone call here or send an email to special.awards@gerbode.org. Please make sure to read through the Program Guidelines and FAQs prior to contacting the Foundation.

Deadline to submit application: Application materials must be received by Thursday, June 15th at 4pm (PST). Application materials must be emailed to special.awards@gerbode.org. Late or incomplete submissions will not be eligible. Hardcopy applications will not be accepted.

Individual artists may not apply directly and must be commissioned by an eligible applicant organization.

Eligible applicant organizations

• Music ensembles

• Organizations that produce and present musical theater

• Interdisciplinary arts presenters

• Community-based arts organizations

• Organizations with a history of working with music creators

Eligible lead artist(s):
Music creators including, but not limited to:

• Composers

• Folk & Traditional Artists

• Songwriters

• Producers

• Sound designers

Please note: Fiscal sponsors are eligible to apply on behalf of a presenting organization on a case-by-case basis. Please contact Gerbode Foundation at 510-915-8048 or special.awards@gerbode.org to ensure eligibility.

The applicant organization must

1. Be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that has been in operation for at least 2 years.

2. Be located in Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, San Mateo, Solano, or Sonoma County.

3. Have a strong proven track record of producing and/or presenting new music projects.

4. Demonstrate a history of working with and paying its artists.

5. Pay a minimum fee of $12,500 to the commissioned lead artist(s) or a minimum fee of $10,000 for each artist if the project is a collaboration.

6. Not be a current recipient of a Hewlett 50 Commissions or a Creative Work Fund award for the same project or lead artist.

7. Submit only one application.

The proposed lead artist(s) must

1. Meet one of the following criteria: (1) be a current California resident or (2) have had California-based artist residencies for the development of their work in the last 7 years. If you have had significant artist residencies in the last 7 years, but live out of state, please contact the Gerbode Foundation to confirm eligibility.

2. Be a composer or artist who is creating their own original music.

3. Take the lead in the development of the project or be a key co-creator of the proposed work.

4. Consider a project that will have significant impact on the organization if they are a founding musical director of the applicant organization or ensemble.

5. Have experience consistent with the design and goals of the proposed work.

6. Have had at least two works developed and produced (this includes online experiences).

7. Not have received a composer or music commissioning grant from the Gerbode Foundation. (Unfortunately, past individual artist recipients of the Special Awards in the Arts program are not eligible.)

8. Be nominated for one commission by only one organization.

All music genres and traditional forms will be considered.

Proposed projects must meet the following criteria:

1. Commissioned projects must be original, new music projects that are developed and produced by the presenting organization. Co-produced work is eligible on a case-by-case basis. Please discuss with Gerbode staff.

2. Commissioned work will result in public performances, virtual presentations, or recordings.

3. The project must be completed between August 2024 and December 2026.

4. Project budgets must include either:

   1. a minimum lead artist commissioning fee of $12,500; or

   2. a minimum commissioning fee of $10,000 to each lead artist if the project is a collaboration.

The following projects and final presentations are eligible (this list is suggestive but not exhaustive):

• Interdisciplinary work

• Sound installation

• Film score

• Opera or operetta

• Studio recordings made available to the public

• Song cycle

• Concert (including solo performances)

• Orchestral or chamber

• Choral

• Musicals and musical theater

• Interactive media experiences

The following projects are ineligible:

• Revisions of previously composed work, unless it is substantially revised.

• Work-in-progress that is currently in rehearsal.

• Commissions solely for students and student ensembles.

Deadline to submit application: Application materials must be received by Thursday, June 15th at 4pm (PST). Application materials must be emailed to special.awards@gerbode.org. Late or incomplete submissions will not be eligible. Hardcopy applications will not be accepted.

Email subject line: Please make sure to include the applicant organization name in the email subject line.

Email #1 (required): Submit Application & Attachments

Attach the following application materials as PDF files (labeled numerically as listed):

1. Application pages 1–6 and a detailed project budget.

2. IRS determination letter establishing the applicant organization’s nonprofit 501c3 status.

3. If a fiscal sponsor is the applicant, in addition to its IRS letter, please include a short description of the partnership with the fiscal sponsor as it relates to the commissioned work.

4. List of key artistic and administrative team involved in the proposed project. Please include brief bios.

5. Staff & Board list.

6. Balance sheet and profit & loss statement for the last two completed fiscal years.

7. Year-to-date information: Balance sheet and profit & loss statement as of 4/30/23.

8. Current organizational budget.

Email #2 (required): Include the Lead Artist’s Work Samples & Artistic Experiences

1. Provide three weblinks to audio and/or video work samples totaling no more than 12-minutes of your original music. At least one of your work samples should be of a work you created in the last five years. Keep in mind that work samples should reflect your creative process or relate to the proposed project. Make sure weblinks remain active through August. Provide password if applicable.

2. (Optional) For each audio and/or video work sample, please submit any accompanying documentation/materials that will provide further insight into your creative process. For example, if notated scores are part of your creative process, attach PDFs or include weblinks to larger files of scores corresponding to the audio or video samples you submitted.

   Please note the following for each work sample submitted (in the body of the email):

   • Title, year of production, brief summary of the work, and mention any key collaborators.

   • For each sample, list cue start and end times. You can provide a complete work, but point the panelists to specific areas of a longer work that you would like them to review.

   • You may also include brief notes describing why the work sample is important as it relates to the proposed project or how it fits into your body of work.

3. To help provide further insight into your creation of music, please submit a biography, a CV/resume, or a list of 5-10 artistic experiences or projects that have shaped you as a music creator.

Email #3 (optional): Include additional information for the Lead Artist

• Include links to website, reviews, YouTube channels, or other online media that panelists may include in their review. Please be selective.

Important Note: For emails that include attachments that exceed 25MB (the maximum file size allowed via email), please email us at special.awards@gerbode.org so we can send you a Dropbox link to upload your application materials. (You must include the email associated with a Dropbox account.) Please request this no later than Thursday, June 15th at 10am (PST).

A national advisory panel of music creators and arts leaders will review the applications and work samples in August 2023. The Gerbode Foundation will conduct the final review of applications and make the final selection of grantees. Recipients of the 2023 Music Awards will be announced in September 2023.

To achieve the program goals listed on page 1 of the Guidelines, the advisory panel will be asked to consider the following criteria in their evaluation:

1. Lead Artist’s Creative Process & Artistic Experiences
   The lead artist’s approach, style, and creative process is articulated clearly and represented in the work samples. The project will involve the lead artist’s artistic growth or have an impact on creative practice. The project displays originality of sound, music, and artistry. The lead artist’s proposed project and past artistic experience will contribute to the future of music creation and sound. There is urgency to support this project at this time. Please note that the panelists will use the work samples and artistic experience submission as a key component of their review for this section.

2. Diverse Representation
   The artist involved in the project is deeply rooted in and/or has intimate knowledge of a specific cultural or traditional practice or community. The proposed project involves community engagement. The lead artist and organization represent the Bay Area’s diverse communities, neighborhoods, and cultural districts. Gender identity, race, ethnicity, and geography will all be considered in determining diverse representation.

3. Partnership
   There is a clear partnership between the presenting organization and the lead artist. The proposed work will have a positive impact on both. The partnership may be a new, first-time collaboration or a project involving a founding musical director of an ensemble. The lead artist has creative leadership in the project and their vision and process will be supported by the presenting organization.

4. Project Feasibility
   The applicant organization has the ability to raise funds for, develop, produce, and present the new music project.

Recipients of the 2023 Music Awards must produce and present the commissioned piece in one of the ten San Francisco Bay Area counties for public performances, virtual presentations or other online experiences.

An interim report specifying production plans must be received by the Gerbode Foundation before all funds can be disbursed. If the production plan or schedule changes from what is proposed at the time of the application, the Gerbode Foundation must be notified, and the changes must be approved in writing.

Recipients must also submit final narrative and financial reports and acknowledge this grant in printed materials and other forms of recognition with the following language:

[Project] was made possible by the Gerbode Foundation’s Special Awards in the Arts program.

This program is administered by the Gerbode Foundation. All applicants are required to contact Olivia Tablante before submitting an application. Olivia will also be available to answer any questions regarding the application:

Olivia Malabuyo Tablante
Special Awards in the Arts Program Director
Gerbode Foundation
1791 Solano Avenue, #F15
Berkeley, CA 94704

Phone: 510-915-8048
Email: omalabuyo@gerbode.org
Schedule phone call: click here

See frequently asked questions here.