Grantee Database
WHIPPOORWILL ARTS INC
Grant Year
2025-26
Grant Program
General Operating Support
Award Amount
$12,750.00
Project Description
Whippoorwill Arts appreciates the CAC’s consideration of a $30,000 general operating support grant for your continued support of two critical part-time staff positions: Tiara Amar, Team Co-Director of Advocacy and Fellows, and Gabriel Block, Team Co-Director of Music aLIVE.
Tiara leads our Fair Play Initiative—a diverse, artist-led coalition advancing fair pay, professional protections, and equitable hiring practices for musicians—and manages our Fellows Program, which provides $25,000 fellowships to a talented and diverse cohort of artists. Gabriel directs artist engagement and production for Music aLIVE, which brings free live music to underserved schools, elder care centers, and community partners.
With CAC’s renewed partnership, Whippoorwill Arts will continue to support an outstanding cohort of musicians, foster more inclusive audiences, and bring the joy of live music directly to communities where it is needed most.
Organization Summary
Whippoorwill Arts invests in US-based roots musicians; uplifts their talent, gifts, and hard work; and through collective effort, seeks to transform the music ecosystem for more equitable and ethical pay and professional protections. Whippoorwill Arts believes in asking musicians what they need, and in response to their stated needs has developed four core programs:
1. Music aLIVE creates performance opportunities with guaranteed pay for musicians in free concerts. The concerts are curated for underserved communities in non-traditional settings through partner agencies such as senior centers, prisons, rehab centers, veterans’ homes, and K-12 public schools. Each musician receives $200 for a concert that is free to the partner agency and community. More than 300 concerts serving more than 15,000 community members and 600 musicians have been funded to date.
2. Whippoorwill Arts Fellowships recognize and support musicians who are under the radar talent, and have demonstrated a sustained level of accomplishment, commitment, and artistic excellence. The fellowship awards $25,000 to each musician over two years. Fellows undertake a professional musical project, and join the Whippoorwill Fellow community for professional development, retreats and performance opportunities. To date, 11 fellowships have been awarded.
3. Collaborative Festival – annual festival, past partners include Freshgrass and NorthWest FolkLife;
4. Advocacy – created equitable pay and professional protection guidelines for musicians in partnership with the Center for Music Ecosystems and 4A Arts; currently working with RAMPD (Recording Artists & Music Professionals with Disabilities) and DisArt to better advocate for disabled musicians.
Organization
WHIPPOORWILL ARTS INC
Address
201 Martina Ave.
Richmond
94801
County
Contra Costa
Region
Bay Area – Other
Phone
(510) 708-3147
