A Project Partner is a co-applicant who will collaborate with another artist or organization. A Project Partner can be a composer, solo musician, ensemble, or presenter.

If your project will require a Project Partner, it is important to know exactly who you plan to collaborate with before you apply for the MGP. Your Project Partner is considered a co-applicant, must meet eligibility requirements, and must agree to the proposed project. Primary applicants and Project Partners can not appear on other applications for separate projects.

All projects must involve a small ensemble defined as “a group of two or more musical performers, instrumentalists or singers, interacting in real time – each playing one on a part, usually without a conductor.”

Examples of Project Partners:

• An ENSEMBLE applying to commission a Bay Area COMPOSER. (The COMPOSER is the Project Partner.)
• A PRESENTER applying to support an ENSEMBLE performance or multiple performances in their concert series or festival. (Each ENSEMBLE would be a Project Partner.)
• A COMPOSER applying to compose a work for an ENSEMBLE. (The ENSEMBLE and COMPOSER are effectively interchangeable as Project Partners. One is the primary applicant.)
• A SOLO MUSICIAN working with another SOLO MUSICIAN or ENSEMBLE. In some cases where the individual is a distinctly identified member of the ENSEMBLE (e.g. Yo-yo Ma & Friends). (The individual is a Project Partner and thus may not be a co-applicant in other MGP applications ,similar to a composer as a project partner.)

Your “Alternate Contact” can be your Project Partner, another ensemble/presenter member, or the next in command.

Keep your “Brief Description” precise. This is your basic project narrative summary, answering: Who, What, Why, and When of your project. For examples of past project descriptions, see MGP past awards descriptions.

Please make sure your “History of Applicant” is current. Panelists want to see your most up to date bio. This is your chance to show your artistic mission and excellence.

This is the expanded overview of your project. Describe your project in detail and explain how you will execute your vision. Explain why you are proposing this specific project and what you envision will be the outcome for you, local musicians, and/or the community.

Please complete the Project Budget so that all applicable boxes contain a number, even if it is a “zero”. Your total Income should equal your total Expenses and your surplus/deficit should be zero. 

Budget Notes serve to clarify the amounts you have entered for your Project Budget. They should reflect how you arrived at a particular number. Budgeting of your income and expenses for your project should be based on as much firm information that you have about your project’s actual costs. (e.g. you should have firm knowledge of a composer’s commission fee,  venue’s rental cost, etc.). Please use as much or as little space as needed.

The following are examples of budget notes:

**Budget notes can be written either by giving a detailed narrative description of the finances of your project or by explaining each line item in the project budget.

A narrative description example is below:

The current estimated breakdown of costs: $3,200 Performer fees ($800 flat-fee rate for the 4 musicians for 2 performances and a projected 6 rehearsals); $250 for a recording engineer; $1,000 for an administrative/PR staff member; $500 to Music Center for venue rental, staffing fees, & event insurance; $2,000 for production costs, including audio and video documentation; $2,500 for PR/ marketing (poster and postcard printing, direct mailing to mailing list, and print media ads); and $250 for equipment rental.

Alternatively, here is an example of how to write budget notes by line item:

Line 1. Foundation Grants – Zellerbach Family Foundation $2,500 (pending)

Line 3. Individuals – $1500 donations, based on total received for our last event

Line 6. Admissions – $25 ticket x 75 tickets = $1,875 is what we received from our last event, so we have budgeted $1800 for the proposed project.

Line 16. Performer Fees – $800 fee x 4 musicians for 2 performances and 6 rehearsals

Line 18. Technical Personnel – $250 fee for recording engineer

List your in-kind donations and explain them in the information box. In-kind donations are any non-cash goods or services you or your ensemble receives to support the project. Some examples are below:

1. Graphic design, audio recording or videography services provided for free or at a reduced rate
2. Food and/or beverages donated by a local business for a performance
3. Free use of venue space
4. Artist fees for rehearsal and/or performances donated back to the ensemble or project (i.e. payment of artists fees at a level that would be significantly less than a professional market-value rate.)

In-kind donations should be listed separately from the Project Budget and they should not factor into the total budget of your project. Listing these donations is useful for demonstrating to the panel your full understanding of the resources required for a successful project.

We ask that applicants use recent, high-quality samples that showcase artistic excellence and best correlate to your application.