The ASCAP Foundation Launches New Scholarship for Women Songwriters

The ASCAP Foundation has launched the new “In Her Voice” scholarship which will provide funds to female-identifying music makers who are trying to break into the songwriting field.

“In Her Voice” Scholarship will be granted to two undergraduate or graduate students who are female-identifying and are ASCAP members or have not affiliated with any other performing rights organization. To be considered, young writers must submit a song that focuses on women’s empowerment. Part of the funding for this scholarship is thanks to a donation from She Is The Music, a nonprofit seeking to empower women in the music industry, especially in fields that are primarily male dominated.

While the USC Annenberg School Inclusion Initiative study in 2024 has shown that representation for women in the songwriting field has been increasing in recent years, rising from 14.1% in 2022 to 19.5% in 2023, there is still a long way to go before writing rooms reach gender parity. This is especially true for the role of the producer. In 2023, women represented just 6.5% of all producers listed in the 1,200 most popular songs of the year.

The application period opened on July 8, 2024 and ends July 31, 2024 at 11:59 pm PT. According to the ASCAP Foundation, “applicants are judged by industry professionals on the originality, overall quality and craft of the song and their ability to demonstrate socially conscious themes of women empowerment.” The application can be found here.

“We hope this scholarship will help advance the careers of promising female-identifying songwriters and in the process, promote equity and inclusion in higher education and in the music industry,” said The ASCAP Foundation Executive Director Nicole George-Middleton. “We are so pleased to be working with She Is The Music to provide this opportunity for aspiring music creators.”