I honestly cannot say enough good about Club Passim and the Iguana Fund. Over the past 5 years of Red Line Roots’ existence, Passim has been a home for us where they let us do crazy things like try and have a 6 act bill in the course of an evening show and the Iguana Fund has given me, personally, the opportunity to live out the dream of the Locals Covering Locals project and last year helped us up our game with the Old Spruce Sessions and the purchase of an Ear Trumpet Labs Josephine to make our sessions sound (and look) better than ever.

The personal goal for receiving that grant last year was to double the number of artists we had worked with since the series started. I am glad to report today that we have, indeed, reached that goal and we still have 3 months left in the year and more sessions lined up with new artists. Other projects last year included original album production, travel expenses for festivals, a composer in residence’s costs, introducing musical instruments to those with mental illness and a whole lot more.

To say that this grant has allowed me opportunities I wouldn’t have otherwise had is a gross understatement and the impact that is has on the community is immeasurable in terms of the weight it truly carries…technically if you want to measure its $350,000 in grants and more than 180 projects…but it extends far deeper than just numbers and monetary figures.

The application is open today and I strongly encourage anyone with a dream or a creative musically focused idea to apply. You have nearly a month to come up with your pitch. So get on it and APPLY TODAY!

More info below:

The Iguana Music Fund is an annual grant program predominantly funded by a generous anonymous donor, 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, more than $350,000 in grants has funded more than 180 projects.