PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Larger grants than ever before are now available for Black musicians and artists in the Philadelphia area.
The Black Music City project started as a way to support Black artists in the region who particularly weren’t receiving the funding they needed to create their art. But what was intended to be a one-off program quickly became a three-year endeavor, with more support each year.
“During the pandemic, we saw an increase in need among artists and musicians in Philadelphia that were not getting money to do their work, and it was more acute in the Black artist community,” said WXPN General Manager Roger LaMay.
REC Philly and Philadelphia public radio music stations WXPN and WRTI helped launch the project, which is now in its third year.
The William Penn Foundation is the main supporter this year, bringing the available total to $125,000 — significantly more than what has been previously offered. Grants will range between $1,500 and $5,000 each.
“This year, we were able to go to the William Penn Foundation, who said, ‘This program is amazing, we want to support it.’ So this year, we’re upping the value of the grants,” LaMay said.
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Black artists, including musicians, painters, playwrights and more, are eligible.
“We wanted to get money in the hands of these artists so they could do their work,” he added.
Applicants from the area can apply at blackmusiccity.com. The deadline to apply is Jan. 10, 2023. Recipients will be announced on March 9 and will have a chance to show off their work in June.