CAMBRIDGE, MA (CelebrityAccess) — Cambridge music institution Passim announced it has awarded grants worth $40,000 to 23 different musicians through its Iguana Music Fund.
The fund annually provides grants of $500 to $2,000 to musicians with a New England connection for career building projects and for projects that provide community service through music.
The Iguana Fund was originally established in 2008 with help from an anonymous donor who approached Passim with an idea to foster the careers of local artists.
Over the past decade, Passim has awarded more than $513,000 in grants, funding more than 300 projects.
Of the more than 126 applications, the Iguana Fund provided grants this year to more than a dozen artists to further their careers.
The recipients include Alida Mckeon, Chris Walton, Owen Kennedy, and Owen Marshall, who are all readying debut albums, as well as Honeysuckle, who are exploring their evolving sound on a new EP.
2021 grants also went to The Green Tara Project to assist their efforts in blending Nepalese music with Celtic and Americana and Jake Blount & the Vox Hunters who are exploring black maritime musical traditions.
Grants from the Iguana fund will also help Kimaya Diggs, C.J. Red Mouth, Coral Moons, and Pamela Means to purchase new recording and performance equipment and Lady Dust, the side project for Kaitlin Crull, Lindsey Cook, and Emily Cunningham, will use a grant to promote shows in the Midwest during their upcoming tour.
“With the state of live music still tenuous in our current world, the Iguana Fund is needed now more than ever,” said Abby Altman, Club Manager at Passim. “Last year, projects focused on home recording, solo albums, and providing high-quality online content. Some of that focus is starting to shift back to in-person events, and we’re confident these grants will not only help the individual recipients but impact communities across New England as a whole.”
