2026 Music Awards Guidelines

The Gerbode Foundation's Special Awards in the Arts Program, established in 1987, has been a cornerstone in supporting new works across dance, theater production, and music composition. The program has consistently backed culturally and aesthetically diverse works by emerging, mid-career, and legacy artists. These grants have supported artists at critical junctures in their careers, enabled local nonprofit artist-centered groups to produce original works, and enriched Bay Area audiences by showcasing the region’s most promising new works.

The Gerbode Foundation is pleased to announce a $400,000 fund supporting the creation and development of new music projects that highlight the creative excellence of innovative California music creators—including composers, songwriters, producers, sound artists, and folk and traditional musicians—working across contemporary, experimental, and rooted traditions. Lead artists at any career stage—emerging, mid-career, or legacy—are eligible. New works will be commissioned and produced by Bay Area nonprofit, artist-centered organizations with annual operating budgets between $60,000 and $3 million. Eligible organizations may apply for grants of $50,000 each.

1. Support the creative process involved in the development of new music composition.

2. Highlight the creative excellence of innovative California music creators working across contemporary and rooted traditions.

3. Support projects led by California music creators who represent historically underrepresented and marginalized communities, including diversity in gender expression and identity, race, ethnicity, culture, and ability.

4. Support artist-centered organizations in their commitment to commissioning, developing, and producing new work by California music creators.

5. Support organizations and companies that prioritize community-centered artistic practice and are deeply embedded in Bay Area communities, demonstrating meaningful and sustained impact.

The Common App is a collaboration between funders and grantmakers with unique histories and objectives. The 2026 Music Awards is a part of the Common Application for the Arts – Bay Area (“Common App”) – an initiative in which participating funders use standardized questions to help create greater efficiency for grantseekers.

The information requested in our Application Form aligns with the Common App with notations in parenthesis. While the intent of the Common App is to provide an easy copy-n-paste from the Common App template, be mindful of our program’s goals and criteria. Consider making minor revisions to ensure your responses address the specific nuances of the 2026 Music Awards program.

If you are not using the Common App, please simply ignore the notations in parentheses in our application form. Once you have completed Gerbode’s application, consider copy and pasting your responses into the Common App template since you are already 70% complete!

1.  2026 Music Awards Announcement: Program Launches

   March 25, 2026 — 2026 Music Awards application process opens

2. Explore & Connect: Workshops + Drop-in Sessions
   We encourage producing organization representatives and lead artists/music creators to participate in these sessions. These spaces are designed to support your understanding of the program and help shape a thoughtful, well-aligned application.

   
   Application Workshop Webinar – registration required; sign up here. 1-hour webinar - Program Director will provide an overview of the Program Guidelines and walk participants through the application process.
   Tuesday, April 14 at 10am
   Monday, May 4 at 6pm
   Thurs., June 11 at 9:30am
   Webinars are not recorded.
   
   Drop-in Sessions - registration required; sign up here. 1-hour Zoom session - drop in at any time. Open forum for questions about eligibility and the application process. Participants may ask questions or simply listen in.
   Thursday, April 7 at 3:30pm
   Thursday, April 16 at 9am
   Tuesday, May 5 at 9:30am
   More times TBD – check here
   
   

3. Deep Engagement & Proposal Development: 1:1 Consultations with Program Director
   We welcome participation from producing organization representatives and lead artists/music creators, whether you are exploring a potential collaboration or already working together.

   
   1:1 Consultation (Phone or Zoom) with Program Director – sign up here. 30-minute phone call or Zoom meeting with the Program Director. This is an opportunity to discuss specific questions about your application or project in more detail. Please plan to attend an Application Workshop or Drop-in Session before scheduling a consultation.
   Wed., May 18 – Tues., July 7
   
   

4. Finalize & Submit: Application Deadline
   
   Application Deadline: Tuesday, July 21, 2026 at 4pm (PT)
   Application materials emailed to: special.awards@gerbode.org
   Download Application Form (Word) here

Other Program Dates & FAQ

• July 2026 — Program Team review & follow up with Applicants (if applicable)

• August 2026 — Panel review

• September 2026 — Applicants notified

  For additional guidance, please review our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) here, which address common eligibility, application, and process questions.

Deadline to submit application: Application materials must be received by Tuesday, July 21, 2026 at 4:00pm (PT). Application materials must be emailed to special.awards@gerbode.org. Gerbode Foundation staff will confirm receipt of all applications once received; there is no need to follow up.

For eligible fiscally-sponsored projects, with the exception of the IRS letter, materials should reflect your organization or ensemble - not the fiscal sponsor.

Please attach the following application materials as separate PDF files to an email (unless otherwise noted). Label each file numerically as listed below. You may send multiple emails if attachments exceed 25MB.

1. IRS determination letter establishing the applicant organization’s nonprofit 501c3 status.
   If applying with a fiscal sponsor, 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.

2. Completed Application Form – Section 1 through Section 3 (submit as a Word doc)
   • If applicable, please also attach a bio, a CV/resume
   • If applicable, please attach work sample images, PDFs or other related materials

3. Project Budget. Complete and include the Common App budget template. Download the Excel template here.

4. Staff & Board list.

5. Financial Statements (Last Completed Fiscal Year): Balance sheet and profit & loss statement 

6. Year-to-Date Financial Statements (as of June 30, 2026): Balance sheet and profit & loss statement

7. Current organizational budget. 

Olivia Malabuyo Tablante, Program Director, special.awards@gerbode.org

Important note: We do not accept applications from individual artists or collaborative teams. An eligible organization must serve as the applicant.

Eligible applicant organizations include:

• Music ensembles

• Organizations that produce and present musical theater

• Interdisciplinary arts presenters

• Community-based arts organizations

• Organizations with a demonstrated history of working with music creators

The producing organization must meet the following criteria:

1. Commit to developing, producing, and fundraising for the proposed project.

2. Be an artist-centered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that has been in operation for at least two years.

3. Be located in one of the following counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Francisco, San Mateo, Solano, or Sonoma.

4. Have an organizational budget between $60,000 and $3,000,000.

   ❖ Organizations with an overall operating budget exceeding $3M are not typically eligible. However, they may be considered if the proposed project is housed within a distinct program or initiative with a clearly defined budget that falls within this range.

5. Commit to paying a minimum fee of $12,500 to the commissioned lead artist, or a minimum of $25,000 in total artist fees if the project is a collaboration.

6. Demonstrate a history of producing and/or presenting music, reflecting the organization’s experience supporting musical work.

7. Not have a currently open grant in Gerbode’s Special Awards in the Arts program. Organizations with an active grant may apply only if the current grant will be fully completed by June 2027.

8. Submit only one application.

Note on fiscal sponsorship:

We accept fiscal sponsorship on a case-by-case basis. Fiscal sponsors serving only as a fiduciary bridge are not eligible. A fiscal sponsor must be an active partner and meaningfully involved in the project beyond a fiduciary pass-through.

Artist-driven or ensemble-led projects may apply through a fiscal sponsor, including situations where an ensemble is commissioning a composer or serving as the producing entity, provided the sponsored project has a clearly defined budget between $60,000 and $3,000,000 and meets all other eligibility requirements.

Please email special.awards@gerbode.org or attend a drop-in session to confirm eligibility.

Important note: We do not accept applications from individual artists or collaborative teams. An eligible organization must serve as the applicant.

Lead artists may be at any career stage, including emerging, mid-career, and legacy artists.

Music creators may include, but are not limited to:

• Tradition bearers and folk or traditional musicians → artists who sustain, interpret, or evolve cultural music traditions within their communities

• New music composers / classical, opera, musical theater

• Improvisers / experimental musicians → jazz, avant-garde, creative music

• Beatmakers / electronic musicians → hip hop, electronic, digital production

• Performers who are also creators → instrumentalists, vocalists, bandleaders

• Arrangers / orchestrators → reinterpretation and ensemble writing

• Interdisciplinary or hybrid sound artists → installation, multimedia, performance art

The proposed lead artist(s) must meet the following criteria:

1. Meet one of the following: (1) be a current California resident or (2) have demonstrated history creating and producing work in California in the last 5 years.

   ❖ While the organization must be based in an eligible Bay Area County, the artist(s) may reside anywhere,e including out-of-state if they meet the criteria stated above.

2. Serve as the creative lead in the development of the proposed project.

3. If the lead artist is a founding director, resident composer, artistic director, or core member of the producing organization or ensemble, the proposed project should represent a significant artistic advancement or meaningful impact for the organization.

4. Have had at least two works developed and produced, including live, recorded, or online presentations.

5. Not have previously received a music commissioning grant from the Gerbode Foundation. (Past individual artist recipients of the Special Awards in the Arts program are not eligible.)

6. Be proposed as the lead artist or ensemble for only one application.

❖ All music genres will be considered. The panel evaluation and scoring is primarily focused on the creative process.

❖ Proposed projects must meet the following criteria:

1. Proposed projects must be new and original. Revisions of existing work are not eligible, unless it is substantially revised.

2. The project must be completed/presented between June 2027 and December 2029.

3. Project budgets must include either:

   • a minimum lead artist commissioning fee of $12,500; or
   • a minimum of $25,000 in artist fees if it is a collaborative process

4. Proposed projects can be at any stage of development except a work-in-progress already in rehearsal or in late-stage production.

❖ The following is a list of eligible projects and final presentation formats (this list is suggestive but not exhaustive):

• Premiere performances of newly commissioned musical works

• Concert presentations, including solo, ensemble, or orchestral works

• Works developed through improvisation, collaborative composition, or culturally rooted music practices

• New music works rooted in folk or traditional music practices created by tradition bearers or contemporary interpreters

• Interdisciplinary works that integrate music with dance, theater, film, spoken word, visual art, or multimedia elements

• Site-specific or community-based music performances

• Sound installations or immersive sound environments

• Digital or multimedia music works

• Recorded works that are developed alongside a public presentation or premiere performance

• New arrangements, reinterpretations, or orchestrations of existing musical material that result in a significant new artistic work

• Music works developed through artist residencies, workshops, or collaborative creation processes that culminate in a public presentation

❖ The following projects are not eligible:

• Projects that are already in rehearsal or in late-stage production at the time of application.

• Works produced primarily by college or university-based music ensembles or academic departments.

The Gerbode Foundation Program Team will conduct an initial review of all applications. A four-person national advisory panel of peers and advisors in the music field—including at least one locally based panelist—will then review the applications and work samples and make funding recommendations. Gerbode Foundation staff will present the panel’s recommendations to the Board of Directors, who will make the final selection of grantees. Applicants will be notified of funding decisions in September 2026.

Reviewers will consider the program goals outlined on page 1 of the Guidelines as a guiding framework when assessing artistic excellence, community-centered practice, and alignment with the program’s values.

To advance these program goals, the advisory panel will evaluate applications using the following criteria:

1. Lead Artist’s Creative Process & Artistic Experiences (60 points)
   ✓ The lead artist’s approach, style, and creative process are articulated clearly.
   ✓ The lead artist’s proposed project, combined with their past artistic experience, demonstrates the potential to make a significant contribution to the music field and advance innovative approaches to musical creation.
   ✓ The lead artist’s creative methodology and artistic vision for the proposed work are reflected in the work samples and in their proposed artistic collaborators or project partners. This may include composition, improvisation, production practices, or the continuation and evolution of cultural and traditional music practices.
   ✓ The project will support the lead artist’s artistic growth and/or have a meaningful impact on their creative practice.
   ✓ The project demonstrates originality of concept, musical approach, or artistic inquiry.
   ✓ 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 (20 points)
   ✓ The artist involved in the project is deeply rooted in and/or has intimate knowledge of a specific community. “Community” can include gender expression & identity, race, ethnicity, culture, and is inclusive of individuals of all abilities.
   • Geographic location of artists will also be factored.
   ✓ The lead artist's creative process reflects engagement with communities, cultural traditions, or artistic networks relevant to this work.
   ✓ The lead artist and organization represent the Bay Area’s diverse communities, neighborhoods, and/or cultural districts.

3. Partnership (20 points)
   For projects that involve a producing organization & a lead artist outside of the organization:
   ✓ The proposed project reflects partnership with the producing organization that is essential to the realization of the proposed new musical work.
   ✓ The lead artist has creative leadership in the project and their vision and process will be supported by the producing organization.
   
   For projects involving the founding director, resident composer, artistic director, or core member of the producing organization or ensemble:
   ✓ The proposed project represents significant artistic endeavor beyond the organization’s routine programming.
   ✓ Developing and producing the proposed work is relevant to the producing organization’s artistic mission and community context.
   ✓ The project presents a meaningful opportunity to highlight the organization’s artistic leadership, cultural role, or community significance.

4. Project Feasibility (assessed during Program Team review; not scored by Advisory Panel)
   ✓ The applicant organization has the ability to raise funds for, develop and produce the proposed project.
   
   

Recipients will be notified in September 2026. In October 2026, 50% of the grant is disbursed upon receipt of the signed grant agreement. Grantees of the 2026 Music Awards must develop, produce and present the commissioned work in one of the ten San Francisco Bay Area counties for in-person performances, virtual presentations or other online experiences.

An interim report specifying production plans must be received by the Gerbode Foundation before the remaining grant funds can be disbursed (typically 6 months prior to proposed premiere/presentation or new work). 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. Gerbode Foundation will accept program or outreach materials in lieu of a final report. We ask that recipients, when possible, acknowledge this grant in outreach materials and other forms of recognition with the following language or inclusion of our Foundation logo:

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