As the live music industry stirs back to life after the pandemic, independent touring musicians facing personal crises are about to get a helping hand. Starting today, a new Atlanta-based nonprofit called The Goodmood Fund will begin accepting applications for emergency relief grants of up to $2,000 to independent touring artists nationwide who are facing financial hardship due to unforeseen emergencies such as a death in the family, natural disaster, serious illness and theft of gear.
The Goodmood Fund’s grants can be used for rent or mortgage payments, home repairs stemming from natural disasters, medical costs not covered by insurance, funeral expenses and other related costs, as well as replacement of stolen or damaged equipment not covered by insurance.
Atlanta musician Jack Shaw founded Goodmood in 2019 as a for-profit touring agency serving early-stage career musicians with tour bookings and other marketing services. Shaw has booked hundreds of live shows across the U.S. and U.K. for both his own band The Head and the more than a dozen other artists he booked through Goodmood.
As the global pandemic upended the live music business for most of 2020 and 2021, Shaw saw a need for a much larger support net, one that could help these same artists in times of personal crisis. So, in early 2021, he transitioned Goodmood from a booking agency to a nonprofit fund with the resources and first-hand experience to serve the unique needs of the independent touring community.
“The life of an independent touring musician is tough to begin with,” Shaw says. “Long stretches of driving, crashing on couches, microwave burritos, scrounging for gas money, all to pursue their dream. And when disaster strikes, that dream can come crashing down in an instant. We’re here to help make sure that doesn’t happen.”
To qualify for a grant, artists must meet past and future touring criteria and receive at least 50% of their income from touring, among other criteria detailed in Goodmood’s application guidelines and process.
Goodmood also announced that Four Sigmatic has signed on as a partner supporting Goodmood’s efforts, and that Outfront Media is providing outdoor marketing support to help raise awareness among artists and donors. Pollstar is also lending marketing support to raise awareness.
Goodmood is actively seeking additional partners, and any organization interested should contact Jack Shaw directly at jack@goodmood.fund.
The Goodmood Fund is a member of The Giving Back Fund’s family of foundations. The Giving Back Fund is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN: 04-3367888) that encourages and facilitates charitable giving by providing philanthropic consulting, management and administrative services while operating as a flexible, convenient vehicle for establishing individual foundations and fiscally sponsored projects.
