Becoming a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive organization neither happens overnight, nor can be achieved by simply adding more people of color, women, or LGBTQIA+ people to the staff or board to increase representation. People must feel seen, heard, and meaningfully empowered within the organization to make change.
To assist orchestras in creating more equitable, diverse, and inclusive cultures, the League has designed the next phase of The Catalyst Fund to incorporate elements from technology incubator models, such as supporting the development of new ideas through mentorship and guidance, and connection to peer communities engaged in similar developmental processes.
Applications are due on Friday, October 22, 2021.
Program Components
Three years of grant support totaling $75,000, enabling successful applicants to work with a professional EDI consultant to create a plan and conduct activities that will assist the orchestra in achieving its vision of a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive organizational culture
A peer learning community that includes both online and in-person discussion forums, and convenes formally two times per grant year, to help orchestras brainstorm, strategize, and share progress and challenges with others who are working to improve the culture at their organizations using an EDI lens
Sequenced curricular modules to support orchestras in building their capacity to create and sustain an organizational cultural that facilitates the change they seek
Mentorship and guidance from convening faculty and guests, League staff, and other EDI experts
Program Priorities
A key focus of orchestras participating in The Catalyst Fund Incubator will be to build capacity to attract new resources for their EDI work such as funding, staff, board members, musicians, and other community partnerships, to support their work of embedding EDI into all aspects of the organization, including financial and artistic planning, civic engagement activities and plans, and business operations.
Eligible Orchestras
To apply for The Catalyst Fund Incubator, applicants must:
Be a League adult or youth orchestra member in good standing based in the United States, meaning the orchestra has:
Paid all dues or is current with all authorized installment agreements for the membership years that occur during the three-year grant term;
Provided the League with a current list of staff, musicians, board members, and volunteers—including titles, email addresses, and the street addresses of those eligible to receive Symphony magazine as a benefit of membership; and
Completed and submitted a response to the League’s Orchestra Statistical Report (OSR) Survey for each year that falls during the grant term.
Employ at least one full-time staff member
Have operating expenses above $150,000 in the previous two fiscal years
Match at least 20% of the grant amount (i.e., contribute a minimum of $5,000 of the orchestra’s funds in Year One, and meet subsequent match amounts in Years Two and Three of the grant period)
Have presented a minimum of three public events, annually, for the previous two seasons
Non-member orchestras may join the League at the time of application to become eligible.
Ineligibility Criteria
The following orchestras are not eligible to apply for The Catalyst Fund Incubator program:
Orchestras that have received two or more years of grant support during The Catalyst Fund pilot program (Fiscal Years 2019, 2020, 2021) are not eligible to apply for the Incubator program
Adjudication and Selection Process
Successful applicants to the Incubator program can articulate their commitment to sustaining a more inclusive vision for their organization over the three-year grant term, regardless of technical challenges such as personnel changes. Successful applicants also realize that a sustainable vision requires engagement from all stakeholders.
The League will engage an independent panel to recommend 20 orchestras to participate in the Incubator program based on the following criteria:
Strength of Vision: the degree to which applicants articulate and demonstrate a clear and compelling vision and rationale for the change they seek at the orchestra as a result of completing the three-year Catalyst Fund Incubator program
Institutional Commitment:the extent to which applicants articulate and demonstrate an aligned and equitably shared commitment across the organization (i.e., musicians, board, and staff) to advancing and sustaining their vision for a more inclusive organizational culture
Readiness: the degree to which applicants articulate and demonstrate their current capacity to pursue their vision and the strategies they plan to use to implement the change they seek and sustain it beyond the three-year Incubator program
Applicants will be notified of decisions by December 2021.
Banner: A participant from a Catalyst Fund grantee orchestra speaks about the orchestra’s work at the League’s 2019 National Conference in Nashville. Photo: Alan Poizner
