ACF | create - American Composers Forum

Stephanie Chou (ACF | create '16) performs at Joe's Pub

We will not be inviting applications for the ACF | create program this year. Funding for this program for the 2025-26 year has been allocated to the following collaborations as part of our ongoing Recomposing America initiative: Tufawon and the Duluth Art Institute; Kavyesh Kaviraj and Walker|West Music Academy; Malachi Brown and Sugar Hill Salon; and Danielle Jagelski, JL Marlor, and Protestra.

American Composers Forum (ACF) champions composers and other creative music makers, and boosts their careers with professional opportunities. ACF | create is an evolution of the Jerome Fund for New Music (JFund), which started in 1979. Through this program, ACF has made hundreds of awards and has helped launch many careers. ACF | create supports the creation, presentation, and subsequent life of a new work. Five grants are available: up to $8,000 for the composer or primary artist’s time to create the work, and up to $3,000 to help with production and promotion support. This program is for early career artists that reside in Minnesota or the five boroughs of New York City.

Program Description

ACF will select five early career music creators based in the state of Minnesota or the five boroughs of New York City to receive commissioning funding for the creation and presentation of a new work.
The work proposed for funding must be in early stages of development and must be completed (including a public presentation) within five years.
The music creator applies with a collaborative partner (such as a performing group or a presenter) who is committed to presenting the finished work. The collaborative partner can be based anywhere in the world.

Awards

Five artists will be awarded $11,000 to be allocated as follows:

$8,000.00 commission is paid directly to the artist across three installments for their time creating a new work.*
$3,000.00 to help with the production or promotion of the new work.** These funds may be used before, during, or after the premiere. Scenarios might include research, travel, consultation, preparation fees, equipment or software costs, rehearsals, workshops, space rental, collaboration, outreach events, touring, publication, recording, and promotion costs.
In addition to funding support, awardees have access to exclusive ACF events, networking activities, and career development mentorship from ACF staff. They also have opportunities to be featured and promoted on ACF’s platforms, such as curating playlists for I CARE IF YOU LISTEN, being interviewed for artist profiles, and having their work shared in our newsletters (distributed to more than 9,000 recipients).

*A note to ensembles or organizations applying on behalf of the artist creating the work: all commission support is paid directly to the artist creating the work and is not distributed to the organization or ensemble applying on behalf of the artist.

**At the discretion of the artist creating the new work, production and promotion support funding can be paid directly to the artist or an organization and/or performer(s) at the direction of the awarded artist.

The Jerome Foundation’s Goals

The Jerome Foundation’s ultimate goal is to support the artistic and career development of early career generative artists in Minnesota and the five boroughs of New York City who (whether working individually or as part of a team, ensemble or collective) exercise ultimate artistic control in creating new works and who demonstrate:

Imagination and rigor in their practice and production of new work
Technical proficiency and a high level of craft
Compelling and distinctive vision and authentic voice
Connection to intended audiences/participants
A self-awareness of their place in the creative practices and artistic communities in their field(s)
Innovation and creative risk-taking
Exploration of and challenges to conventional artistic forms
Critical inquiry of creative practice within their field and their arts community

For general questions regarding the ACF | create program, please contact Brian Dowdy, Community Director at bdowdy@composersforum.org.

2021-2024