Early Music America
/OVERVIEW: Early Music America is an organization dedicated to the study, performance, and appreciation of early music. It provides access to awards and scholarships in order to increase awareness of and grow the audience for early forms of music.
IP TAKE: EMA’s grantmaking is fairly specialized, but then so is the early music field. Grants are modest, but both performers and scholars have funding opportunities here.
PROFILE: Established in 1985, Early Music America (EMA) is an organization that supports early music communities. Specifically, it seeks to “develop, strengthen, and celebrate early music in North America by supporting the people and organizations that perform, study, and find joy in it, and by championing the contributions they make to the health and vibrancy of their communities.” The organization is based in North America, but its focus is global. In addition to a modest funding source, EMA also offers access to a range of resources for K-12 and higher education arts learning, as well as networking and membership opportunities for non-affiliated early music performers. Its primary funding program makes grants to projects and organizations that bring early music to new and underserved audiences.
Grants for Music and Arts Education
EMA’s Engagement Awards support projects that raise awareness of and increase the audience for early music and historical performance, including activities focusing on K-12 students in public or private schools, adult education courses, and performances on the web, TV, or radio that promote early music awareness and appreciation. EMA prioritizes funding for projects that benefit underserved communities and underrepresented groups. Grantseekers can view the awards page to see previously funded projects and groups.
EMA offers three biennial named scholarships that support study and scholarship in early music. The Barbara Thornton Scholarship helps to fund a young performer of medieval music looking to pursue advanced study and/or auditions in Europe. The Margriet Tindemans Early Strings Scholarship funds up to $25,000 in expenses for “specialized, advanced study outside North America that focuses on some aspect of Medieval, Renaissance, or Baroque bowed stringed instruments.” The Thomas Zajac Memorial Scholarship provides $1,500 to scholars and performers of early music who seek to study “ethnic and/or folk traditions, instruments, or styles, for the purpose of exploring cultural cross-fertilizations in the history of early music and bringing that knowledge to bear in historically-grounded scholarship and performance.” Visit the program pages for detailed application information for each scholarship.
Important Grant Details:
Grant amounts vary by program. Look over individual program guidelines before applying. Grantseekers must become a member of the organization before applying to any of the programs.
PEOPLE:
Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).
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