League of American Orchestras Announces Catalyst Fund Incubator Grant Recipients

The League of American Orchestras announced the twenty recipients of the 2022 Catalyst Fund Incubator Grants, which are intended to help in assisting orchestras to create more equitable, diverse, and inclusive cultures. Each of the twenty orchestras will receive a $75,000 grant over the next three years, with the money deriving principally from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

The grants facilitate the development of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) programs, by inviting the selected orchestras to participate in a curriculum run by EDI consultants. The contents of each session help the orchestras set useful and achievable goals that will ensure that their organizations have the necessary tools in place to become more equitable.

An early pilot version of the program launched in 2019, with 49 orchestras initially receiving grants. More than 80% of the initial recipients reported making some structural changes to their policy or their programming as a result of what they learned over the course of the program.

The 2022 full list of recipients is as follows:

• Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
• Charleston Symphony Orchestra
• Greater Connecticut Youth Orchestras
• Hawaiʻi Symphony Orchestra
• Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra
• Jacksonville Symphony
• Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra
• Minnesota Orchestra
• Napa Valley Youth Symphony
• New Jersey Symphony
• San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory
• South Dakota Symphony Orchestra
• Stamford Symphony
• Symphony Tacoma
• Chicago Philharmonic
• Louisville Orchestra
• Walla Walla Symphony
• Winston-Salem Symphony
• Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra
• Youth Orchestras of San Antonio (YOSA)

"We’re so grateful to The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for their vision and years of support, and to the 49 orchestras in the initial Catalyst Fund pilot program who have infused the field with insights and helped the entire field begin to effect change,” said Simon Woods, the President and CEO of the League of American Orchestras.

“The new Incubator program accelerates and deepens this work, inspiring orchestras to nurture and sustain inclusive organizational cultures over the long-term," Woods added. "I’m especially excited about widely sharing this learning, including our new guide, 'Promising Practices: Actions Orchestras Can Take to Make Progress Toward Equity,' and a fantastic slate of additional Catalyst resources to come later this year."