Live Music Society Surpasses $1 Million in 2024 Funding

Live Music Society surpasses $1 million in 2024 funding with the largest Toolbox grant round to date.

Live Music Society, the non-profit organization supporting small venues and listening rooms across the US, has notified applicants of the 2024 Toolbox grant round about the status of their applications. Awardees are now in the process of accepting their grants.

This year's Toolbox grant round stands as the largest in its history, providing over $290,000 to support 34 venues — the most recipients awarded in a single round. The organization's reach also broadens with this cohort, to include venues in Nevada, Kansas, and Georgia, demonstrating their growing impact across the country.

Live Music Society Toolbox grants are tailored to practical needs, helping small venues address short-term issues that can have long-term positive effects on the health and growth of the venue. Projects funded in this round include accessibility improvements, sound and lighting upgrades, and equipment that enables training opportunities in live music production and stage lighting.

Since the organization was founded by musician and philanthropist Pete Muller in 2020, Live Music Society has provided $4.1 million in grant funding to small venues and listening rooms across the United States and celebrates a milestone achievement by awarding $1,000,000 in 2024 alone. The initiative is similar to the Music Venue Trust non-profit in the UK—aimed at saving grassroots live music venues.

“These grants ensure that small venues remain vital spaces for creativity, learning, and connection. By reaching our $1,000,000 goal this year, we're reinforcing our commitment to the small venues that foster local and emerging talent and provide access to live music in communities of all sizes,” says Live Music Society board president Gavin Berger.

Among the 2024 Toolbox grantees are several all-ages venues focused on training programs that provide opportunities for underserved young adults, including Make.Shift Arts Space in Bellingham, WA, who plan to expand their current programs by offering training in lighting design. Their Toolbox grant allows them to upgrade their audio system and install LED lights, control system, and wireless receiver.

The Holland Project in Reno, NV, the area's only all-ages independent space, will be able to offer expanded production support to attract top-tier artists and will utilize their new gear to similarly offer more advanced tools for training in sound and lighting. Groundworks, a volunteer-run venue in Tucson, AZ, will provide their volunteer crew with skills training to operate in the space while Tucson's thriving music scene will benefit from their upgraded equipment.

Full List of 2024 Live Music Society Toolbox Grantees

• Churchill School (Baker City, OR)
• Make.Shift Art Space (Bellingham, WA)
• ISSUE Project Room (Brooklyn, NY)
• Snug Harbor (Charlotte, NC)
• Rosa's Lounge (Chicago, IL)
• X-Ray Arcade (Cudahy, WI)
• Lager House (Detroit, MI)
• Red Clay Music Foundry (Duluth, GA)
• Jamey's House of Music (Lansdowne, PA)
• Lucia (Lawrence, KS)
• The Loading Dock (Littleton, NH)
• Siberia (New Orleans, LA)
• The Jazz Gallery (New York, NY)
• Silvana (New York, NY)
• The 5 Spot (Nashville, TN)
• The East Room (Nashville, TN)
• Ojai Underground Exchange (Ojai, CA)
• The Sound Room (Oakland, CA)
• The Apohadion Theater (Portland, ME)
• SPACE (Portland, ME)
• The Holland Project (Reno, NV)
• The Focal Point (St. Louis, MO)
• Jazz St. Louis (St. Louis, MO)
• Black Cat (San Francisco, CA)
• Brick & Mortar Music Hall (San Francisco, CA)
• El Rio, Your Dive (San Francisco, CA)
• Kilowatt (San Francisco, CA)
• Mr. Tipple's Jazz Club (San Francisco, CA)
• Kuumbwa Jazz (Santa Cruz, CA)
• Conor Byrne (Seattle, WA)
• Fremont Abbey (Seattle, WA)
• Groundworks (Tucson, AZ)
• The Pocket (Washington, DC)
• Rhizome DC (Washington, DC)