Applications Now Open for New Music Inc Los Angeles
Incubator program will provide funding, mentorship, and cohort learning for small, artist-led music organizations based in LA
Deadline to Apply is July 31, 2025 at 11:59pm PT
Learn More and Apply here
New Music USA announces the opening of applications for New Music Inc Los Angeles (NMI LA). NMI LA is an incubator program designed to help small, artist-led music organizations in Los Angeles generate new ideas, strategies, and collaborations. Made possible by the Music Man Foundation and Perenchio Foundation, the program is open to Los Angeles-based music organizations — including performance groups, ensembles, collectives, record labels, festivals, presenters, and venues — with operating budgets between $10,000 and $500,000. The deadline to apply is July 31, 2025, at 11:59pm PT. The 17-month program will begin in late September.
New Music Inc emerged from community conversations that New Music USA organized in 17 US cities, including Los Angeles, beginning in 2020. These discussions revealed that while many key US music cities boast an abundance of small, artist-led music organizations that are presenting excellent work, these organizations lack the financial resources and the capacity to pursue strategic collaborations and mentorship that will help ensure their long-term sustainability.
To address these gaps, New Music USA developed a regional capacity building initiative that combines financial support with skill building in a cohort setting intended to foster new collaborative relationships. With the support of the New York Community Trust, an initial cohort was launched in New York City in 2021, called the New Music Capacity Building Program. Building on this initial cohort’s success, New Music USA launched New Music Inc in Baltimore, Chicago, and New York City in 2023. The opening of New Music Inc LA brings the program to its fourth US city.
New Music Inc elevates each participating organization through financial support — a $10,000 grant — coupled with mentorship and hands-on skill-building in a cohort environment. The program is facilitated by a local Program Coordinator who is deeply engrained in the target city’s music community. The Program Coordinator for New Music Inc LA is Los Angeles Performance Practice (LAPP), a non-profit organization devoted to the production and presentation of contemporary performance by artists whose work advances and challenges multi-disciplinary artistic practices. The program’s collaborative mentorship opportunities include 1:1 meetings with the Program Coordinator, cohort learning sessions, development of organizational plans, and peer-to-peer feedback from local arts professionals. The fundamental goal of New Music Inc is to create a supportive space that fosters engaging, collaborative learning between small, artist-led organizations in Los Angeles as they navigate through pivotal stages in their development.
Applicants can learn more about the program guidelines and application on the New Music Inc program page here. New Music USA will also offer the following services to applicants: a free webinar about the program on July 9 at 12pm PDT (register here) and a free Q&A session on July 23 at 12pm PDT (register here). Closed Captioning and ASL will be provided.
About New Music USA
New Music USA is a national non-profit organization dedicated to advancing new music in all its forms. Our mission is to nurture a vibrant and inclusive community for artists and listeners by supporting the creation, performance, and appreciation of new music throughout the United States. Through responsive grant-making; skill-building; mentorship and convenings for creators from all backgrounds; and platforms designed to connect music-makers with organizations and their audiences, New Music USA works to ensure a thriving, connected, and equitable ecosystem for the music of our time. newmusicusa.org
