ATLANTA – South Arts announces the cycle of applications are open for the Fall 2025 Jazz Road Tours grant program for jazz artists.

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South Arts is pleased to announce the upcoming cycle of applications Jazz Road Tours, a grant program that supports approximately 50 jazz artists annually with individual grants up to $15,000 to help tour their practices around the nation. Applications are open and will close on October 15th, 2025.

Established in 2018 as part of the Jazz Road initiative, a national program led by South Arts in partnership with five other Regional Arts Organizations (USRAOs), Jazz Road Tours supports jazz artists nationwide in organizing three-to-six-site tours at a variety of venues, with a particular focus on rural communities and areas traditionally underserved by the genre.

South Arts recognizes that jazz is by nature a communal music genre based upon the relationship between artists and their communities. While the culture continues to thrive, compensation efforts have fallen behind for artists who dedicate their time and skillset to the craft. Jazz Road Tours is working to mend this by providing artists with the necessary tools to develop their artistic practice through tours and residences.
“South Arts recognizes that presenters don’t always have the means to properly compensate artists, but through this program, we are working to fix that,” said Susie Surkamer, South Arts President and CEO. “With the help of Jazz Road Tours, artists can spend more time honing their craft on tour, and less time worrying about making ends meet.”

In partnership with the Doris Duke Foundation and the Mellon Foundation, each year, Jazz Road Tours awards grants ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 to approximately 50 artists. These grants help offset tour expenses, bridging the pay gap between artists and presenters and may cover costs such as venue fees, travel, equitable pay, management, coordination, and promotion. Recipients may also use up to $2,500 of the grant to support childcare costs while touring. By helping artists earn a living wage while on the road, Jazz Road Tours bolsters a deeper engagement between jazz musicians, presenters, and communities.

Rooted in the nation’s diverse history, the Jazz Road Tours program celebrates the genre’s rich legacy, its unique impact on the South, and its enduring influence on American culture as a whole.

Applications will be reviewed by a national jury, and the next cohort of Jazz Road Tours artists will be selected and announced in the winter of 2025. For more information on eligibility and additional opportunities from South Arts, please visit southarts.org.

About South Arts
South Arts advances Southern vitality through the arts. The nonprofit regional arts organization was founded in 1975 to build on the South’s unique heritage and enhance the public value of the arts. South Arts’ work responds to the arts environment and cultural trends with a regional perspective. South Arts offers an annual portfolio of activities designed to support the success of artists and arts providers in the South, address the needs of Southern communities through impactful arts-based programs, and celebrate the excellence, innovation, value and power of the arts of the South. For more information, visit www.southarts.org.