New England Musicians Resource Fund

The New England Musicians Resource Fund is an Arlington-based nonprofit that provides financial support to professional freelance musicians facing extraordinary hardship. Its broader aim is to build a lasting safety net so that the people who make live music in the region can keep doing it. The fund is organized around five pillars of support: direct financial grants, professional development, education, advocacy and wellness, and it presents itself as New England’s go-to resource for freelance players.

It was founded in 2020 as the New England Musicians Relief Fund by Boston-area musicians, union leaders, executives and music supporters, after the pandemic shutdown left thousands of freelance musicians without work. Because freelancers fit neatly into neither the traditional economy nor the gig economy, many had little income and limited unemployment insurance. Recognizing that recovery would be long, the organization rebranded under its current name in 2023 to reflect a wider mission.

What to Know

• More than 900 musicians have received direct financial assistance.
• Over 4,000 donors have contributed to the fund.
• It commits to helping musicians regardless of race, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, ability or gender, and to building resources for historically excluded groups.