The application window for 2026 Alfred Nash Patterson grants will be January 1 - February 28, 2026. Grant decisions should be announced in April or May 2026.

The application window for 2026 Alfred Nash Patterson grants will be January 1 - February 28, 2026. Grant decisions should be announced in April or May 2026.
Grants may be used in a wide variety of ways to support choruses and choral singing, such as 

     (1)    funding a performance, including salaries for artistic personnel (including orchestral musicians), rental or purchase of music, etc., 
     (2)    outreach activities, educational programs, seminars or other special activities that broadly benefit the choral community, 
     (3)    technical assistance, consultant fees, or other costs involved in organizational development, audience development, fund raising, board development, business planning, etc.
     (4)    commissions of new choral works (with fair and competitive compensation for the composer),
     (5)    costs associated with a performance, festival, or other special project not specifically mentioned here.

Choral Arts New England tries to distribute its grants throughout all six New England states. Organizations in rural, inner-city, or otherwise musically underserved areas are particularly encouraged to apply. Generally, grants are meant to encourage special events and activities that might not be feasible without outside support. Grants are not usually given for operating expenses or regular-season concerts, such as an existing annual holiday performance.

We encourage ambitious and collaborative projects and generally will happily consider applications for well-considered projects conducted more than one year in the future, to allow time for planning. Grant amounts have typically ranged from $1000 to $2,500. Criteria for funding are described below.
 

Eligibility: Who May Apply

Our grants support choral music in New England. Grants are thus awarded to:

(1) New England choruses, both volunteer and professional;

(2) Parent organizations of New England choruses; and

(3) New England organizations that provide support to choral music.

Community choirs, professional choirs, church choirs and school or college choruses are eligible. In addition, grant recipients need not be performing organizations, and grant-funded projects need not be performances; for example, past grants have funded administrative development, education, and libraries. All applicant organizations must be non-profit and certified by the IRS as tax-exempt. Groups or consortia planning a collaborative project can apply under the auspices of a designated fiscal agent (such as a local arts council, historical society, library, or museum) if appropriate. If you are applying under fiscal sponsorship (for example, an ensemble existing under an umbrella organization with 501(c)3 status), we require a written sponsorship agreement between the choral organization and the fiscal sponsor, testifying to the sponsor's awareness of the grant application.

Any group that is awarded an Alfred Nash Patterson Grant is ineligible to apply for a grant in the following year. (That is, grant recipients must take a one-year break before submitting a new application). Before future applications can be considered, past recipients must submit their project report. (See further below).
 

The Application Process

Please use the online form to compose and submit your grant application. The required materials are:

     (1)    The application form itself (application link will be available here on January 1, 2026).
     (2)    The project budget.
     (3)    The most recently available 990 or 990-EZ for your organization, or a simple summary budget of annual expenses and revenue (but not a 990-N).
     (4)    Your IRS 501(c) tax status certification letter (not a state certificate).
     (5)    Evidence of past successes, which may include one or two links to audio or video recordings and one additional supporting document (concert programs, reviews, or other explanatory material). Limit the total duration of video or sound recordings to 15 minutes.
 

Application Deadline

Applications MUST BE RECEIVED NOT LATER THAN FEBRUARY 28, 2026, or they will not be considered. There are no exceptions to this requirement.
After completing the application form, you will be able to view an auto-generated summary of your responses, and you will receive a confirmation email within 7-10 days. If there are any issues, feel free to send a query to admin@choralarts-newengland.org.

Dates of Funded Projects

The project mus ttake place after July 1, 2026 but there are no limits on the project completion date or duration. Note, however, that the time period of the projet must be specified on the application, and must be adhered to in practice. Multiple-year funding for a single project will be considered, if requested on the initial application, although such funding is unusual. 

Criteria for Funding

Completeness and clarity:

• Is the proposal complete? Is it clearly and concisely written?
• Does the proposal state the project’s goals and (if relevant) its musical details? For instance, if the project includes a commission, does the proposal include information about the composer and indicate how much communication has already occurred with the composer? If a project centers women composers, does the proposal name them?
• Does the proposal clarify the current state of the planning process?
• Does the proposal specify the benefits of the project, and its target audience, i.e., who the project seeks to reach or influence?

Organizational capacity:

• Has the organization carried out projects of similar scope in the past? Do they have the financial wherewithal, organizational strength, and artistry to carry off what they propose?
• If the proposal is for organizational development or technical assistance, does it show potential to move the organization toward greater strength, self-sufficiency, and sustainability in the area applied for? If it involves establishing an ongoing program, will that program be sustainable after an initial grant from CANE?
• Is the project feasible without outside support, i.e., is grant funding really necessary? And has the organization sought out other sources of support beyond Choral Arts New England?

Broad criteria (impact, creativity, innovation, collaboration) (as relevant):

• Will the project benefit the organization itself, its audience, the general public, and Choral Arts New England? Will the project elevate and advance the choral arts and benefit choral singing in the future, by, for instance, supporting new ways to build choral skills, enhancing collaboration, or developing and engaging audiences?
• Will the project contribute to greater inclusion, equity, and diversity in the choral arts in New England, through musical partnerships, community engagement, choice of repertory, or other means? Will the project benefit rural, inner-city, or otherwise musically underserved areas and populations?
• Is the project a creative response to current events or does it highlight aspects of our current moment in history (if relevant)?
• Does the project include the programming of new works and of important neglected music of the past (if relevant)?
• Does the project have a collaborative component, with, for example, other choirs, arts organizations, or the community at large? Does it involve broad community involvement or community education?

The Grant Awards Process

Choral Arts New England’s Grants Committee, which consists of several members of the Board of Directors, reviews all grant applications. The Committee evaluates each eligible application in light of the funding criteria and then makes recommendations to the full Board, which has the ultimate authority to approve the awards.

If You Are Awarded a Grant

All organizations awarded a grant will be invited to an Awards Ceremony in the fall of the year for which the grant is awarded (this cycle, in October or November 2026). At least one representative of the grant-receiving organization is expected to attend the ceremony and give a brief presentation on the project..

Acknowledgement of Choral Arts New England

All published materials and announcements regarding your funded project must give credit to CHORAL ARTS NEW ENGLAND with references such as the following: “This project is supported in part by an Alfred Nash Patterson Grant from Choral Arts New England.” For example, if your project consists of a concert or other performance, this or a similar statement should appear prominently in your concert program book and advertising. Full acknowledgment guidelines will be sent with the notification of grant approval and are also available on the web site. Please see the full guidelines for grant acknowledgment.

If Your Project Should Change

Applications are approved based on the information provided therein. Any substantial changes in a funded project from its description in the grant application must be approved in writing by Choral Arts New England, or else grant funding may be rescinded in whole or in part. If a project cannot be completed during the period for which it was funded, normally the grant would be returned and the applicant encouraged to re-apply (without prejudice) in the following year. Please notify us promptly if changes become necessary so we can work with you.

Project Report

After you complete your project you must submit a final report of your experience with the project, plus an itemized financial statement of the project’s actual income and expenses and certain addenda described on the report form. These forms will be provided to grant recipients when they are notified of their grants. You must submit your final report in a timely fashion after completion of your funded project, or you will be ineligible for any future funding from Choral Arts New England.

Good luck!