Jazz Road Creative Residencies

Detailed Program Description

Jazz Road Creative Residencies is one component of the larger program, Jazz Road. Jazz Road is a 4-year national jazz initiative directed by South Arts, funded by the Doris Duke Foundation with additional support from the Mellon Foundation. Jazz Road features a coordinated partnership with the other five Regional Arts Organizations. All work together to deliver technical assistance and grants that enhance jazz artists’ livelihoods through residencies in communities across the country. 

Purpose

To remove the financial barriers that keep professional jazz artists from investing deeply in their creative practice, attending to their artistic and professional growth, and experimenting across a wide range of artistic and community engagement possibilities throughout the US.

Background

Jazz Road Creative Residencies is an artist-centric program that responds to what artists have called for while promoting flexibility for how “residency” can be defined.

Artists have expressed their need for time and resources to drive new creative visions, explore collaborations; and connect their music to communities in socially relevant and lasting ways. Support in these areas is viewed as crucial for musicians to reach new artistic and professional heights while building jazz partnerships and audiences throughout the US.

Program Goal

To provide financial support for professional jazz artists from across the US in self-defined residency activities that advance their artistry, creative exploration, community engagement, and lifework in jazz.

Award Amounts

Grant amounts range from $5,000 to $40,000. Grants are awarded directly to artists.

Important Dates & Deadlines

• Applications Open: January 15, 2025
• Deadline: April 2, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET
• Notification: June 30, 2025
• Grant Period: July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026 

Informational Webinar

In addition to the guidelines below, the Jazz Road team held the webinar below on February 2, 2023, to provide additional guidance and share best practices when assembling an application.

Guidelines

While preparing your Jazz Road Creative Residency application, please refer to the following guidelines.

Applicant Eligibility

Only individual artists (as an individual, an artist-led nonprofit organization, or an artist-led corporation) may apply to this program. An eligible artist is:

• A professional jazz artist, working solo or working with a professional composer-led or collective jazz ensemble;  
• A professional jazz artist able to show a noteworthy record of work experience and accomplishments in the jazz field; and,
• A U.S. citizen or permanent resident who is based in the U.S. or its territories. (Non-residents may participate in the project but are ineligible to receive Jazz Road funds.

Please note that while previous and/or current Jazz Road Tours awardees are eligible to apply, previous Creative Residency awardees are NOT eligible to apply.

Jazz Road recognizes the complete history and aesthetic range of excellence within jazz music and will not attempt to define “jazz” in the Guidelines or communications. The program acknowledges that jazz is rooted in the Black experience and is by nature a communal music informed by artists, elders, and their communities.

The program is intended to support professional artists within a career level spectrum from mid-career to “more accomplished.” Jazz Road recognizes that measures of “higher-level” career success based on perceived visibility, accolades, active touring/recording profiles and income, are subjective. The applicant will define how this eligibility criterion is met.

A key Jazz Road objective is to award a large and diverse pool of artists across the U.S. However, current Jazz Road Tours grantees are eligible to apply for Jazz Road Creative Residencies. 

Creative Residency Eligibility

Residency Components

Residencies must be one to four weeks in duration, either in a continuous or non-continuous format, and can take place anywhere in the U.S. These residencies are designed to serve as catalysts for advancing the applicant’s artistic work, focusing on creative development and/or community engagement. They should represent a departure from the applicant’s previous artistic norms and aim to produce outcomes that significantly enhance their career. Additionally, residencies provide time, inspiration, and resources to support efforts that are often underfunded or unsustainable.

The program encourages applicants to propose original and tailored residency experiences. Artists can define their residency goals, structure, budget, location(s), and timeline, and may incorporate collaborations with other artists, multiple disciplines, or partner organizations. Partner organizations are not required for eligibility.

Applicants must provide a narrative that addresses the program’s review criteria and priorities while clearly defining tangible outcomes.

The program emphasizes flexibility to accommodate a wide range of possibilities. This approach allows artists and collaborators to interpret and design the concept of a "residency" in ways that best suit their unique goals and creative vision.

Eligible residencies can address any of three areas:

1. Creative emphasis: develop, produce, record and/or perform existing and/or new work;
2. Community engagement emphasis: connect artistic vision, practice, and/or new work to opportunities for community immersion;  
3. Pushing the Jazz field forward;
4. Any combination of the above. 

The most competitive grants address two out of the above three areas.

How artists can work with or without artistic collaborators and partner organizations:

• Individual artists work independently and alone to develop their work.
• The lead artist works independently with an ensemble. Collaborating artist(s) may be included in the residency to develop work which may be single, inter, or multi-disciplinary.
• Artists work in collaboration with partnering organizations. Partnering organizations may be financial or non-financial partners and may fund, share, or require payment for various expenses and/or in-kind services as applicable. These partners may be organizations (ranging from conventional performing arts centers to alternative spaces) that wish to:
  • commission new work by the artist, and/or present and promote the artist in their venue and/or communities;
  • provide the artist with fees, lodging, travel, hospitality, and/or production space and equipment, or other project expenses while work is in production in the presenter’s venues and/or within communities;
  • be arts and/or non-arts outlets that assist or provide the artist with community access to enable engagement and outreach while promoting events to the public and specific community sectors.

A partnering organization can be included on no more than two applications on a limited basis; to discuss potential partners and determine if they are eligible, please contact your RAO representative.

Residency parameters:

• Residencies must occur between July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026.
• Residencies are required to be one-to-four weeks in duration (these dates may be either contiguous or non-contiguous) and may be located anywhere in the US.
• Residencies may take place far away from the applicant’s home and require travel and lodging, or they may take place near, even within, an artist’s home and not require either.  
• Residencies may take place in wide-ranging sites and spaces.
• Residencies may be opportunities for artists to work undisturbed in isolation; or gather, make work and quarantine safely as necessary.  
• Residencies do not require partner organizations to be eligible for support.
• When working with partner organizations, they may be wide-ranging.
• Residencies may be centered on creative work development or how artists connect with communities through wide-ranging engagement activities or a combination of the two. The final grant pool will include an equitable number of residencies centered in either area.
• Residencies will always include some scale of creative development be it writing new work or revisiting existing music – and can feature a range of informal-to-formal performances. Live public performances, however, are not mandatory.  
• Residencies can include sound/video recording, documentation, and virtual programming.
• Residencies may include academic settings such as music schools, universities, colleges, and institutions of higher learning, so long as the applicant’s creative endeavor is the primary element of the project, and independent of teaching formal curriculum as appointed faculty. The residency must emphasize a competitive artist’s creative practice and engagement and is not a school-based jazz education program. High schools may be included as residency activity sites, especially through local arts agency coordination in remote areas.
  • Examples of an acceptable education-based residency could include;
    • A Jazz Bass Clarinetist producing a video series to help band directors understand the value & nuances of including and teaching the Bass Clarinet in their ensemble.  
    • Producing a big band Jazz Real book featuring Female composers and using your university program to record them.  
  • An example of a non-acceptable education-based residency would be;
    • Requesting funds for your High School Jazz Band to get clinicians in to teach.  
    • Requesting funds so that you can do a teaching tour of universities.  
• Residencies may include conventional and/or alternative non-profit and/or commercial entities.  
• Though the application must be submitted by the lead artist, the residency concept may be originally conceived and equally driven by a partner organization(s). The project budget may include costs which will be shared with or paid to a partner organization, if applicable. 

Residency project examples include, but are not limited to:

• Create/compose, revisit/rehearse existing and/or new music independently or with partner organizations; in isolation or with additional artistic personnel and/or new collaborating artists
• Utilize site resources, equipment and materials for creative development and production either for purchase or as provided by host organizations
• Promote, produce, and perform live and/or virtual public and/or community engagements.  
• Record new work (via sound, video or other)  
• Document (via video or other) residency creative and/or community engagement outcomes and/or residency-in-process
• Introducing Jazz to new audiences at conferences, festivals etc.
• Produce an extended engagement residency at commercial and/or nonprofit clubs and lofts to showcase new work and artistic collaborations
• Create opportunities to connect with communities which impact the artist’s creativity, foster new points of entry for artist-community cultural exchange, and potentially build jazz audiences
• Plan community engagement work that will encompass apprenticeships or creative collaborations with elder musicians and prioritize a pursuit for communal/cultural knowledge  
• Self-produce in conventional venues (i.e., artist studio/black box theatre) and/or alternative spaces (i.e., sidewalks to warehouses; parks to corner stores) to enhance diverse performance and audience experiences
• Partner with host organizations that provide a comprehensive pool of resources for a larger scale of co-production required to: commission and/or develop new multi-disciplinary work, foster artistic collaboration and community engagement, and/or present public performances
• Reside and perform in chosen locations that personally resonate for the artist (such as a return to home or creative partnership) and/or remote areas of the country rarely exposed to live jazz performance
• Explore imaginative performance strategies in re-purposed spaces, the outdoors, and other environments

Other combinations of activities that are not listed above may be eligible. Though the program is highly competitive, Jazz Road panelists will evaluate and fund many kinds of residencies which successfully address all review criteria.

The portal application form will require a project narrative with outcomes, timeline, and budget to fully delineate the residency scope and outcomes. 

Examples of Residency Sites and/or Partner Organizations:

Residency projects can occur in many kinds of spaces/venues, be they traditional or alternative, arts-identified, or not. Though not required, applicants can choose to collaborate with organizations in informal ways or identify formal residency partner organizations. Eligible organizations are wide-ranging and include the following.

The following are eligible to be included in a project:

• Nonprofit and commercial jazz/arts presenters, venues, and clubs
• Performing arts centers, theaters, and concert halls
• Rehearsal and recording studios
• Home studios
• Universities, colleges, and institutions of higher education
• Jazz festivals
• Local arts agencies/councils
• Radio station live in-studio programs
• Artist spaces
• Community centers  
• Churches, synagogues, mosques, and other places of worship
• Embassies
• Galleries
• Museums
• Listening rooms and libraries
• House concerts
• Open-air markets, plazas, parks, and patios
• Community hangouts from bodegas to recreation centers
• Local retail and civic/municipal events
• Other entities as applicable 

Letter of Intent/Agreement Requirements

Each primary artistic collaborator and partner organization listed in the application must demonstrate their commitment to the project by providing a co-signed Letter of Intent/Agreement between themselves and the artist.

The following parties must provide Letters of Intent/Agreement for the application, if applicable:

• Primary collaborating artist(s) (Not to include applicant’s ensemble members)
• Primary organization identified as a partner/host organization 
• Any additional entity listed in the residency narrative that is integral to the project

The letter must include, if applicable:

• Primary residency provisions/usage/terms including date, time, location, and partner’s contact information
• Primary residency provisions/usage/terms related to payments, fees, and other key conditions listed in the project budget

Letters may or may not be considered legally binding and/or contingent upon receiving funding from Jazz Road Creative Residencies based on determination.  

Contracts that include the above information can be submitted in lieu of the Letter of Agreement, if applicable. 

Eligible Expenses and Budget Information

The following expenses are eligible for grant support:

• Salaries/artist fees: the equitable amount the artist/ensemble and collaborating artists are normally paid for creative development (planning, rehearsal, production), performance, and community engagement time and activities for this project
• Travel (ground and air)
• Hotel/Lodging
• Meals
• Backline and equipment rental
• Space rental
• Sound recording and video production engineering (personnel and materials)
• Technology needs (hardware and software) for electronic and/or virtual work
• Tour/project management personnel or services
• Copyist, if applicable
• Supplies and materials
• Shipping
• Communications and event publicity/promotion costs (personnel, print and social media)
• Costs specific to community engagement (including community participant stipends, meeting costs, transportation, and space rental, if applicable)
• Related permit and license fees, if applicable
• Costs specific to project evaluation
• Child/elder care costs, if applicable
• COVID-19 safety precaution costs, if applicable 

Project Budget

Applicants are required to submit a budget.

Grant Support

Jazz Road Creative Residencies grants will range between $5,000 - $40,000. Grants will be awarded directly to artists to cover eligible residency expenses.

• Partnering organizations may be financial or non-financial partners and may provide coverage for various expenses and/or in-kind services as applicable, or not at all. Should the project budget include eligible expenses that the applicant and partner will jointly incur, they may be included in the grant amount request.
• The grant amount is not required to be matched. If matching revenues transpire for the project, they are not required to be listed in the project budget template. 
• Grants will be awarded for the total amount requested provided all expenses are eligible and the request is within $5,000 - $40,000.

Review Criteria

Panels composed of specialists in the jazz field will review applications and make recommendations for support. Panels will reflect diverse racial, ethnic, gender, and geographic representation as well as range in jazz aesthetic points of view and experience. Applications will be evaluated using the following criteria:

Artistic Excellence (25%)

• Artists (individual and/or ensemble applicant(s) and primary artistic collaborator, if applicable) demonstrate artistic excellence as evidenced by submitted work samples and artist(s) record of achievement (defined in biographies).

Project Narrative (25%)

• Project narrative includes a clear and viable description of the residency goals, participants, activities, location, planning, and timeline;
• The applicant defines how they and/or the project represent the equity priorities (listed below);
• If partnership(s) are included in the project, they are clearly described with roles, parameters, and shared expenses plainly defined, if applicable, as well as how the partnership is necessary for the success of the project. 

Residency Outcomes (25%)

• Application describes what project outcomes the residency is intended to produce and how they will be achieved; 
• Application describes the level of artistic and creative growth, and kinds of career-defining outcomes, that are expected as a result of the residency; 
• Application describes what creative or professional outcomes are to be achieved through community engagement, if applicable, and how the outcomes impact the artist(s) .

Capacity (25%)

• Application demonstrates project management capacity to complete the residency, including ample direction and logistical coordination which collaborating artist(s) and/or partners rely on, if applicable;
• Applicant demonstrates financial planning, which includes developing and maintaining an appropriate and realistic project budget; 
• Applicant has developed an appropriate evaluation plan to describe the successes/challenges of the residency and measure residency outcomes; 

Priorities

In addition to the evaluation criteria listed above, South Arts seeks Creative Residencies applications and a final pool of grantees that are representative of the jazz field in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, and geographic location. The program also strives to award artists and residency projects in each of the six US regions, including rural and remote areas.

Demographic Information

Demographic information is for South Arts’ use only. The application form requests your identification of the following information:

• Birth year
• Gender identity
• Race/Ethnicity
• U.S. citizen and/or residency status

Grant Award and Payment

South Arts contracts with the applicant artist (as an individual, an artist-led nonprofit organization, or an artist-led corporation). The applicant must provide government-required documentation showing his/her U.S. citizenship or Permanent Resident status, if applicable. The grantee is solely responsible for the management of the residency project and disbursement and reporting of the grant income. Grant award agreements will include all essential terms required for receipt of the award, including advance notice of content required for final report completion.

Grantees will receive 75% of the grant amount no sooner than 45 days before the project begins. The remaining 25% will be disbursed upon approval of a submitted final report and required photo/video documentation. Grant funds are taxable income.

Application Submission and Deadline

South Arts recognizes that individuals are not always able to successfully access the technology platforms necessary to complete an electronic application. South Arts does not intend technology to be a barrier to apply; if you require assistance, please contact us at jazzroad@southarts.org or 404.874.7244 x813.

Completed applications, including Letter(s) of Intent/Agreement and work samples, may be submitted either electronically through our Salesforce portal (by 11:59 p.m. ET) or physically via mail (postmarked) by the extended deadline of April 8, 2023.

Physical copies of the application may be requested, and should be returned to:

Attn: JAZZ ROAD
South Arts
1800 Peachtree Street, NW
Suite 808
Atlanta, GA 30309

Applications will be submitted through the Salesforce portal.

Application Requirements

• Applicant/Artist Information
• Artistic Collaborator(s) Information, if applicable
• Primary Partner Organization(s) Information, if applicable
• Biography(ies) of Applicant and key artistic personnel or collaborators, if applicable
• Link to Artist Website(s) and Other Social Media Links
• Residency Summary
  • Artistic Excellence
  • Project Narrative
  • Residency Outcomes
  • Capacity
• Signed Letter(s) of Intent/Agreement, if applicable
• Residency Project Budget
• Three video and/or audio links that best represent the applicant’s music