Presenter Consortium for Jazz

The Presenter Consortium consists of a group of one Lead Presenter and two Presenter Partners working together to present one to three Ensembles.

The ensembles will present in-person concerts or streamed performances for each presenter’s audience. 

• Each jazz ensemble must be presented by each presenter in the consortium. 
• Presenters can be located within the same U.S. state or territory but must be located in distinct audience communities such as different towns, cities, or regions.  
• Must include a lead applicant that is a current CMA Organization-level member. (If awarded, all consortium members must join CMA at the Organization level.) 
• Presenters must be a 501(c)(3) organizations or otherwise eligible for charitable contributions for federal income, estate, and gift-tax purposes. Organizations must show proof of 501(c)3 status. 
• Must be public performance. A public performance is music played outside a normal circle of friends and family that occurs in any public place that is accessible to a gathering of general audiences. A public performance also occurs when music is transmitted through digital service providers like a live-streamed concert. 
• Must be accessible and inclusive to general audiences. General audiences are the group of people who have gathered to watch or listen to the event in an accessible public setting. Conferences do not count as public events for the purposes of the grant.  

A consortium project is a concert or streamed performance presented by a consortium member working with an ensemble(s) for a presenter’s audience. 

• Concerts presented by the Consortium are not required to be on consecutive dates 
• A Consortium can collaborate on efforts to market, manage, and present the project 
• Each Consortium Partner is responsible for keeping track of and following any radius clauses required for their organization or the ensemble they are partnering with 

Chamber Music America gives priority to projects that demonstrate community impact. Community impact:  

• Creates more access to jazz music  
• Fosters a sense of respect and appreciation for jazz music. 
• Creates opportunities for ensembles and presenters to engage with current and new audiences 

Examples of community impact can include: 

• Advancing or highlighting cultural richness and creativity of a community 
• Demonstrating, creating, or fostering collaboration between organization/presenter(s), the ensemble, and audiences/communities 
• Outreach and/or engagement to audiences that are not typically included or able to access programs.  

Prior consortium groups that have received CMA funding in the past three years grant years (since 2022) are not eligible for 2025 Presenter Consortium for Jazz Funding. Past Consortium members can apply for funding as a member of a new set of partners.  

For example, the ABC Festival, who received a grant in 2022 cannot apply with the same partners from that grant but could apply with one or two new partners as part of a new consortium group. 

Current grantees should also look at the “Eligibility – For current grantees.” 

Eligible requests: 

• From presenting organizations based in the U.S. or its territories, and located in distinct audience communities such as different towns, cities, or regions; 
• Each of the three presenting organizations in a consortium must be a 501(c)(3) organization or otherwise eligible for charitable contributions for federal income, estate, and gift-tax purposes; Organizations must show proof of 501(c)3 status 
• Must include a lead applicant that is a current CMA Organization-level member. (If awarded, all consortium members must join CMA at the Organization level.) 
• Must not have any outstanding financial obligations to CMA 

 Ineligible requests include: 

• Projects that require a fiscal sponsor
• Projects requesting funding: 
• For artist fees other than those for ensemble musicians and their guest artists  
• For capacity building, or general operating support, although administrative expenses specific to the project may be included within the project budget 
• For private or fundraising events or for arts education, 
• For fees to student musicians, faculty, or administrative staff salaries 
• For funds for classes or workshops for music students 
• For music for dramatic works (staged or un-staged)  
• For incidental music for other media  
• For recording costs 
• For commissioning fees 
• For more than one application for the same ensemble or presenter 
• From individuals/ensembles/organizations with outstanding obligations to Chamber Music America 

The jazz ensemble(s) selected by the Consortium: 

• Must be based in the U.S. or its territories 
• Must consist of 2–10 professional musicians, including any guest artists (student groups are not eligible) 
• Must primarily perform jazz music in one of its multifaceted styles and utilize improvisation as an integral part of its composition and performance 
• Do not have to be CMA members 

Current grantees who have an active grant project in progress cannot apply for a Presenter Consortium for Jazz grant. 

All of the following expenses are allowed as long as they are directly related to the project. 

• Ensemble and guest artist(s) fees  
• Concert production costs (lighting, sound, cartage, etc.) 
• Streaming production costs 
• Direct promotion, marketing, and advertising expenses 
• Travel and hotel, per diem. 

The program will fund up to 100% of the eligible expenses (up to $10,000 per Consortium partner or $30,000 per Consortium group). This does not include potential incentive funding for Consortium Projects that include past CMA New Jazz Works Grantees. Incentive funding can increase each partner award up to $3,000 for a total $13,000 per partner or $39,000 for the Consortium group. 

Grants will fund 100% of eligible expenses up to the maximum amount allowable for a consortium group based on the criteria. No matching funds are required, but if a project costs more than $10,000 per consortium partner, the applicant must describe how they will pay for the additional costs. 

All Presenter Consortium for Jazz grant projects must take place during the grant period between January 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026. 

Please Note: Grant funds are taxable income; grantees must comply with all applicable city, state, and federal laws, ordinances, codes, and regulations regarding the reporting of grant funds. 

No, an ensemble can appear on only one consortium application per grant period.

Consortium presenter projects that include one or more past CMA New Jazz Works grantee ensemble(s) that have completed their grants will receive an additional $1,000 per each grantee ensemble. The ensemble(s) must perform their New Jazz Works commission in its entirety.  

The maximum amount requested may increase for each partner when including grantee ensembles. Incentive awards can total up to $13,000 per partner or $39,000 for the Consortium group. 

See chart below.

Past Presenter Consortium for Jazz and New Jazz Works grantees can be found in the grantee database. Presenters can contact CMA staff for additional information. 
 

At the time of application, the lead applicant must be a current CMA Organization-level member. If awarded, all awarded presenters are each responsible for joining CMA at the Organization-level (if they do not have membership at the time of application). 

Ensembles do not have to be CMA members. 

Audio Uploads  

• One jazz ensemble audio sample is required for each ensemble and must be uploaded to the online application; 
• Samples should be up to 5 minutes each and feature works for small jazz ensembles (2-10 musicians); 
• Samples should demonstrate the jazz ensemble’s performance level and must feature either the full ensemble or at least 50% of its musicians; 
• Soloistic works are not recommended — a duo must submit a work featuring both partners; 
• Only mp3 and/or m4a file types are accepted; 
• Samples do not need to be of studio quality but should be clear and representative of the ensemble’s performance within the last two years; 
• Longer works may be edited and/or excerpted; 
• May contain music from a live concert, studio/home recording, and/or CD or online recording. 

Budget Upload 

• Budget Template 

Proof of 501(c)3 status 

Marketing Materials 

• An Ensemble must provide a sample of past marketing material. This could be a social media ad, photo of a poster or flyer, etc. 

Memorandums of Understanding: A Memorandum of Understanding is a statement of intent between each presenter in the consortium and each ensemble regarding: 

• the concert date(s)/time(s)/venue(s); 
• ensemble fees. 

If the consortium chooses to work with multiple ensembles, the application must include a memorandum of understanding between each presenter and each ensemble. See the table below for the number of MOUs needed. 

Memorandum of Understanding Requirements

A sample MOU can be downloaded here: 

• Sample MOU Word Document 
• Sample MOU PDF 

Applications are due to Chamber Music America by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on Thursday, October 10, 2024. Award notifications are made in late December.

CMA uses the online application platform Submittable. Go to cma.submittable.com to create a free Submittable account if you do not already have one.  

• CMA recommends that you save your draft in an offline document as backup.  
• To save the work you have done on your application, you must click SAVE DRAFT at the bottom of the form before exiting.   
• You can return to your saved application to continue working on it by following the log-in instructions.  
• The application will close promptly at 11:59 PM ET on Thursday, October 10, 2024. Late or incomplete submissions will not be accepted. Applicants are encouraged to submit their applications at least 24 hours in advance of the deadline to avoid any last-minute complications. 

To submit an application:  

• Go to cma.submittable.com and click on “Presenter Consortium for Jazz.”  
• Complete all required fields, including text boxes, the Funding Request, and Audio Sample information.   
• Prepare your audio samples, marketing sample, and MOU attachment.  
• Save audio files as: Ensemble Name-Audio 1 and Ensemble Name-Audio 2; acceptable file types: mp3, m4a.   
• Upload the audio files, marketing sample, and MOUs to the application.  
• When complete, sign and date your application.  
• Click “Submit” to send application to CMA; you will receive a confirmation email. 

Presenter Consortium for Jazz applications are reviewed by an independent panel of jazz music professionals; CMA staff and board do not select or adjudicate award recipients (Representative list of previous CMA panelists).  

Written Application 

The panel will review: 

• the description of the project for which you are applying; 
• how the project will contribute to each consortium members’ impact in their distinct audience communities; 
• how the project will reach diverse communities that have been systemically or traditionally excluded in your town, city, or region for each Presenter; 
• why the consortium partners have selected the ensemble(s); 
• the capacity to carry out the project including marketing, potential dates, and appropriate budget for each Presenter; 
• the Consortium Project Budget that reflects the income and expenses listed for each Presenter; 
• the artistry and technical ability of the ensemble(s). 

Audio Review 

• Audio submissions should demonstrate a match between the music-making described in the planned activities and the ensemble’s music-making as demonstrated in the audio sample. 

If a Consortium is awarded a grant, CMA will contract with, and issue payments to each individual presenter/presenting organization. 

Awarded presenters are each responsible for: 

• acting as the contact for CMA on behalf of their presenting organization to manage and report grant activity; 
• receiving and managing their grant funds; 
• ensuring that the ensemble(s) are paid; 
• filing their final report and associated documents; 
• joining CMA at the Organization-level (if they do not have membership at the time of application or receipt of award). 

Grant funds will be disbursed to each presenter as follows: 

• 80% of the award to be disbursed after signing the CMA grant contract; 
• 20% after receipt of a final report. 

Grantees will need to complete all reporting to remain in good standing with CMA  

Grant funds are taxable income; grantees must comply with all applicable city, state, and federal laws, ordinances, codes, and regulations regarding the reporting of grant funds.  

Sample Budget 

Sample Responses

CMA collects data on race and ethnicity in connection to grant programs and applications; membership; and surveys with partner organizations, like funding partners. As such, CMA has developed a set of standards for keeping, collecting, and presenting data on race and ethnicity that aim to provide consistency in collecting and using this type of data. 

These standards have been developed in accordance with data collection standards by other groups such as CMA’s funders, federal agencies, and agencies that track race and ethnicity data. 

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