Applications open for Vancouver Music Fund, supporting Indigenous, Black, and other underrepresented artists
City of Vancouver, Creative BC provide $300,000 to emerging, diverse voices in the music sector
“Can’t Kill Me” single artwork. From left: Christie Lee, Lady Sinncere, and DJ A-SLAM. Photo by Ikarus Studios
THE VANCOUVER MUSIC Fund is now taking applications to support new and emerging artists and music-industry professionals who experience systemic barriers to funding.
The first municipal fund of its kind in North America, it is funded by the City of Vancouver and distributed by Creative BC.
Eligible applicants include xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), and other Indigenous people; Black people and People of Colour; people with disabilities; minority language speakers, cultural communities, and refugees; cis and trans women; and trans, non-binary, Two Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer people.
The fund has three grant streams: a demo program, through which artists can create demo recordings and be mentored by a BC producer; a music video program; and an industry catalyst program, which supports projects that develop Vancouver’s music ecosystem and build capacity of underrepresented groups (and for which individuals collectives, companies, and organizations can apply).
Applicants can apply to Creative BC for a grant of up to 100 percent of project costs, removing the usual requirement for matching funding which can often be a barrier for many underrepresented groups.
“It's great to see the City of Vancouver funding music that has been chronically underfunded across Canada, in this case, a Hip-Hop song performed by a Indigenous-female artist,” said Hussein Alidina, aka DJ A-SLAM, a previous Vancouver Music Fund demo-program grant recipient and producer on Lady Sinncere’s “Can’t Kill Me”. “The Vancouver Music Fund played an essential role in bringing the Can't Kill Me project together. The funding allowed us to create a powerful anthem about Indigenous resistance, cultural resilience, and survival. The track is dedicated to Murdered and Missing Women and Girls, in Canada and around the world, and was recently performed at the Women's Memorial March in Vancouver."
This is Vancouver Music Fund’s second round of grants. Fifty-nine projects and artists received funding in the first, which also totalled $300,000 and included micro-grants to grow the local grassroots music scene.
“The Vancouver Music Fund was hope for my team and I as we dreamt of ways of honoring our song Yes Mama,” Missy D, a past grant recipient, said in the release. “It allowed us to dream, innovate and most of all collaborate. The pandemic impacted our initial plans but with this fund available we were rooted in our purpose. It allowed us to give back to our community by including members as features and talents and hiring them as the production team. We were able to share our melanin, our love for art, the motherland and mama figures,”.
The deadline for applications is April 28. For more information on how to apply, visit Creative BC.
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