By Abby Rolland
For years, The Presser Foundation’s Capital Support grantmaking area focused on supporting the construction of new buildings and renovation, repair, or expansion projects to existing buildings. By providing funding for capital projects, the Foundation has long believed that music buildings and spaces become more functional, more accessible, more collaborative, and more innovative. Capital funding to music organizations enhances the learning and performance experience for students, audiences, and/or musicians.
When COVID struck in the spring of 2020, it changed the nature of performance and education. Many music organizations depend a great deal on earned revenue from ticket sales for in-person performances or tuition & fees from in-person lessons; when the pandemic forced people to stay at home to decrease transmission, music organizations lost a significant amount of their revenue.
In response, the Foundation looked for ways to best apply grant dollars to support music programming, particularly during the early days of stay-at-home guidelines. Music organizations courageously and innovatively adapted to those guidelines, finding ways to stream and record performances for people at home to watch. However, many organizations did not have the technology, supplies, and/or equipment needed to professionally stream or record performances, or conduct lessons from home. Some also did not have the equipment needed to effectively run home offices.
From listening to organizations about their various needs during this time, The Presser Foundation decided to support some of these needs through expanding the guidelines of the 2020-2021 Special Projects grantmaking area; an overwhelming number of organizations applied for support. In response, the Capital Support Committee also temporarily expanded that grantmaking area’s guidelines to consider proposals for needs including (but not limited to) hardware, software, equipment, and supplies.
The extension of 2020-2021 Capital Support guidelines proved well-received; 26 organizations received funding related to COVID-related capital needs. With the pandemic continuing to rage in 2021, the Committee decided to again extend the guidelines for 2021-22; funding 19 proposals related to continued hardware, software, equipment, and supplies needs.
The funded projects addressed a variety of needs; examples include but aren’t limited to funding for video editing software, a Bose sound system, new computers for staff working at home, upgraded equipment for streaming services, sound and audio equipment for outdoor rehearsals and performances, a new projection screen, development of a new website, a tent to be used for outdoor music education, and COVID tests and masks.
And as mentioned, the guideline extensions were well-received; ranging from audience benefit e.g., upgraded streaming equipment for improved viewing at home, tents for people to sing in, etc., to organizational benefit e.g., saving staff time on operations, developing new, more efficient ways for staff to work, and more.
Partners directly shared their thoughts on the benefits of the extended guidelines.
“Our virtual audiences have nearly doubled the size of our in-person audiences pre-COVID.”
“Equipment and materials purchased with funding from The Presser Foundation has made our program possible from the inception of the pandemic through today – and will indefinitely as we continue to navigate this crisis… We could not run our program once back in-person without this funded equipment.”
“We will not be able to return to our former methods of performing in the near future, and so it is incumbent upon us to create a new path. We anticipate that over the next 3 years or longer, we will want or need to have access to the supports and technology that allow us to produce and present work, and having access to lights, sound equipment, and camera equipment will make an enormous impact on our ability to continue creating.”
“Grant funding helped us sustain our program during a difficult time when earned revenues from tuition and live performances has naturally been low. Grant funding from a nationally recognized funder like The Presser Foundation gives us credibility and prestige that helps us secure locally-based funding.”
“The Capital Support award enabled us to purchase tools/technology for strategic planning and business operation upgrades. Staff recognize a collective savings of ~15 hours/month, which we now dedicate to donors, schools, families, colleagues. Staff-favorite efficiencies: high-speed document scanner and Salesforce/QuickBooks payroll integration, both of which have made our finance/payroll operations hum!”
In assessing how funds were used and the impact of the extended guidelines, Foundation staff also found that typically (with some exceptions), organizations with smaller budgets and without large buildings applied for equipment/supplies/technology support. A larger number of organizations applied for that type of support than large building or renovation projects; however, the amount given for proposals asking for extended guidelines needs were a smaller percentage than the amount for larger projects.
While it takes years to measure impact, The Presser Foundation hopes that the extension of its Capital Support guidelines provided smaller music organizations the prospect to receive capital funding for necessary items during the pandemic.
