Jazz Road Creative Residencies Grant Program

Jazz Road Creative Residencies Grant Program

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: South Arts, Inc.
Amount: Up to US $40,000
Last Updated: February 21, 2026

Summary

The Jazz Road Creative Residencies Grant Program, initiated by South Arts, supports professional jazz artists in the U.S. by removing financial barriers to their creative practices. This initiative aims to enhance artistic growth through flexible residency activities, fostering community engagement and innovative collaborations. By providing crucial funding, it encourages artists to explore new creative visions, connect with diverse audiences, and build meaningful partnerships across the country, thereby enriching the jazz landscape.

Overview

Program Description Jazz Road Creative Residencies is one component of the larger program, Jazz Road. Jazz Road is a 4-year national jazz initiative directed by South Arts, funded by the Doris Duke Foundation with additional support from the Mellon Foundation. Jazz Road features a coordinated partnership with the other five Regional Arts Organizations. All work together to deliver technical assistance and grants that enhance jazz artists’ livelihoods through residencies in communities across the country. Purpose To remove the financial barriers that keep professional jazz artists from investing deeply in their creative practice, attending to their artistic and professional growth, and experimenting across a wide range of artistic and community engagement possibilities throughout the US. Background Jazz Road Creative Residencies is an artist-centric program that responds to what artists have called for while promoting flexibility for how “residency” can be defined. Artists have expressed their need for time and resources to drive new creative visions, explore collaborations; and connect their music to communities in socially relevant and lasting ways. Support in these areas is viewed as crucial for musicians to reach new artistic and professional heights while building jazz partnerships and audiences throughout the US. Program Goal To provide financial support for professional jazz artists from across the US in self-defined residency activities that advance their artistry, creative exploration, community engagement, and lifework in jazz. Residency project examples include, but are not limited to: Create/compose, revisit/rehearse existing and/or new music independently or with partner organizations; in isolation or with additional artistic personnel and/or new collaborating artistsUtilize site resources, equipment and materials for creative development and production either for purchase or as provided by host organizationsPromote, produce, and perform live and/or virtual public and/or community engagements.  Record new work (via sound, video or other)  Document (via video or other) residency creative and/or community engagement outcomes and/or residency-in-processIntroducing Jazz to new audiences at conferences, festivals etc.Produce an extended engagement residency at commercial and/or nonprofit clubs and lofts to showcase new work and artistic collaborationsCreate opportunities to connect with communities which impact the artist’s creativity, foster new points of entry for artist-community cultural exchange, and potentially build jazz audiencesPlan community engagement work that will encompass apprenticeships or creative collaborations with elder musicians and prioritize a pursuit for communal/cultural knowledge  Self-produce in conventional venues (i.e., artist studio/black box theatre) and/or alternative spaces (i.e., sidewalks to warehouses; parks to corner stores) to enhance diverse performance and audience experiencesPartner with host organizations that provide a comprehensive pool of resources for a larger scale of co-production required to: commission and/or develop new multi-disciplinary work, foster artistic collaboration and community engagement, and/or present public performancesReside and perform in chosen locations that personally resonate for the artist (such as a return to home or creative partnership) and/or remote areas of the country rarely exposed to live jazz performanceExplore imaginative performance strategies in re-purposed spaces, the outdoors, and other environments.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Only individual artists (as an individual, an artist-led nonprofit organization, or an artist-led corporation) may apply to this program. An eligible artist is:A professional jazz artist, working solo or working with a professional composer-led or collective jazz ensemble;A professional jazz artist able to show a noteworthy record of work experience and accomplishments in the jazz field; and,A U.S. citizen or permanent resident who is based in the U.S. or its territories.Non-residents may participate in the project but are ineligible to receive Jazz Road funds.Jazz Road recognizes the complete history and aesthetic range of excellence within jazz music and will not attempt to define “jazz” in the Guidelines or communications.The program acknowledges that jazz is rooted in the Black experience and is by nature a communal music informed by artists, elders, and their communities.The program is intended to support professional artists within a career level spectrum from mid-career to “more accomplished.”Jazz Road recognizes that measures of “higher-level” career success based on perceived visibility, accolades, active touring/recording profiles and income, are subjective. The applicant will define how this eligibility criterion is met.A key Jazz Road objective is to award a large and diverse pool of artists across the U.S.However, current Jazz Road Tours grantees are eligible to apply for Jazz Road Creative Residencies.The following are eligible to be included in a project:Nonprofit and commercial jazz/arts presenters, venues, and clubsPerforming arts centers, theaters, and concert hallsRehearsal and recording studiosHome studiosUniversities, colleges, and institutions of higher educationJazz festivalsLocal arts agencies/councilsRadio station live in-studio programsArtist spacesCommunity centers  Churches, synagogues, mosques, and other places of worshipEmbassiesGalleriesMuseumsListening rooms and librariesHouse concertsOpen-air markets, plazas, parks, and patiosCommunity hangouts from bodegas to recreation centersLocal retail and civic/municipal eventsOther entities as applicable The following expenses are eligible for grant support:Salaries/artist feesThe equitable amount the artist/ensemble and collaborating artists are normally paid for creative development (planning, rehearsal, production), performance, and community engagement time and activities for this project.Travel (ground and air)Hotel/LodgingMealsBackline and equipment rentalSpace rentalSound recording and video production engineering (personnel and materials)Technology needs (hardware and software) for electronic and/or virtual workTour/project management personnel or servicesCopyist, if applicableSupplies and materialsShippingCommunications and event publicity/promotion costs (personnel, print and social media)Costs specific to community engagementThis includes community participant stipends, meeting costs, transportation, and space rental, if applicable.Related permit and license fees, if applicableCosts specific to project evaluationChild/elder care costs, if applicableCOVID-19 safety precaution costs, if applicable

Ineligibility

Please note that while previous and/or current Jazz Road Tours awardees are eligible to apply, previous Creative Residency awardees are NOT eligible to apply.Though the application must be submitted by the lead artist, the residency concept may be originally conceived and equally driven by a partner organization(s). The project budget may include costs which will be shared with or paid to a partner organization, if applicable. The grant does not cover capital expenses, including purchasing instruments, equipment, or other durable goods.The program is designed for professional artists and ensembles. University-sponsored projects may be considered only if the lead applicant is an independent artist unaffiliated with the institution.