Attention SOCAN members! Need funding to help you get to a showcase performance at SXSW in Austin, Texas? Nominated for a JUNO Award but don’t have adequate resources to fly your 10-piece band to the distant host city?
The SOCAN Foundation can help, with a set of grants that cover these kinds of situations, and more.
Grants for music creators, music publishers, and individuals
Travel Assistance
Grants are provided to SOCAN composers, writers, and music publishers across all genres of music to assist with travel-related costs for career-building or career-defining activities in Canada or abroad. The Foundation gives priority for approval to applications demonstrating the importance of the activity to the applicant’s career. Activities that are eligible could include, but aren’t limited to, award presentations, collaborations, important performances, residencies, showcases, and workshops.
Professional Development Assistance
The Foundation provides grants to SOCAN composers, writers and music publishers across all genres of music, for upgrading their skills and knowledge, or acquiring new skills and knowledge, to advance their careers. Recipients can use these grants to pay for registration and/or incidental fees associated with activities such as conferences, courses, seminars, and workshops.
The SOCAN Foundation also provides grants to financially assist organizations who foster music creation ultimately benefitting the music creators themselves. These include SOCAN-licensed music presenters; educators; book/journal/digital media publishers; online music presenters; and those who want to commission music.
Grants for Organizations
Canadian Music Presentation, Education, Publication, and Dissemination
This multi-project program has four independent components. Each project must nurture an environment supportive of Canadian music creators, Canadian music publishers, and audiences. Music Presentation events can be, for example, a showcase, single concert, concert series, or festival. To be eligible, these events must include at least 50% of Canadian music. Education activities can range from presenting workshops for songwriters, composers, writers and publishers to the introduction of Canadian music in schools. Publication activities may include research and writing towards the publication of books or journals (printed or electronic), production of performance scores (printed or electronic), and digital dissemination of audio or audio-visual recordings. Dissemination activities should have a strong emphasis on digital content, and can include requests to support the recording of live concerts devoted to Canadian music, for online viewing and other initiatives.
Work Commissioning Assistance
Grants are provided to assist individuals, corporations, performers, ensembles, and presenters in the commissioning of SOCAN members to create new works in all genres of music. The overall intent of this program is to reach beyond local, regional, provincial, and federal arts council funding bodies, and encourage other members of our society (individuals, organizations, or companies) to commission new musical works. The Foundation gives priority for approval to applications demonstrating that the commissioned work will have a public performance.
Testimony
Do SOCAN Foundation grants help? Here’s what just a few recipients have to say…
“The SOCAN Foundation was instrumental in making this trip a success for me. In fact, if they had not made their contribution, it’s unlikely that I would have been able to afford to attend the conference in the first place. Because of their generosity, I was able to connect with artists and industry representatives from all over the world, and build relationships with key individuals from territories to which I plan to market my music someday soon. SOCAN Foundation allowed me the opportunity to take my music career to the next level.”
– Josh Sahunta, who received a Travel Assistance Grant to attend the Folk Alliance Conference in 2018
“There was a great review of Madison Violet in the Kansas City Star, we solidified future gigs, and started several new, potentially very helpful relationships with industry in several major markets. It wouldn’t have been possible without the help of SOCAN Foundation.”
– Lisa MacIsaac, of Madison Violet, who received travel assistance to get to the Folk Alliance Conference in Kansas City in 2017
“As a West Coast artist, making trips to Toronto is invaluable to building a career. It can get very expensive, and would be much more financially draining without SOCAN Foundation’s support. By being in Toronto ahead of my album release, I was able to participate in media coverage, including performing live on Global News Toronto to promote my Toronto show.”
– Jasper Sloan Yip – Travel assistance to get to the Folk Music Ontario Conference
“We feel really fortunate in Canada to be able to count on an organization that supports not only arts in general, but individual artists such as myself. I’m newly Canadian, and I feel supported as an artist having organizations like SOCAN Foundation, giving financial help that allows me to be part of important events — not only in Canada, but worldwide.”
– Magdelys Savigne, of Toronto-based, JUNO-nominated band Battle of Santiago, who received a Travel Assistance Grant to attend the 2018 JUNOs in Vancouver
“It was such a privilege to be at the Maison Symphonique of Montreal for the world premiere of “whirly”. Working with the conductor and the musicians of the Orchestre Symphonique of Montreal was amazing, and has already led to some new connections for future performances… I ardently believe in the importance of being there in person for educational concerts, so students have a chance to meet living composers. Without funding from SOCAN Foundation, it would have been difficult to be there in person.”
– Travel Assistance grantee Monica Pearce
“Playing at SXSW was a long-time dream of ours. It was somewhat out of reach, because it’s such a huge festival, but we managed to make it. Thanks to the SOCAN Foundation, we were able to focus our collective energy on our showcases and not worry about the budget. All our energy was devoted to the music.”
– Travel Assistance grantee Laurence Giroux-Do of Le Couleur
“When we went to perform at Morongo School, the youth were all involved in the performances, they were very engaged, and they all participated. The value that SOCAN Foundation has given, is that we got to share our languages together. Jeremy Dutcher sang in Maliseet, and I sang in Cree. Dreezus performed hip-hop and Kristi Lane performed rock. It was great to share our music and language with the Southern tribes of California.”
– Rhonda Head, who received travel assistance for a Trade Mission to Southern California
“One of the success stories of the trip was working with Colin Munroe on a new song we wrote together, called ‘Explicit,’ which has become part of my shop package to labels, publishers, etc…. The SOCAN Foundation has had immense value, because without this opportunity I wouldn’t be able to work with such great creatives, and refine my pitch for 2018.”|
– Briannah Donolo – Travel assistance to get to Los Angeles for co-writing
“Thank you, SOCAN Foundation. Thank you for allowing me to catch my breath. Money sometimes takes up too much space in our minds. I like to go on tour with a rested, free, and open mind, so that I can present my art in a fully dedicated way, and give the best show possible.”
– Sarah Toussaint-Léveillé, who received travel assistance for a showcase at Chainon manquant and L’Estival, in France
“This was our first, exploratory incursion into Mexico… Following our trip, a radio station in Mexico City started playing our song ‘Paloma’!”
– Vincent Lévesque of We Are Wolves, funded for a series of concerts in Mexico