Winter 2025 - Music

Thank you for applying for a Café Royal Cultural Foundation Music Production Grant.

Café Royal Cultural Foundation NYC will award music production grants to artists in all genres of music looking to undertake the production of an audio recording. 

Grants will assist with producer costs, if the project is not self-produced, and will assist with costs associated with recording, mixing, editing, and mastering of artists’ projects. 

We would prefer that the recording of your project take place in New York City’s five boroughs, or at a location within proximity to New York City that has been discussed and approved by Café Royal Cultural Foundation. Email caferoyaldigital@gmail.com for inquiries.

Grantees also have the option of recording at world-renowned Flux Studios and receiving Flux’s independent artist rate. If you wish to record, mix or master any part of your project at Flux, please contact daniel@fluxstudios.net to get a quote which you can include in the ‘lists of costs’ in the budget section of your application. Email caferoyaldigital@gmail.com for inquiries. Please note you do not need to work with Flux to apply for / or to be awarded this music production grant.

Description: Music production grants to support artists in all genres of music. Production comprises the recording, mixing, editing and mastering of artist projects. 

Submission Capacity: To ensure that each submission receives the attention it deserves we will be only accepting 40 application for each of our categories.

Deadline:  Our Winter 2025 Grant cycle opens on Tuesday December 3rd, 2024 and closes on Monday February 3, 2025 or if we reach our limit of 40 applications, which ever comes first.

Granted Fund Amounts: Up to $20,000.00 

Eligibility:

Artists in all genres of music.

Composition(s) for the proposed recording must be completed by the application deadline.

Grants will not be made for the purpose of commissions to composer(s). 

Grants awarded in this category do not fund costs associated with the writing/composition of new work.

If your application is an original composition, the applicant must be the originator of the majority of the material for the recording. 

Completed recording projects are not eligible.

Any fees related to work done outside a professional recording studio, such as a home-based facility, are not eligible for support. 

Artist(s) applying must be a current United States Citizen or Resident Alien and a current resident of New York City and have lived in New York City for a minimum of one year prior to applying and plan to be a resident through the completion of their project.

Application Requirements: 

• Up to and no more than five .mp3 song example links for the Café Royal Cultural Foundation executive committee to download and listen to. We will also accept a link to artists’ private Spotify or SoundCloud playlist - with no more than three songs. Please make sure your links are correct and not password protected. If they are not correct or have password protection your application will be declined and not reviewed by the Selection Committee.
• A short description of the project.
• A short artistic biography of the person(s) involved Ex: performers, musicians, producers.
• Budget must not exceed the amount of $20,000.00.
• List of costs that the grant money will be used for.
• (Please review our lists of Approved and Ineligible Budget Items for Music Grant Funds, in the application)
• If a previously awarded grantee is in your band or a musician/producer/engineer you wish to hire they can not receive additional funds.
• You can not apply for a band or an organization. We want you to be aware that Café Royal Cultural Foundation’s grant-making procedures are to individual grant recipients, referred to as an expenditure responsibility grant. The Funds disbursed to grantees must comply as "direct grants to individuals" and "payments made directly to individuals." You, as an individual, will be responsible for all payments to the band or organization.
• You can not include any fees related to you, the applicant, in the list of costs.
• You can not pay yourself artist fees. 
• If you are the producer, you can not include Producer Fees.
• If you are a musician, you can not pay yourself a musician fee, etc.
• Artist(s) applying must be a current United States Citizen or Resident Alien and a current resident of New York City and have lived in New York City for a minimum of one year prior to applying and plan to be a resident through the completion of their project.
• Please make sure to submit your application with ample time before the start date of your project. We ask that the release of your music or your completed mastering date is no sooner than 90 days after this application's due date (no sooner than May 4, 2025) and no later than 12 months after your grant’s award date (no later than March 24, 2026).
• Applicants can only apply with the same project twice.
• You may apply in a different cycle with a different project.
• We would prefer that the recording of your project take place in New York City’s five boroughs, or at a location within proximity to New York City that has been discussed and approved by Café Royal Cultural Foundation.

Review Procedures: The Café Royal Cultural Foundation Selection Committee Judges will review and score all applications. The top five scored applications will move to a next round and will be reviewed Executive Committees. In recognition of the time, effort, and professional expertise that our Selection Committee Judges devote to the grant selection process, Café Royal Cultural Foundation provides a stipend to honor their commitment.

The following criteria will be applied in evaluating grant application:

• Quality of the Music, Composition, Lyrics, Arrangement
• Innovation or Original Quality of the work
• Artistic quality and performance of the performer(s) / musician(s)
• Importance of the Project/Cultural Relevance
• Promise of future achievements in music

• Please note you do not need to be signed with a record label to apply for this grant.

Grant Applications: 

We accept applications all year round, to view our submission dates in our Grant Schedule.

Please make sure to submit your application with ample time before the start date of your project. We ask that the release of your music or your completed mastering date is no sooner than 90 days after this application's due date (no sooner than May 4, 2025) and no later than 12 months after your grant’s award date (no later than March 24, 2026). Please refrain from inquiries in the meantime. 

Good Luck!