Applications for Arnold Shultz Fund grants are due January 31, 2025. Please go to this link for the application form.
The IBMA Foundation awarded $19,650 for 16 Arnold Shultz Fund grants to programs and individuals in 12 states, Kenya, and Nepal. The Arnold Shultz Fund was established in 2020 by the IBMA Foundation and funded by donors to encourage participation in bluegrass music by people of color. People of color are people with racial/ethnic backgrounds that are underrepresented in bluegrass: Black, Asian, Hispanic/Latino, Indigenous First People, Indigenous Pacific Islander, etc. Applicants may be individuals, schools, groups, organizations, or government entities. Priority will be given to programs, activities, or individuals that demonstrate a commitment to inclusivity and serving diverse, underrepresented populations in bluegrass music.
Arnold Shultz Fund grants were awarded to 16 programs and individuals in 2024, plus a special grant to the Black Banjo Reclamations Project in California from a fundraiser raffle conducted by Pisgah Banjo Company.
The Banjo Gathering, Roots Revival: Black String Band Symposium (Raleigh, North Carolina) – Six educational sessions produced for the 2024 IBMA Business Conference, September 26-27.
Big Bend Bluegrass Association, Bluegrass for Kids program (Alpine, Texas) – A bluegrass presentation for primarily Latino students to spark interest in learning to play stringed instruments, utilizing the “Play It Forward” instrument lending program from the Bluegrass Heritage Foundation.
Center for Cultural Vibrancy, Baltimore Old Time Music Festival: Africa to Appalachia program (Baltimore, Maryland) – Cultural and educational festival programming highlighting the role of African music and instruments in the old-time music and dance communities locally and beyond.
Dancing with the Spirit, young native leaders bluegrass teacher training (Fairbanks, Alaska) – Funding of assistant instructor training and travel for young native musicians who will be taking over as future bluegrass instructors in remote Alaskan villages (28 week-long camps in 2023).
Decolonizing the Music Room, Fort Worth African American Roots Music Festival (Ft. Worth, Texas) – Support day-long event highlighting central role of Blackness in early American music, featuring award-winning artists and scholars from across North America.
Miranda Dozier, banjo building (St. Louis, Missouri) – Banjo building training for Dozier, a Black banjo player who plays two-finger, clawhammer, and some Scruggs style banjo at spiritual and healing ceremonies.
Elephant Grass Musical Chairs, bluegrass presentations at Kenyan schools (Nairobi, Kenya) – Two concerts by the Elephant Grass Musical Chairs bluegrass band at Tafaria Castle Arts & Music Centre for students.
Aaron Farris, Bluegrass in the Rock (Mabelville, Arkansas) – Afterschool bluegrass program at Chicot Elementary & Early Childhood Center near Little Rock, with a high percentage of Latino and Black students. Farris is a Korean American music teacher at Chicot.
Yndiana Montes Fogelquist, documentary/academic presentation on Joe Troop’s Latingrass (Boone, North Carolina) – Assistance with travel expenses and equipment to conduct field interviews with Joe Troop in Durham, North Carolina, for a documentary film. Yndiana is a Venezuelan American journalist working on a master’s degree in Appalachian studies at Appalachian State University.
Himalayan Highway, recording project (Nepal) – Assistance with recording of debut EP from acoustic band based in Kathmandu exploring similarities between Nepali Folk music and bluegrass. (Band hosted the first bluegrass festival in Nepal.)
Jam Pak Blues ‘N’ Grass Neighborhood Band, Bluegrass Summer Camp with JamPak (Chandler, Arizona) – Instructor stipends (including 10+ Latino and Black teachers), daily snacks, and three dinners for 30-40 participants at camp. Majority of participants are Black or Latino (Free admission).
Joseph Z. Johnson, gourd banjo (Bloomington, Indiana) – Help to purchase a Pete Ross gourd banjo to use in teaching for the Black Banjo/Fiddle Fellowship at the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music, and also to support dissertation research and presentations on the relationship between banjo teachers, builders, and the Black origins of the instrument.
Kaia Kater, Sable Sisters EP (Ft. Worth, Texas) – Assistance with recording, mixing, and mastering five songs from roots duo featuring Grenadian-Canadian artist Kaia Kater and Black American artist Brandi Waller-Pace.
KSUT Radio, Four Corners Folk Festival (Pagosa Springs, Colorado) – Projection and talent assistance for folk/bluegrass/Americana festival committed to racial and gender equity on stage. KSUT Radio (event producer) is owned by the Southern Ute Tribe, whose headquarters are in Ignacio, Colorado.
Louisville Folk School, bluegrass guitar group lessons (Louisville, Kentucky) – Eight-week bluegrass guitar program for ten students hosted at the Americana Community Center as a part of the summer youth program. A diverse neighborhood was served, including children of immigrants and refugees.
The Rhapsody Project, instruction in bluegrass and roots music (Seattle, Washington) – Support for free music instruction provided through the organization’s Unbroken Circle program, serving inner city youth of many cultures.
Arnold Shultz (1886 – 1931) was a Black musician from western Kentucky. Best known as an extraordinary guitarist and fiddle player, Shultz often played with Bill Monroe’s fiddle-playing uncle, Pendleton (“Pen”) Vandiver. It was at these gigs that Monroe met Arnold Shultz and began to emulate his backup guitar style. Shultz was impressed enough with Monroe’s progress that he hired Monroe to play guitar with him at dances, thereby giving Monroe his first jobs as a professional musician. Monroe often credited Shultz with influencing his approach to playing music.
The deadline to apply for the next round of Arnold Shultz Fund grants is January 31, 2025. Qualified individual applicants may also inquire throughout the year about support on a case-by-case basis.
For information on applying for an Arnold Shultz Fund grant, becoming a sponsor of an IBMA Foundation Arnold Shultz Fund project or individual grant, or making a donation to the Arnold Shultz Fund, please visit bluegrassfoundation.org or email info@bluegrassfoundation.org.
Read more about Arnold Shultz and the Arnold Shultz Fund grant here (including past recipients).
Arnold Shultz Fund Grant info video https://youtu.be/cIBYyItf2F8?si=6pp9CO8-H0KhN1F7
Photo above: Miranda Dozier of St. Louis, Missouri, a 2024 Shultz Fund grant recipient, displays the banjo she built with her grant.
RETURN to the December 2024 issue of The Cornerstone: https://mailchi.mp/bluegrassfoundation/the-cornerstone-december2024.
RETURN to the November 2024 issue of The Cornerstone: https://mailchi.mp/bluegrassfoundation/the-cornerstone-november2024
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