Live Music Society Awards $765,500 to 26 Small Performance Venues with ThirdYear of Music in Action Grant Program
Photo: Flat Iron (Greensboro NC), Crowbar (Tampa, FL), and Arden Gild Hall (Wilmington, DE)
June 11, 2025 – Live Music Society is proud to announce the 26 small performance venue recipients of the 2025 Music in Action grant. This year’s grantees will cumulatively receive over three quarters of a million dollars in funding to support innovative programs that strengthen community connections, expand access to live music, and improve the concert experience for audiences, artists, and staff at each venue.
With this new round of funding, Live Music Society has now granted a total of $4.8 million to support 201 small venues across the country through 236 grants, since the nonprofit was founded. Its Music in Action program, launched in 2023, continues to grow in both reach and impact, funding projects that are evaluated for their creativity, feasibility, inclusivity, community relevance, and overall impact. The goal is to empower spaces where musicians, audiences, and entire communities can thrive. Each grant cycle celebrates the innovation and resilience of small venues as they work to cultivate meaningful cultural experiences. These grants provide essential support for venue-led initiatives that promote sustainable growth, amplify historically marginalized voices, and strengthen connections between artists and their audiences. Since its inception, the Music In Action grant has been awarded to 67 venues in 28 states including Washington D.C.
Emilie Martinez at World Stage Performance Gallery. Photo: Chuck Koton
Says Gavin Berger, Live Music Society Board President: “Live Music Society is pleased to announce our new group of Music In Action awardees, and we are proud of the impact that this grant has had since its 2023 launch. Three cycles later, we’ve granted 67 venues close to $2 million and are consistently impressed by the creative ideas they’ve implemented to support artists, engage with their communities, and welcome more music lovers through their doors.”
Floyd Country Store.
Photo: Susan Bibeau
The 26 Music In Action grant recipients for this year represent a wide spectrum of special small venues across the U.S., in big and small cities, from coast to coast, and emphasize community building. The programs that will be funded by the Music In Action grants transcend genres - from jazz, experimental, global and Appalachian music to hip-hop, punk, indie rock, musical theater, and everything in between. Ashkenaz Music & Dance in Berkeley, California will host a global music series that will bring underrepresented international artists to their stage. Greenwood Social Hall in Kansas City, Missouri will program in-school concerts paired with free family matinees and evening performances to encourage youth attendance at their venue. Pie Shop in Washington, D.C. will offer a monthly showcase for local emerging acts that welcomes all-age performers, and No Name Bar in Winona, Minnesota will program a series of free and low-cost events featuring local artists and educators that serve marginalized communities in rural areas. See below for the full list of 26 venues and a short description of their funded programming.
The 2025 Music in Action grantees & their projects include:
Ashkenaz Music & Dance (Berkeley, CA): A global music series and street team effort to connect with new audiences and bring underrepresented international artists to the stage.
Indexical (Santa Cruz, CA): A residency program providing local experimental artists with stipends, workspaces, and production support.
Sam First (Los Angeles, CA): Six performances by nationally recognized jazz musicians in an intimate venue setting to grow visibility and reach.
SJZ Break Room (San Jose, CA): A monthly free and inclusive jazz jam for all ages, fostering mentorship and musical connection.
World Stage Performance Gallery (Los Angeles, CA): A revived Saturday concert series spotlighting new talent in jazz and indie music.
eTown Hall (Boulder, CO): Immersive residencies led by acclaimed artists featuring performances, workshops, and youth engagement.
Pie Shop (Washington, DC): Free all-ages monthly showcases that include live recordings for local emerging acts.
Arden Gild Hall (Wilmington, DE): Relaunch of the Shady Grove Music Fest and a new monthly emerging artist series.
Crowbar (Tampa, FL): Monthly Church Sessions that celebrate hip-hop culture with music, dance, visual art, and community vendors.
Cobra Lounge (Chicago, IL): Development of an artist incubator space for emerging local musicians in a small performance room.
Color Club (Chicago, IL): Weekly shows supporting local talent, paired with internships for students from Columbia College.
The Venue (Aurora, IL): A quarterly masterclass and live event series in partnership with Delmark Records and Fox Valley Music Foundation.
State Street Pub (Indianapolis, IN): A series of zines, tapes, and live shows that spotlight Indianapolis’s underground scene.
Spire Center for Performing Arts (Plymouth, MA): Sunday matinee programming designed to welcome older and retired audience.
No Name Bar (Winona, MN): Free and low-cost events led by artists and educators that serve marginalized communities in rural Minnesota.
Greenwood Social Hall (Kansas City, MO): In-school concerts paired with free family matinees and evening performances.
Flat Iron (Greensboro, NC): A monthly series that pairs emerging local acts with national headliners to address artist development gaps.
54 Below (New York, NY): A mentorship and performance initiative supporting early-career Broadway composers and lyricists.
Towne Crier Cafe (Beacon, NY): Free summer concerts designed to engage the region’s African American, Latino, and Hispanic communities.
Tubby’s (Kingston, NY): Saturday afternoon shows throughout the summer that feature local and regional talent.
OPOLIS (Norman, OK): A community-driven cooperative model that supports music, education, and inclusion in rural Oklahoma.
The Jazz Station (Eugene, OR): In-school jazz clinics with performances and small group mentoring for student musicians.
AS220 Main Stage (Providence, RI): A weekly free local showcase that helps emerging artists step into live performance.
Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe (Galveston, TX): A three-day festival with workshops, showcases, and local business involvement in downtown Galveston.
5 Points Music Sanctuary (Roanoke, VA): Accessibility and inclusion training for regional venues and festivals.
Floyd Country Store (Floyd, VA): Seminars and performances focused on traditional Appalachian music in partnership with area colleges.
Sam Fribush Organ Trio at Flat Iron.
Photo: Abbey Spoon
To learn more about the 2025 grantees and their projects, visit
https://www.livemusicsociety.org/music-in-action-grantees
In addition to today’s Music In Action news, Live Music Society has also embarked on a new initiative this year. They partnered with fellow non-profits Salt Lick Incubator and D-TOUR to create a first-of-its-kind tour initiative: One Night Live. As described by Billboard magazine, One Night Live is a mission-driven effort to offer a viable alternative for independent artists and venues most affected by the rising costs of live events. The 14-date run recently wrapped in Nashville after traveling across parts of the country with emerging artists Ellie Williams, Sofia Lafuente, and Farayi Malek. Each artist performed their own set nightly while also serving as the backing band for the others, a creative model aimed at fostering community and efficiency on the road. The tour spotlighted locally owned, independent venues, recognizing them as the heartbeat of their communities and essential launchpads for emerging talent. Among the stops were grant recipients Crowbar in Tampa, Jilly’s Music Room in Akron, and Flat Iron in Greensboro, further emphasizing the tour’s commitment to supporting grassroots spaces. Live Music Society plans to continue this new initiative, stay tuned for more news.
About Live Music Society:
Live Music Society (LMS) empowers small venues and listening rooms across the United States. Since 2020, the nonprofit has distributed $4.8 million in grants to 201 unique venues, supporting live music stages, emerging talents, established artists, staff, and patrons. With a focus on engaging communities, expanding audiences, increasing representation, and enhancing the live music experience, these grants underscore the foundation's commitment to strengthening the small, independent venue ecosystem nationwide. In 2025, LMS launched 'One Night Live' a touring collaboration with D-TOUR and Salt Lick Incubator that connects indie venues with emerging artists.