Artist Grants Program
The Artist Grants Program (AGP) is a guaranteed-income pilot run by The Local Sound Collaborative, a Rochester, NY music nonprofit, to financially subsidize independent musicians and music workers. The pilot cohort (the first of the program) gave five local musicians unrestricted monthly payments of $200 for 12 months, funded through community donations, fundraisers, and local business contributions. The program is modeled on Universal Basic Income and has continued annually with growing cohorts (six recipients in 2024, eight in 2025-26).
Musicians, Music Industry Workers, UBI, Guaranteed Income, Rochester, Arts
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- The Local Sound Collaborative
- City
- Rochester
- State / Province
- New York
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Active
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 5
- Funding type
- Philanthropic, Corporate
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 2,400 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 200 USD
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 12 months
- Benefit details
Recipients received $200 per month for 12 consecutive months, unrestricted in use (rent, groceries, equipment, medical bills, etc.). Payments began December 1, 2022 for the inaugural five-person cohort. Three of the five inaugural grants were reserved for musicians of color. The program has since grown: six recipients in 2024 and eight in the 2025-26 cohort, still at $200/month.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Applicants must live in the Greater Rochester, NY area, be 18 or older, and identify as a member, worker, or participant in the local music community (musicians, sound engineers, booking agents, music therapists, etc.). Applicants must demonstrate financial need but are not required to disclose income details. The organization did not require proof of income to keep application barriers low.
Demographics
- Minimum age
- 18
- Race / ethnicity targets
- Priority given to musicians of color (3 of the first 5 grant slots reserved for artists of color)
Financial
- Employment status
- Self-Employed, Gig / Informal
Geography
- US states covered
- New York
- Countries covered
- United States
- Cities covered
- Rochester
- Counties covered
- Monroe
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / participation requirements
Recipients are expected to partner with The Local Sound Collaborative to help grow the program for other musicians, e.g., participating in showcases, interviews, and promotional/impact storytelling, but this is not formalized as a data-sharing research requirement.
Application Process
- How to apply
Applicants apply online via a Google Forms application during the program's annual application window (historically opening in summer and closing around September 1 for the December cohort start).
- Selection process
Applications are reviewed and finalists selected by an annually elected artist grants committee in coordination with the collaborative director and board of directors, with an explicit priority on selecting a diverse cohort representative of the Rochester music community.
