Iguana Music Fund | grant for New England artists

Application Window Currently ClosedThe 2024 Iguana Fund recipients have been announced. The next application window will open September 1st, 2025.

The Iguana Music Fund is an annual grant program predominantly funded by generous anonymous donors, plus the help of Passim, sponsorships, and community donations. Each year the Iguana Music Fund gives approximately $40,000 in grants to individual artists in amounts from $500 to $2,000 each. Grants are used for projects and expenses to aid in artists' career growth, and range from recording projects to community programs to specialized equipment or instruments. The Iguana Music Fund was established in 2008 after a generous anonymous donation was given with the intention of helping artists pursue their musical goals. Artists often have the talent and ideas to create incredible music, but they do not always have the financial capacity to do so. To help musicians overcome financial limitations, the Iguana Music Fund awards annual grants to artists with a residential or tour-based affiliation to New England. Since 2008, over $630,000 in grants has funded more than 320 projects.

The 2024 Iguana Music Fund recipients have been announced! See below for info on all 23 artists and groups that received grants this year.

For the past 17 years, the Iguana Fund has financed hundreds of projects to the benefit of our music community including Della Mae, Oompa, and Lake Street Dive. Being a musician in the last few years has led to more uncertainty than ever before. What remains clear is that art helps us understand ourselves, connects us, and makes life worth living. There is funding available for projects that you might be working on now: recording & streaming equipment, a new instrument that will take your playing to the next level, an online program that teaches important traditions, publicity for your debut EP.

On Monday, May 12th at 7pm, we will host a showcase of the 2024 grant recipients at Club Passim. Tickets here to attend the showcase.

2024 RecipientsRead the Press Release

Adam Hendey
recording solo album of traditional Celtic songs with his singing debut
After School Arts Program
producing showcase featuring the work of student creators who produced an original score for their first short film
Arlington Jazz Festival
providing free community concerts in Arlington
Boston Mongolian Artsong Ensemble
recording debut album featuring six Mongolian artsongs
Center for Peace Through Culture
stipends to bring new artists to the Listening Room at CPC
Flight Or Visibility
a full-length singing string quartet concert featuring original classical punk music about liberation
Gender Equity Audio Workshop
an educational workshop to break down gender barriers in audio production and recording studio skills
Good Judgement
recording debut album
High Tea
recording full-length studio album
Himalayan Highway
recording debut EP
Hooly J Chan & the Wicked Queer Puppet Theater
producing a full-length album that will be brought the world with puppetry
Indë
touring exhibition that pairs music with paintings
Jean-Baptiste Cardineau
new instrument for touring
Katie Castagno
original album celebrating the lives of local queer elders
Kenya Hall
pressing vinyl for her sophomore album
The Know Better Do Better Project
website hosting
Kotoko Brass
purchasing video equipment to provide high-quality records for local musicians
Lydia Harrell
recording an EP of original songs on ukelele
Mercedes Escobar
mastering for her Latin-Americana album
Najee Janey
recording an album ten years in the making
Pearl Scott
mixing and mastering for an EP
Simon Lace
repairing instruments
Zaira Meneses
marketing material for her Son Jachoro band

2023 RecipientsRead the Press Release

Abby Lokelani
recording debut EP
Adeline Um
recording album with a new indie-pop sound
Almira Ara
recording first full-length album to highlight the importance of queer POC in music spaces
chrysalis
recording sophomore album
Circus 617 & Opera On Tap Boston
producing “Arias Aloft” with opera singers and circus arts
Elias Cardoso
recording rearranged traditional Celtic music
Hannah O'Brien & Grant Flick
recording sophomore album
Kimaya Diggs
hiring a producer for a new album
Lila Wilde
recording nu-disco album
Maddie Lam
first self-recorded project
Medford Trad Jazz Festival
traditional jazz and blues festival free to the public
Mint Green
funding first cross-country tour
Model Peril
a live music recording studio for underserved communities
Naomi Westwater
recording new album based on the cycle of the seasons
Nicolás Emden
recording new album of South American folk rock
The Opening Doors Project
A series of live performances dedicated to amplifying voices of color and advancing conversations about race
Paul Willis
writing a book and an album that discusses Hip Hop and values-based leadership
The Rough & Tumble
building a home recording studio
Ryan Curless
upgrading current drum gear
Simon Robert French
replacing broken instruments
Spirit 47
new roots revivalist duo recording their first album
Terry Borderline
producing an EP featuring 40 collaborating artists in hip hop, R&B, soul, & neo-soul

2022 RecipientsRead the Press Release

After School Arts Program
a film/writing/production workshop for Boston youth
Angela Yam
A fully-staged choral opera of Emily Dickinson's poetry set to music
Anju
recording first full-length album
Ash & Eric
a free concert series for Worcester, MA
Carmen Marsico & Zafarán
new album blending many Mediterranean musical traditions
Carolyn Kendrick and Isa Burke
an intimate educational workshop hosted to break down gender barriers in audio production
Cliff Notez
multi-genre-multidimensional collection of EPs that will make up a larger album
Culomba
recording new album
Kara McKee
debut solo album
Kim Moberg
original album of songs that tell the ancient legend of the Annishinabee prophecies
Lisa Bastoni
songwriting retreat for women+, with preference for mothers & caregivers
Matt Heaton
purchasing new guitar
Matthew Lau
new composition for vibraphone blending bluegrass and contemporary influences
Maura Shawn Scanlin
debut solo album
Maurizio Fiore Salas
Video footage of performances that present Venezuelan traditional music in different formats
Miles of Music Camp
funding scholarships for an annual music and songwriting camp
The Opening Doors Project
A series of live performances dedicated to amplifying voices of color and advancing conversations about race
Pamela Means
gear for The Power of The Protest Song presentation
Sophie Wellington
purchasing a dance board mic
Sub Rosa Songwriting Retreat
annual collaborative songwriting retreat
Zakiyyah
album exploring the sounds of the black diaspora and Hip-Hopera
Zayra Pola
debut album as a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist

2021 RecipientsRead the Press Release

Alida Mckeon
recording debut ep
C.J. Red Mouth
recording debut ep
Camerata Nova Anglia
a recital series featuring POC musicians and their cultural influences
Chris Walton
releasing a song every month for a year
Coral Moons
purchasing an in-ear monitor system
FLUKES
producing a free video series for nursing homes, rehab, memory care and assisted-living facilities throughout Maine
Green Tara Project
album blending Celtic & Nepalese tunes
Honeysuckle
recording an ep with a new band sound
Ira Klein & Convivencia
produce two videos of Ladino music
Jake Blount & the Vox Hunters
recording an album of Black maritime music
Kate Callahan
writing songs with young women inmates
Kimaya Diggs
upgrading home recording equipment
The Know Better Do Better Project
video & website hosting
Lady Dust
traveling to Folk Alliance International and building a tour on the way
Lisa Bastoni
organizing a songwriting retreat for mothers & caregivers who are women & non-binary
Lyracle
starting a concert series of early music
Medford Community Chorale & Youth Chorus
a concert to support Medford’s CITY-WIDE HUNGER FREE initiative
Miles of Music Camp
funding scholarships for an annual music and songwriting camp
Opera on Tap Boston
hiring more performers for outdoor concert series
Owen Kennedy
recording debut album
Owen Marshall
recording solo album
Pamela Means
purchasing portable sound system
Sub Rosa Songwriting Retreat
annual collaborative songwriting retreat

2020 RecipientsRead the Press Release

Diana Alvarez
producing the BridgeSong Series, a virtual convening for artists of color
Alisa Amador
recording debut full-length album
Billy Wylder
releasing a series of singles leading up a new EP
Isa Burke
recording debut solo album
Màiri Chaimbeul
recording debut solo album
DJ WhySham
producing Finally LIVE: A Social Justice Trap Story, a showcase presenting women and non-binary artists in Boston
Mercedes Escobar
audio & video recording equipment
Sadie Gustafson-Zook
audio recording & streaming equipment
Home Despot
recording debut EP
Juventas New Music Ensemble
recording a show of chamber music by composers from every continent
Lake Saint Daniel
recording debut solo album
Little Roots Music
hiring guest musicians, dancers, storytellers, and puppeteers to collaborate in online music classes for young children
Miles of Music Camp
funding scholarships for an annual music and songwriting camp
Casey Murray & Molly Tucker
recording debut full-length album
Halley Neal
recording debut full-length studio album
Nate Nics
recording a concept hip-hop album
Noah y Maurizio
recording sophomore album
Hayley Reardon
audio recording equipment
Abigale Reisman
recording a series of videos honoring the Jewish violin
Dave Richardson
mastering a new album
Rockabye Beats
producing a bilingual video series teaching children about music, dancing, food, and Spanish
Ethan Setiawan
recording album of original tunes
Gabriella Simpkins
upgrading home recording and streaming equipment
Maddie Witler
recording debut solo album

2019 RecipientsRead the Press Release

Arc Iris
in-ear monitor system
Louise Bichan
applying for a work visa to stay and work as an artist in the US
Aurora Birch
recording sophomore album
Boston States Fiddle Camp
a new week-long Scottish & Cape Breton fiddle camp
Jeff Butcher
recording an album of his father's songs
Volkan Efe
The Makam Healing Project: performances of Turkish modal music in hospitals
Yann Falquet
recording first solo ep
Allison de Groot
recording an album of duets from many folk traditions arranged for clawhammer banjo
Jim Haggerty
professional upright bass
Kaiti Jones
recording sophomore album
Molly Pinto Madigan
marketing Tam Lin: A Folk-Rock Opera
Albino Mbie
recording debut album
Miles of Music camp
annual music and songwriting camp
Alastair Moock
giving away an album about activism to underserved schools
Prateek
recording a live album
Rakish
recording debut album
Rosemere Road
recording debut album
Chris Sartori
bass flight case
Tory Silver
recording sophomore album
The Sub Rosa Songwriting Retreat
annual collaborative songwriting retreat
Abigail Vail
recording debut album
Naomi Westwater
recording an ep
The Wolff Sisters
a tour van

2018 RecipientsRead the Press Release

Age
recording album inspired by traditional Hebrew texts
Anadama
recording first full-length album
Arc Iris
purchasing tour van
Stace Brandt
recording first ep
Bring Us Your Women
multimedia performance highlighting women religious figures
Kate Callahan
writing songs with women inmates
Julia Anne Cohen
Hear Us! concert and lecture series feat. women composers
The Great Molasses Flood
recording live album on the anniversary of the Great Molasses Flood
Hawthorn
travel expenses for album release tour
Izzy Heltai
recording ep with a new stripped-back sound
Jim Henry
book of practical advice in the music business
Zachariah Hickman
mixing and mastering Songs & Strings live show
Corey Laitman
album recording
The Late Risers
recording first full-length album
Miles of Music camp
annual music and songwriting camp
Oompa
recording album exploring race, identities, and mental health
Forrest Pettengill
purchasing an upright bass
Abrielle Scharff
recording first full-length album
Sing Explore Create
adapting the songwriting process to include students with physical & cognitive disabilities
Strangers by Accident
recording first full-length album
The Sub Rosa Songwriting Retreat
annual collaborative songwriting retreat
Tunefoolery
musicians in mental health recovery bring open mics to mental health centers
Ceren Turkmenoglu
recording album of music transcribed from traditional Ottoman manuscripts
Winter Walk
local musicians raise money to end homelessness