In 2020, YouTube Music launched the #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund to equip Black musicians with the resources and support to enable them to thrive, and invest in work that amplifies the voices, perspectives, and stories of Black artists.
On June 21, 2021, YouTube opened grant applications for the #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund Class of 2022, with expanded eligibility to include songwriters and producers. The company has also opened up applications for those based in Canada, as well as the U.K., the U.S., Brazil, Australia, Kenya, South Africa, and Nigeria.
Black Canadian music creators can apply now for #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund, until July 9, 2021.
YouTube has also announced a partnership with the music education institution 1500 Sound Academy, founded by Grammy Award-winning songwriter/producers James Fauntleroy and Larrance “Rance” Dopson. Through its inaugural #YouTubeBlack Music Future Insiders Scholarship, YouTube and 1500 will fund 10 full scholarships to the Academy’s Live Online Music & Industry Fundamentals program – a six-month term, during which participants will take courses in music production, engineering, songwriting, mixing, music business, and more.
YouTube has also been working with community-based organizations to develop its Future Insiders program, which has reached more than 180 (and counting) at-risk and under-served youth aspiring to enter the music and creative industries. As part of the program, the students attend quarterly workshops that focus on succeeding on YouTube, raising awareness of career pathways, facilitating access to talent and thought leaders, and encouraging well-being.
YouTube has created #YouTubeMusic Moments as well, a collection of content series, live streams, and events that hold the primary goal of celebrating Black culture, identity, and experiences, from the perspective of artists and thought leaders in music.
For more information, click here.
To apply for the #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund, click here.