Jazz & Heritage Music Relief Fund

In March of 2020, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation established the Jazz & Heritage Music Relief Fund – a statewide relief fund to support Louisiana musicians who have lost income amid the COVID-19 pandemic. While venues are reopening and performances are on the rise, Louisiana’s music community is still struggling to recoup financial losses from 2020 and 2021. 

In the last two years the Jazz & Heritage Foundation has been able to provide relief funds of more than $2 million dollars supporting musicians, music industry gig workers, Black Masking Indians and other indigenous cultural practitioners.   We need your help to fund more as this pandemic continues to hit the music community very hard.

Thanks to the generous support of donors near and far, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation’s Jazz & Heritage Music Relief Fund has already provided emergency grants to more than 5,000 members of our music community.

The Foundation has invested proceeds from Jazz Fest directly into the community with grants to fund projects that support the Foundation’s mission. Over the last 12 years, more than $10 million dollars have been awarded in Community Partnership Grants. Through the Jazz & Heritage Relief Fund, the Foundation will continue its support of Louisiana’s music industry professionals during these uncertain times. Establishing this fund is part of its wider plan to support the local cultural community. 

Events and performance opportunities are slowly coming back. But musicians, music industry workers, and cultural bearers are still struggling to recoup their losses from the last two years. For generations, the music community has provided the soul of Louisiana. Our goal is to help those impacted by quarantine, disruptions of income, and other challenges while ensuring an equitable distribution of funds

DOn Marshall, Executive Director

Applications are currently closed for the Music Relief Fund. Please sign up to our newsletter to be the first to know when another round opens.

You can support the Foundation’s efforts to reach more musicians, music workers and cultural bearers across Louisiana.