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Iguana Music Fund

Application Window Currently ClosedThe 2022 Iguana Fund application window is now closed. 2022 recipients have been announced below! The next round of applications will be open this September.
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, $553,000 in grants has funded more than 300 projects.

The 2022 Iguana Music Fund recipients have been announced!  See below for info on all 22 artists and groups that received grants this year.

For the past 15 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, April 10th at 7pm, we will host a showcase of the 2022 grant recipients at Club Passim, featuring live performances by Anju, Culomba, Pamela Means, Sophie Wellington, and Zakiyyah. In-person & live stream tickets are free with a $10 suggested donation to support the Iguana Music Fund.


2022 Recipients

  • After School Arts Program

    After School Arts Program

    a film/writing/production workshop for Boston youth

  • Angela Yam

    Angela Yam

    A fully-staged choral opera of Emily Dickinson's poetry set to music

  • Anju

    Anju

    recording first full-length album

  • Ash & Eric

    Ash & Eric

    a free concert series for Worcester, MA

  • Carmen Marsico & Zafarán

    Carmen Marsico & Zafarán

    new album blending many Mediterranean musical traditions

  • Carolyn Kendrick and Isa Burke

    Carolyn Kendrick and Isa Burke

    an intimate educational workshop hosted to break down gender barriers in audio production

  • Cliff Notez

    Cliff Notez

    multi-genre-multidimensional collection of EPs that will make up a larger album

  • Culomba

    Culomba

    recording new album

  • Kara McKee

    Kara McKee

    debut solo album

  • Kim Moberg

    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

    Matt Heaton

    purchasing new guitar

  • Matthew Lau

    Matthew Lau

    new composition for vibraphone blending bluegrass and contemporary influences

  • Maura Shawn Scanlin

    Maura Shawn Scanlin

    debut solo album

  • Maurizio Fiore Salas

    Maurizio Fiore Salas

    Video footage of performances that present Venezuelan traditional music in different formats

  • Miles of Music Camp

    Miles of Music Camp

    funding scholarships for an annual music and songwriting camp

  • The Opening Doors Project

    The Opening Doors Project

    A series of live performances dedicated to amplifying voices of color and advancing conversations about race

  • Pamela Means

    Pamela Means

    gear for The Power of The Protest Song presentation

  • Sophie Wellington

    Sophie Wellington

    purchasing a dance board mic

  • Sub Rosa Songwriting Retreat

    Sub Rosa Songwriting Retreat

    annual collaborative songwriting retreat

  • Zakiyyah

    Zakiyyah

    album exploring the sounds of the black diaspora and Hip-Hopera

  • Zayra Pola

    Zayra Pola

    debut album as a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist