Beatport to Award $150,000 in Grants Supporting Diversity & Equality in Dance Music

Beatport on Tuesday (July 25) announced its second annual Diversity + Parity Fund, with which the company will award $150,000 to initiatives that expand diversity and equality in dance music.

The fund will award two kinds of grants: one that awards amounts between $3,000 to $15,000 to smaller organizations consisting of one to three staff members, and one awarding amounts between $15,001 and $30,000 to organizations with more than four staff members. The awards are intended to fund projects such as films, activations, events, record releases and anything else that expands diversity and equality in the electronic music community.

In addition to the financial award, Beatport will offer awardees exposure through editorial and marketing across the company’s social media platforms. Applications for the fund are now open, with the application period open until Aug. 22.

“We believe in the power of music to unite people from all backgrounds, and it is our responsibility to ensure that the music industry reflects the diversity of the world we live in,” Sofia Ilyas, The Beatport Group’s Chief Community Officer, says in a statement. “Through the Diversity + Parity Fund, we are committed to accelerating change and creating a more inclusive and equitable music industry for everyone. We invite other companies in our community to join us in our mission to increase parity and diversity in music.”

This is the second year of the company’s Diversity + Parity Fund, which last year awarded a total of $100,000 to Lady of the House, which offers education and creates community within dance music via books, panels and events, Future Female Sounds, a community platform that provides emerging and established DJs with production skills and networking opportunities and #FORTHEMUSIC, a campaign against sexual harassment and assault in the industry.