Grantee Database

WOMENS AUDIO MISSION

Application ID

CYD-22-18215

Application Type

Creative Youth Development

Approved Grant Amount

40000

Project Description

Women’s Audio Mission (WAM) is a San Francisco/Oakland-based nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of women, girls, and gender-diverse individuals in music production and the recording arts, a field in which they are critically underrepresented (fewer than 5%), and even less are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color). WAM provides 4,000+ Northern California women, girls, and gender-diverse people from under-resourced communities (96% low-income; 93% BIPOC) each year with free media technology and music production training, hands-on experience, mentorship, and career counseling in the only professional recording studios in the world specifically built and run entirely by women/gender-diverse staff.

WAM addresses two issues:

1. < 5% of the people creating the sounds/messages that make up the soundtrack of our lives are women/gender-diverse. 2. An alarming 70% decline in women enrolling in college STEM programs, contributing to a decrease in female-identifying audio creators. Highlights: ● “Best Hope for the Future of Music 2019” – SF Weekly ● 8,000+ classes provided for 22,000+ women/girls ● Produced/recorded award-winning projects/performances for 500+ artists (Sheila E., Beyonce's Band, Kronos Quartet, David Sedaris, Neko Case, Angélique Kidjo, tUnE-yArDs, Toro Y Moi) providing work for 450+ women/gender-diverse engineers ● Invited to advise Recording Academy (GRAMMYs) & Academy of Country Music's Diversity & Inclusion Task Forces alongside Obama Advisor Tina Tchen, Alicia Keys, Sheryl Crow and Common, influencing the number of women/gender-diverse and BIPOC artists featured on both award shows ● Placed 1,200+ women/gender-diverse individuals in careers at Dolby, Pixar, Google, Facebook, ESPN, Sony, Pandora, NPR, recording Mary J. Blige/Hillary Clinton for Apple, on tour with Tracy Chapman, etc.) ● White House Office of Social Innovation studied WAM's methods of music/media education for at-risk girls/gender-diverse youth ● Silicon Valley STEM Innovation Award; 2 Google RISE Awards, AARP Purpose Prize ● Recently featured in: Forbes, ESPN, Billboard, Pandora, SF Chronicle, Rolling Stone, Spotify

Organization Summary

Women’s Audio Mission (WAM) is a San Francisco/Oakland-based nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of women, girls, and gender-diverse individuals in music production and the recording arts, a field in which they are critically underrepresented (fewer than 5%), and even less are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color). WAM provides 4,000+ Northern California women, girls, and gender-diverse people from under-resourced communities (96% low-income; 93% BIPOC) each year with free media technology and music production training, hands-on experience, mentorship, and career counseling in the only professional recording studios in the world specifically built and run entirely by women/gender-diverse staff.

WAM addresses two issues:

1. < 5% of the people creating the sounds/messages that make up the soundtrack of our lives are women/gender-diverse. 2. An alarming 70% decline in women enrolling in college STEM programs, contributing to a decrease in female-identifying audio creators. Highlights: ● “Best Hope for the Future of Music 2019” – SF Weekly ● 8,000+ classes provided for 22,000+ women/girls ● Produced/recorded award-winning projects/performances for 500+ artists (Sheila E., Beyonce's Band, Kronos Quartet, David Sedaris, Neko Case, Angélique Kidjo, tUnE-yArDs, Toro Y Moi) providing work for 450+ women/gender-diverse engineers ● Invited to advise Recording Academy (GRAMMYs) & Academy of Country Music's Diversity & Inclusion Task Forces alongside Obama Advisor Tina Tchen, Alicia Keys, Sheryl Crow and Common, influencing the number of women/gender-diverse and BIPOC artists featured on both award shows ● Placed 1,200+ women/gender-diverse individuals in careers at Dolby, Pixar, Google, Facebook, ESPN, Sony, Pandora, NPR, recording Mary J. Blige/Hillary Clinton for Apple, on tour with Tracy Chapman, etc.) ● White House Office of Social Innovation studied WAM's methods of music/media education for at-risk girls/gender-diverse youth ● Silicon Valley STEM Innovation Award; 2 Google RISE Awards, AARP Purpose Prize ● Recently featured in: Forbes, ESPN, Billboard, Pandora, SF Chronicle, Rolling Stone, Spotify

Organization

WOMENS AUDIO MISSION

Address

542-544 NATOMA ST

SAN FRANCISCO

Phone

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