Jazz & Heritage Music Relief Fund

The Jazz & Heritage Music Relief Fund was created by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation  to support the Louisiana music community whose livelihoods have been adversely impacted by COVID-19. 

The Jazz & Heritage Foundation has provided relief funds of more than $2,000,000 dollars since March 2020 supporting musicians, music industry workers, Black Masking Indians and other indigenous cultural practitioners.   

We need your help to fund more as this pandemic continues to hit the music community very hard.

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation , the non-profit organization that owns the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell, has established the Jazz & Heritage Music Relief Fund – a statewide relief fund to support  Louisiana's music community who has lost income amid the COVID-19 pandemic.  This unprecedented crisis has led to the indefinite cancellation of gigs, event postponements, and venue closures around the world. It has left many Louisiana musicians and others who work in the music industry facing a total or near-total loss of income for the foreseeable future.

 The Jazz & Heritage Foundation has invested proceeds from Jazz Fest directly into the community with grants to fund projects that support the Foundation's mission. Over the last 10 years, more than $9 million dollars have been awarded in Community Partnership Grants.  Through the Jazz & Heritage Relief Fund, the Foundation will continue its support of Louisiana’s music industry professionals during these uncertain times.  Establishing this fund is part of its wider plan to support the local cultural community in the coming months.

 Executive Director of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, Don Marshall, said “Performances and concerts  have been  cancelled and musicians are losing opportunities to support themselves and their families.  For generations, the musicians of our community have provided the soul of Louisiana.  The goal is to help our musicians impacted by quarantine, disruptions of income, and other challenges, while ensuring an equitable distribution of funds.”

 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Board President, Jeffrey Goldring, added that “The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation invests proceeds from Jazz Fest and additional funds that we raise for year-round programming in education, economic development and cultural enrichment.   Our education programs include the Don “Moose” Jamison Heritage School of Music, the Tom Dent Congo Square Lectures, the Class Got Brass competition for school brass bands, a youth audio workshop program, youth vocal workshops, and more!  Economic Development initiatives include the Community Partnership Grants, the Catapult Fund accelerator program and Sync Up entertainment industry workshops.  Cultural enrichment programs include the Jazz & Heritage Concert Series and annual Foundation Festivals: the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival, the Congo Square Rhythms Festival, the Tremé Creole Gumbo Festival and the Louisiana Cajun-Zydeco Festival.  Importantly, these are free programs that the Jazz and Heritage Foundation has developed over many years to ensure that we give back to Louisiana.   The Jazz & Heritage Relief Fund is a natural extension of the work we have been doing for the community since 1979. “

 For more about the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, please visit us online at www.jazzandheritage.org.