Coalition of Music Organizations Formed to Provide Funding and Mutual Aid

Devastating Loss of Federal Funding Spurs Music Orgs to Band Together

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, June 25, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The abrupt termination of thousands of US federal grants in support of music and education, including funding for small grants provided through state humanities councils, has left small and medium-sized music and arts organizations reeling. The loss of federal support has hit every community in America and affected collaborative projects with people around the world.

To address this loss of support, the American Musicological Society (AMS) is providing fiscal sponsorship for a new coalition designed to promote mutual support among music organizations. Called the “Coalition of Music Organizations,” it is a voluntary association of small to medium-sized music organizations, publishers, programs, and cultural institutions designed to provide access to small grant funding, outreach support, and opportunities for cooperation and conversation. The Coalition of Music Organizations will take advantage of economies of scale and its members’ diverse organizational strengths to return benefits well in excess of the modest annual membership fee (starts at $475).

How is this possible? Well, for starters, the American Musicological Society is seeding the ground. The Society’s mission is “to advance understanding of music and sound,” and to do that the AMS needs a vibrant ecosystem of cultural and educational institutions. AMS relies on scholars in music departments, performers in orchestras and ensembles, teachers at music schools, archivists and curators at cultural institutions, and many others to do its work. Without these people and organizational partners, the AMS can’t fulfill its mission. And as Siovahn A. Walker, the Society’s R. F. Judd Executive Director explains, “There is no government agency or large foundation coming to save us. If the ecosystem of music scholars, teachers, performers, and organizations is to survive, we will have to save ourselves.”

So, the Society is investing in its ecosystem.

Specifically, the AMS is leveraging $100,000 annually in seed grant and subvention funding to support Coalition members. It has also pledged to provide access to a range of AMS programs and resources that can solve problems for small educational and cultural organizations and help make ends meet. Moreover, the Coalition of Music Organizations will pool member dues and resources to provide even more money for mutual support, while also encouraging donations and sponsorships from individuals and larger institutions (like universities, foundations, and businesses) that also need a vibrant cultural and educational ecosystem to meet their missions or sustain their business models.

Voluntary association and cooperation can’t replace the funding power of the federal government, but by spearheading this initiative, the AMS hopes to help the entire music and education sector get through the current crisis with as little damage to programs and people as possible.

A wide variety of small to medium-sized organizations (also, small to medium-sized divisions, departments, or subunits of larger organizations) are eligible to join the Coalition of Music Organizations. These include: associations and societies; presses and publishers; performing-arts companies, festivals, and ensembles; departments, centers, and institutes (both independent and those associated with colleges and universities); and others. To learn more about the Coalition of Music Organizations visit the AMS website, sign up for the Coalition mailing list, or contact the AMS at ams@amsmusicology.org.

Siovahn A. Walker
American Musicological Society Inc.
+1 212-992-6340
ams@amsmusicology.org
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