In a massive win for the grassroots music ecosystem, the Live Music Society (LMS) has announced the 29 small independent performance venue recipients of its 2026 Music in Action grants.
This year’s cohort will collectively receive $844,000 in funding. The grants are specifically earmarked to support venue-led programs that expand live music access, nurture emerging talent, promote sustainable growth, and elevate the concert experience for fans, artists, and staff alike.
With this fourth annual funding round, LMS has now distributed nearly $6 million in grants to 250 independent venues across the United States since launching in 2020.
Independent live music venues are the lifeblood of the music industry, serving as the essential incubators where emerging artists find their footing and communities connect. But keeping the doors open and the lights on in small rooms remains a steep uphill battle.
2026 Impact: Funding Across 19 States, DC, Puerto Rico
The 2026 Music in Action grantees represent a diverse cross-section of the American independent venue ecosystem. This year's projects move beyond basic operational survival, focusing heavily on community wellbeing, inclusivity, and regional cultural preservation.
Innovative Projects Funded in 2026:
- Healthcare Integration: Caffè Lena (Saratoga Springs, NY) is launching a Prescription Ticket Pilot. Partnering with local healthcare providers, social workers, and therapists, the venue will offer patients access to live concerts to combat social isolation and support mental wellness.
- Youth & Education: New Orleans’ legendary Preservation Hall is expanding its Kids In The Hall field trip program, offering students hands-on musical experiences and direct engagement with jazz traditions.
- Community Festivals & Showcases: The Riptide (San Francisco, CA) will debut Tidefest, a community festival spotlighting local, emerging, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ artists. Meanwhile, Drytown Social Club (Drytown, CA) is launching Ritmos y Raíces, a Latin music series designed to celebrate regional cultural traditions in a rural setting.
- Multi-Disciplinary Collaboration: Trans-Pecos (Ridgewood, NYC) will host Sound Summit, a series of day-long genre-specific events uniting musicians, visual artists, and local vendors.
“Through Music in Action projects and One Night Live tours, we're finding new ways to support the people who make live music happen. Whether it's helping a venue try something new or helping an artist get on the road, we're focused on creating more opportunities for artists, audiences, and communities to connect.”
— Gavin Berger, Board President, Live Music Society
Full List of 2026 Music in Action Grant Recipients
The 29 venues receiving funding this year span across the country:
- Ars Nova Workshop (Philadelphia, PA)
- Bishop Hill Creative Commons (Bishop Hill, IL)
- Cafe Colonial (Sacramento, CA)
- Caffè Lena (Saratoga Springs, NY)
- The Dance Hall (Kittery, ME)
- Drom (New York, NY)
- Drytown Social Club (Drytown, CA)
- The End (Lafayette, CO)
- The Free Man (Dallas, TX)
- Happy Dog (Cleveland, OH)
- La Casa de la Cultura Isabelina (Isabela, PR)
- The Monarch (Louisville, KY)
- Monks Jazz Club (Austin, TX)
- Next Stage Arts Project (Putney, VT)
- Nova Arts (Keene, NH)
- Odin & Freja’s Place (Scandinavia, WI)
- One World Brewing (Asheville, NC)
- Preservation Hall (New Orleans, LA)
- The RiffRaff Arts Collective (Princeton, WV)
- The Riptide (San Francisco, CA)
- The Rosette (Austin, TX)
- The Royal Music & Arts Center (Glenside, PA)
- Safety Harbor Music & Arts Center (Safety Harbor, FL)
- The Silverlake Lounge (Los Angeles, CA)
- Songbyrd Music House (Washington, DC)
- The Starry Plough Pub (Berkeley, CA)
- Tom’s Daiquiri (Denton, TX)
- Trans-Pecos (Ridgewood, NY)
- ZOLA (Spokane, WA)
To learn more about the specific community projects these venues are launching, visit the Live Music Society Grantees Page.
'One Night Live'
Live Music Society’s impact goes beyond direct grantmaking. The organization continues to scale One Night Live, a collaborative touring initiative launched in 2025 alongside D-Tour and Salt Lick Incubator.
Designed to combat the brutal economic realities facing touring indie artists, One Night Live offsets marketing and production costs for venues while ensuring artists secure sustainable, well-supported touring routes. Over the last 15 months, the initiative has successfully backed five tours, partnering with industry organizations like Midtopia, Folk Alliance International, and Cleveland Rocks. LMS recently announced a 2026 summer tour featuring Salt Lick Incubator artist Frail Talk.
Additionally, LMS has dropped the eighth episode of its American Road Trip video series, spotlighting 2025 grantees and iconic Los Angeles jazz hubs Sam First and The World Stage Performance Gallery. The episode features a performance by the Becca Stevens Trio, filmed at Sam First's Big Acts in a Small Space series. (You can watch the episode directly on the LMS website).
