Institutional Grants

The Musical Fund Society actively invests in the musical life and legacy of Philadelphia by making limited funds available to incorporated, non-profit classical music organizations for projects which advance the foundational goals of the Society.

The Society will consider supporting projects in the Philadelphia area that focus on: 

•   new music, with an emphasis on Philadelphia-area composers and their works
•   innovative projects (exploring something truly new for your organization or community)
•   development of new audiences
•   music education (specifically, music programs; not scholarships)
•   recording projects involving new compositions performed by local artists

While the aggregate funds available for distribution from the Society are modest, it is our hope that the grant will play a significant role in the funded project. Grants generally range from $2,000 to $6,000 per year and should be an important, but not the sole, source of funding.

The application period for the FY26 grant cycle is January 8, 2025 – February 24, 2025.

           The link to the application portal will be available on January 8, 2025.                                                                            Paper applications are not accepted.
           The deadline for submitting an application is 5:00 PM EST on February 24, 2025.
                  Late applications cannot be accepted.

Below are the funding guidelines and evaluation criteria for the FY26 grant cycle; please read them carefully. We also recommend that you visit our Institutional Grants FAQ page for further detail on many common questions.

If you have other questions or would like to speak with someone directly, please email us
at info@musicalfundsociety.org, and someone will respond to your message as soon as possible.

ELIGIBILITY AND GUIDELINES FOR THE FY26 FUNDING CYCLE

ELIGIBILITY:

• The legal address of the organization’s office must be in Pennsylvania, within the 5-county region (Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, or Montgomery counties). (NB: this requirement applies only to the legal address of the organization as reflected on the most recent 990.) Applications from organizations outside this area will not be considered.
• All project activities proposed for MFS funding must take place within the city of Philadelphia. (Project activities not funded by the requested grant may take place outside the city.)
• We accept applications from 501(c)(3) organizations as well as organizations with 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsors. Note that if a fiscal sponsor is used, the legal address of the applicant organization and the project activities must comply with the location requirements for eligibility (above).
• Applicants may have no more than one outstanding MFS grant from any prior funding cycle in order to be eligible to apply. Applications from organizations with two or more incomplete grant projects from prior cycles will not be considered.
• Applicants must have at least 2 years of organizational programming prior to 2025 in order to be eligible to apply.
• Applicant organizations whose staff or board include current Society members are eligible to apply for and receive grants. Those members will be recused from any discussions or votes related to their organization’s application.

GUIDELINES:

WHAT WE FUND:

• The Society funds only specific projects; it does not offer support for seasons.
  Projects encompassing multiple events within a season must be clearly differentiated in the application from the season as a whole, and/or from other events occurring within the same season.
• The proposed project activities for funding in the FY26 cycle must take place between 6/1/25 and 5/31/27.
• Applications for cross-genre and multi-genre projects are welcome; you may wish to review the project descriptions for MFS institutional grants from prior years for examples of previously funded projects. If you still have questions about the suitability of your project, please email us at info@musicalfundsociety.org to discuss your questions prior to applying.

WHAT WE DON’T FUND:

• Applications that rely on the MFS grant as the sole or majority source of funding, or as a minimal source of funding. The MFS request must be between 10%-50% of the total project budget.
• Applications for season support. If a proposed project includes elements distributed over the course of an entire season, evaluators may at their discretion consider it as a request for season support and therefore ineligible for funding.
• Applications for capital projects or general operating support.
• Non-production related expenses such as receptions or social events.

CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION:

Criteria for evaluation will include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Artistic excellence: the application includes information about the skill, expertise and experience of the artists involved in the project. Similarly, the description of the organization’s history includes some information about its artistic work.
2. Relevance to the mission of the applicant organization: the application explains how the proposed project is connected to and/or furthers the mission of the applicant’s organization.
3. Capacity to complete the project: Capacity is evaluated in terms of organizational budget size and its relation to the size of the project budget; staff background; and history of completing similar projects, among other factors.                                                                                                                                                  If you are a young organization and have questions about how you can help us assess organizational capacity, please reach out for help – our contact information is below. 
4. Relevance of the project to one or more of MFS’s funding priorities:
   –new music, with an emphasis on Philadelphia-area composers and their works
   –innovative projects exploring something truly new for the organization or its community
   –development of new audiences
   –music education (specifically music programs; not scholarships)
   –recording programs of new music, performed by local artists
5. Importance of MFS support to the completion of the project: MFS support must represent between 10% – 50% of the project budget; applications with requests outside of that range will not be considered. Project funds that have been committed from other sources must be identified.
6. Awareness and advancement of DEAI: the application identifies ways in which the project reflects the organization’s principles of diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion relevant within their community and/or the larger arts community.
7. Adherence to the guidelines: the project will be evaluated on the basis of its adherence to the guidelines and requirements articulated here, on the Institutional Grants FAQ page, and in the application itself.

HOW TO APPLY:

• Applications are accepted through our online portal beginning Jan. 8, 2025; you may access the link at that time to view and submit the required material.
• Applications for FY 2026 grants must be submitted no later than 5:00 PM ET on Monday, February 24, 2025. Only complete applications will be considered.
• Please note that while we have word limits for most questions, you will not be penalized for shorter answers.
• The Musical Fund Society requires that all grantees submit a final report after the completion of the funded project.

QUESTIONS?

If you have any questions about your application or the application process, we encourage you to contact us at info@musicalfundsociety.org. We’re happy to help!

Remember, don’t wait until the last minute to ask questions or submit your application – we’re not able to allow extensions to the deadline.                                                                                                                               

Please visit our FAQ page for answers to some commonly asked questions about the Musical Fund Society’s grant making process.