Grantee Database
ALTERNATIVE MUSIC FOUNDATION
Grant Year
2025-26
Grant Program
Impact Projects
Award Amount
$18,250.00
Project Description
With support from the California Arts Council, Alternative Music Foundation will present Give The Drummer Some, a series of eight free masterclasses led by master Black drummers rooted in the Bay Area. Centering the Black cultural traditions of blues, jazz, gospel, and R&B, this program addresses a community-identified need to celebrate, preserve, and pass down Black musical heritage. Developed in collaboration with local artists and community leaders, the series will uplift the voices of under recognized master musicians and create accessible learning opportunities for participants of all ages. This project affirms the cultural contributions of Black communities whose culture is threatened by gentrification and fosters an environment for accessible, intergenerational learning through culturally responsive arts education.
Organization Summary
Alternative Music Foundation provides an all ages, substance free, collectively run music and arts space for the community. Colloquially known as ‘924 Gilman’, or even just ‘Gilman’, our organization has been around in one form or another since 1986. We started off as a punk collective focused on providing a safe and inclusive space, and have maintained that attitude well into today.
As a music venue and arts space, our programming is focused mainly on centering and uplifting independent musicians and artists that specialize in alternative arts and music. We feature a wide variety of genres, and are lucky to have been able to support musicians from our neighborhood, from around the country, and even from around the world.
Our organization has been a cornerstone of the punk do-it-yourself, or ‘DIY’, ideology in the Bay Area and beyond, believing that anyone and everyone should have the opportunity to participate in our collective, no matter their background or experience. Due to this, we have an open arms policy, and provide training to anyone who is interested in learning skills that can help them build a career in the music industry, or in nonprofit operation. We provide training and skill sharing in Live Sound Engineering, Event and Venue Coordination, Venue Management, Event Booking, Social Media promotion, Volunteer Outreach and Coordination, and more.
Organization
924 Gilman
Address
924 GILMAN ST
BERKELEY
94710-1424
County
Alameda
Region
Bay Area – Other
Phone
(510) 918-3376
Congressional District
12th District of California
State Assembly District
14
State Senate District
7
