New York Women Composers’ annual Seed Money Grant Program awards grants of $1,000 U.S. Dollars (USD) each for concert projects that include a substantial commitment to the performance of music by NYWC members. (Note: This is not a commissioning grant.) Applicants may be solo performers, ensembles, or presenting organizations.

The 2026 Receipt Deadline for grant applications is Friday, May 29, 2026. The applicant should submit a brief outline of their proposed project, along with professional biographical and promotional materials and a sample sound recording. We require electronic submissions so that all of the jury has immediate access. We anticipate informing applicants of our decision by early July.

Applications will be judged by the following criteria:
1. Project visibility, including providing an audio and/or video recording of the concert(s)

2. Instrumentation (the grant committee tries to balance the variety of instrumentation receiving awards each year)

3. Quality of the performers, as evidenced by the selected sample

4. Concert length (we prefer concerts of a minimum of 1 hour)

5. Performing Rights Organizations licensing coverage for paid-admission concerts

6. Community outreach potential

7. Qualified new applicants will receive preference over those who have previously received New York Women Composers funding. No group or individual performer will be funded in two consecutive years.

Please note: We encourage anyone not receiving a grant to re-apply, as the needs of the organization, the number of grants that it is possible to award, the instrumentation mix, the conditions of the grant, and the members of the jury change from year to year.

For more information, contact: newyorkwomencomposers@gmail.com. To watch a Zoom recording of a past year’s information session, please follow this link: https://youtu.be/51OzdguCbaE.