Music Worker Access to NYS Seed Money Grants
Updated October 11, 2022 to include corrections to Step 2: registering your music business
We have GREAT news: thanks to the hard work of Music Worker Alliance’s Sharing the Risk committee, the leadership of State Senator Brad Hoylman and the support of key Senators like Chair of Labor Jessica Ramos and Chair of Small Business Committee Anna Kaplan, working musicians now have access to NY State’s $200 Million Seed Money Grants.
The grants will be administered by the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC). At a meeting on August 19th, ESDC Senior VP Rafael Salaberrios told us: “If you were a working musician [in NY State] in 2018 [and onwards] you should have no difficulty applying for this grant." The minimum grant will be $5000.
Because we were added to an already existing bill designed to help small businesses formed after September 1st, 2018, there are a few complications, but don’t let the bureaucratic stuff intimidate you. We'll walk you through the process of becoming a small business and applying for the program on this page; invite you to an upcoming tutorial (Date TBA) where ESDC representatives will answer your questions; and we’ll support MWA members working with the ESDC to straighten any kinks in the process.
YOU CAN GET STARTED RIGHT NOW
If you are a New York State resident that already set up your own business (LLC, DBA, S-corp, etc) on or after September 1st, 2018, and before January 1st, 2022 in New York State, and have a business bank account connected to that business, you can apply now at https://nyseedgrant.mylendistry.com/landing, and you’ll be able to use your 2018-2021 income and expenses to qualify. Be sure to also look over the Seed Grant FAQ page here to help clarify any questions you may have.
Otherwise, if you have not set up a business for your music work or you set up a business prior to September 1st, 2018, you can still be eligible for the [minimum $5000] grant, but before you can apply, you'll need to do four things:
1. Get an Employer Identification Number (EIN) for that business.
You can use this to pay federal taxes, hire employees, open a bank account, and apply for business licenses and permits– and it is required in order to be eligible for this fund. Getting this number is free, simple, and instant. You can do it here: EIN Individual Request. You can also read additional info here: How to Apply for an EIN | Internal Revenue Service
Important: if you already have an EIN, you do not need, and cannot get, another one. Like SS#s, only one can be assigned to an individual.
Once the EIN is issued on the website, BE SURE TO DOWNLOAD THE PDF OF THE LETTER. It's a pain in the neck to get another copy!
2. Register your own music touring related business.
We encourage everyone who is and has been a working musician since at least September 2018 to register as a business immediately. The sooner you register as a business, the sooner you can apply for the $5000 minimum Seed Money Grant (there is a 6 month waiting period for new businesses).
The least expensive way to do this is to apply for a DBA (Doing Business As) Certificate. A DBA is assigned according to your county of residence. If you are a sole proprietor (ie: if you get paid for at least some of your work on 1099’s as an "independent contractor” or in cash), you must go to your County Clerk's office to obtain a DBA. Each county has its own filing rules, so you need to check online by looking up your STATE COUNTY CLERK’S OFFICE.
If you live in Brooklyn [aka Kings County], the County Clerk’s office is at 360 Adams street, room 189, window #2). To get a DBA in Brooklyn, you must follow these steps:
1. Obtain a notarized “Business Registration Form” (Blumberg Legal Form 201). This is available for $15 across the street from the Brooklyn County Clerk at 26 Court Street, at the lobby’s newsstand. You can also download and print the form for $9 HERE.
2. Fill out the form and get it notarized (the 26 Court St lobby newsstand also has a notary public).
3. Go to the County Clerk’s office (Brooklyn address listed above at 360 Adams) and submit your notarized "Business Registration Form".
4. The Kings County [Brooklyn] Clerk will charge you a $100 registration fee plus $10.50 per copy of the form (you should keep one copy for your records, and some banks will ask for an additional copy for their records when you set up your business account, so it is advisable to make at least 2 copies of your notarized original).
We estimate the total cost in Brooklyn at $136 USD.
The Manhattan [New York County] County Clerk is at New York County Courthouse, 60 Centre Street, Room 161 New York, NY 10007 and can also be reached at 646-386-5955
Whatever county you live in: once you have registered your notarized "Business Registration Form” with your County Clerk, you have officially established your business in the State of NY. You can now create a business bank account and begin the 6 month waiting period before application.
*Those who had business entities prior to September 1st, 2018 must set up a new DBA to be eligible.
*For most people, setting up a new DBA will be the cheapest and easiest way to apply for the fund. However, if you would like to register an LLC or other business entity, feel free.
3. Set up a business bank account for that business.
The DBA approval from NYS or the county of residence and the EIN letter should be sufficient to open a business bank account.
4. Start using your new business bank account immediately, and pay at least $5000 of music related expenses out of that account over the next six months.
Once you have these three items—DBA, EIN, and bank account— in place: start funneling income and paying music expenses (side musician fees, gear, transportation, etc.) through your business bank account. Be sure to keep track of your business expenses, tour costs, transport and lodging, agent and management fees, studio costs, contracts, itineraries, and published reviews/previews, as all of those will help and be useful in your application process. If you gather prior documentation of work, contracts and itineraries since September 2018, that can also help your application process.
It's important to do this ASAP. You won’t be able to apply for the grant until six months after your business is registered, and the $200 million fund won’t last forever.
[Please note, setting up a business and a business bank account could also make you eligible to apply for and receive future funding or grants.]
We believe thousands of NY State musicians are eligible, and we hope every single one will apply. This grant represents a tiny percentage of the wealth working musicians generate for the State of New York every year. We suffered hard under Covid, we fought hard for these grants. WE DESERVE THIS.
We wish to thank State Senator Brad Hoylman; chair of Labor Committee State Senator Jessica Ramos and Chair of Small Business Committee State Senator Anna Kaplan; campaign director Olympia Kazi; and expert advisors Bill Herbert, David Ng, Bruce Seckendorf, and Andy Stettner; as well as the many others whose hard work made this victory possible. If you are a music worker and you have any questions or need further assistance please contact musicworkersalliance@gmail.com and become a member of Music Workers Alliance to receive more updates and invitations to application help sessions that we plan to host in the coming months
A brief history: In late 2021, everyone in NY State's cultural economy was being given access to relief or re-start grants. Everyone except us.*
Last winter and spring, the Music Workers Alliance’s “Sharing the Risk” Committee organized to demand that the New York State legislature address the fact that our work and incomes have been— and remain— highly affected by COVID-19-related disruptions. We educated people through articles in the NY Times, the Nation, Billboard, etc. We worked phone banks to reach state legislators. We hit the streets with a press conference/demonstration. Thanks to the leadership of Senator Brad Hoylman in the Senate and the support of key Senators like Chair of Labor Ramos and Chair of Small Biz Kaplan, we won. We weren’t strong enough to win our own fund, but we were able to win inclusion in another, the Seed Fund, while simultaneously a brand new category of laborer was written into state law: the “independent arts contractor.”
Solidarity works!