The Rising Artist Foundation

What The Rising Artist Foundation does

The Rising Artist Foundation is a registered U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit (Rising Artist Foundation Inc., EIN 84-3585277) that provides financial, health, creative, and professional support to independent U.S. musicians from underrepresented and alternative-genre communities. Its core offerings are cohort-based grant programs: the Principal Grant — a two-year program providing $2,500 per month plus health insurance, creative development workshops, record-label services including digital distribution and pro bono legal support, and alumni mentorship — alongside the shorter Fourth River program in Pittsburgh (six weeks, launched 2025 in partnership with local collective Honcho) and the Overtones program in Los Angeles (two months, launched 2022 in partnership with Other People record label). Supporting products include free public Office Hours seminars run with United Musicians and Allied Workers (UMAW), the Go Book Yourself! DIY booking video series, and Digital Distribution Services that deliver music to streaming platforms for a 5% fee intended to sustain operations and grants.

The organization is led by Executive Director Ben Rafson and Managing Director Nereya Otieno, with an Executive Board that includes artist trustees Moses Sumney and Taja Cheek (L'Rain), and operates without disclosed institutional investment. Its revenue model is fundamentally donation-driven as a 501(c)(3) entity, supplemented by the 5% digital distribution fee and in-kind contributions from partner organizations, with each $2,500/month Principal Grant plus health insurance representing the principal unit of program cost. Distribution is primarily direct and event-based: grantees apply via program-specific portals, cohorts are selected by rotating industry panels, and educational programming is delivered in-person (Pioneer Works in NYC, Scribble in LA, Performance Space in NYC) and online through YouTube and Instagram. Geographic concentration is in the United States with named program sites in Los Angeles and Pittsburgh, plus a stated commitment to expanding into rural and minority-serving communities where less than 5% of arts foundation funding currently reaches.

Name

The Rising Artist Foundation

Legal name

Rising Artist Foundation Inc.

Website

https://risingartistfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Rising Artist Foundation is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides non-recoupable grants, health insurance, creative development, and music industry education to independent U.S. musicians from underrepresented and alternative-genre communities, primarily through cohort programs in Los Angeles and Pittsburgh.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts Nonprofit / Musician Grant Programs

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Indie Publishing & Label Services (Funding, Marketing, Release Management) (MPAFABAF)

Keywords

• Artist grant programs
• Nonprofit music foundation
• Emerging musician support
• Music industry education
• Digital music distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Others, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The foundation operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit funded entirely by donations. EIN #: 84-3585277. Donations are tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law.
2. Digital Distribution Fee: A 5% fee on digital distribution services goes directly to sustaining foundation operations and grants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Rising Artist Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides non-recoupable grants, holistic support, and music industry education to emerging independent musicians in the United States, prioritizing underrepresented communities. Its flagship Principal Grant pays artists $2,500 per month for two years plus health insurance, with companion cohort programs (Fourth River in Pittsburgh, Overtones in Los Angeles) and free public educational seminars (Office Hours, Go Book Yourself!). A digital distribution service that delivers artist content to major streaming platforms for a 5% fee helps sustain foundation operations and grant funding.

Product overview

The Rising Artist Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization providing a comprehensive portfolio of programs supporting emerging musicians from underrepresented communities. The core offerings include the Principal Grant (a 2-year, $2,500/month grant with health insurance and professional development), Fourth River (a 6-week Pittsburgh-based creative development workshop in partnership with Honcho), and Overtones (a 2-month LA-based program with Other People record label). Supporting services include Office Hours (free public educational seminars with industry professionals via UMAW partnership), Go Book Yourself! (tour and booking educational series), Digital Distribution Services (music distribution to all platforms at 5% fee), and a forthcoming Music Industry Education Program. All grant programs include monetary funding, healthcare coverage, creative resources, and distribution services, offered at no cost to artists.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Principal Grant Two-year comprehensive grant program providing $2,500/month plus health insurance to independent U.S. musicians, with creative development, record label services (distribution, pro bono legal, touring/recording/marketing funding), and professional growth including industry seminars and alumni mentorship.
• Fourth River Six-week regional grant and creative development workshop for emerging electronic musicians in Pittsburgh, delivered in partnership with the Honcho music collective. Includes a monetary grant, health insurance, and 12 sessions (6 creative, 6 professional) with personalized guidance from established artists, plus free public seminars.
• Overtones Two-month regional grant and workshop program for emerging electronic musicians in Los Angeles, delivered in partnership with the independent record label Other People. Provides personalized production guidance, industry mentorship, health insurance, and 16 sessions (8 creative, 8 professional) of creative and professional development.
• Office Hours Free public educational seminar series featuring rotating industry guest speakers, presented in collaboration with United Musicians and Allied Workers (UMAW). Covers music industry topics including mental health, publishing, booking, and releasing music on limited budgets.
• Go Book Yourself! Three-part educational video series created and hosted by Marina Aguerre of The Witching Hours in partnership with UMAW, covering how to pitch acts for shows, read contracts, get paid to tour, and route a tour. Available on YouTube.
• Digital Distribution Services Infrastructure to deliver music content to all major streaming platforms for a 5% fee that supports foundation operations and grants. Physical distribution partnerships currently in development.

Quantifiable outcome

• Artists receive $2,500/month plus health insurance for 2 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• HonchocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Music collective in Pittsburgh that partnered with The Rising Artist Foundation for the Fourth River program. Honcho helped nurture the Pittsburgh music community with a six-week program for emerging electronic musicians. They also hosted a live showcase at New Hot Mass club in December 2025.
• United Musicians and Allied Workers (UMAW)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Collaboration with UMAW to present the Office Hours educational series and Go Book Yourself! workshop series. These free public programs cover important topics for emerging musicians including releasing music, mental health, publishing, and DIY booking.
• Other PeoplecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Independent record label that partnered with The Rising Artist Foundation for the Overtones program in Los Angeles. Other People provided personalized production guidance from Nicolás Jaar and helped remove barriers for eight emerging LA-based electronic musicians. Released Portals compilation featuring grantees.
• United Musicians and Allied Workers (UMAW)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerMonthly events and educational resources developed together with UMAW for independent and emerging musicians of all genres.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• United States Artists: Provides unrestricted USA Fellowship grants to artists across disciplines, including music. Comparable unrestricted-grant model and equity-focused mission, though broader than music-only.
• Creative Capital: Provides project grants, professional development, and career advisory services to innovative artists across disciplines. Comparable in pairing unrestricted funding with professional development, though serving visual and multimedia artists as well as musicians.
• New Music USA: National grantmaker supporting new music creators through project grants and residencies. Comparable in artist-grantmaking orientation and focus on under-resourced music communities, though with a more classical/contemporary-classical leaning.
• Sweet Relief Musicians Fund: 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing financial assistance and grants to musicians in need. Closest peer by mission (direct musician grants), though The Rising Artist Foundation emphasizes emerging-career holistic support rather than emergency relief.
• Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation: Regional arts funder distributing grants to artists and organizations across multiple disciplines. Comparable in artist-grantmaking mission and nonprofit structure, though operating as a regional versus national entity.
• The Herb Alpert Award in the Arts: Annual awards to mid-career artists across disciplines, including music, with unrestricted funding. Comparable in providing unrestricted artist support at the career-development stage, though with a broader discipline mix.

Regional players

• Notes for Notes: Nonprofit building recording studios inside Boys & Girls Clubs and other youth facilities across the U.S. Comparable in serving under-resourced musicians, but focused on youth music-making infrastructure rather than emerging-career grantmaking.

Broad incumbents

• MusiCares (Recording Academy): Affiliated with the Recording Academy/Grammy Foundation, MusiCares provides financial and health assistance to music professionals. Comparable musician-support mission but operates at substantially larger scale and primarily addresses acute financial/human services needs.
• BMI Foundation: Philanthropic arm of BMI, supporting songwriters, composers, and music education through grants and programs. Comparable in industry-aligned music grantmaking, though focused more on songwriting education and composition awards.
• ASCAP Foundation: Philanthropic arm of performing rights organization ASCAP, offering grants, scholarships, and awards to music creators. Comparable music-industry grantmaking, though backed by a major PRO with substantially larger resources.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@RisingArtistFoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/risingartistfoundation
• TikToktiktok.com/@risingartistfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-rising-artist-foundation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Rising Artist Foundation