Copland House as Fiscal Sponsor

We were elated to have worked with Copland House as our Fiscal Sponsor for several projects, which made everything so much easier!Molly Morkoski, MEME Ensemble

Copland House was a perfect match when I was looking for a Fiscal Sponsor for Portals, my full-length, multimedia production that included the commission of a large new violin piece by Philip Glass. It was great to have had Copland House along on this wonderful journey.Tim Fain, Portals

Furthering its mission to champion our nation's rich, diverse musical legacy, Copland House serves as a not-for-profit Fiscal Sponsor for a select number of composers and performers working on projects involving the creation, performance, or preservation of American music. Our Fiscal Sponsorships are intended to help artists realize their goals.

Since most funding is awarded to non-profit organizations, rather than individuals, a Fiscal Sponsor can be an important vehicle to encourage and stimulate donations for specified projects. As a Fiscal Sponsor, Copland House:

offers composers and performers the opportunity to apply to funders that limit their support to 501(c)3, tax-exempt organizations;

accepts contributions restricted for the selected project;

provides financial oversight to ensure that contributed monies are used properly and as intended; and

furnishes administrative and clerical support in processing, acknowledging, and reporting on donated funds.

Copland House’s Board of Trustees affirms projects accepted for sponsorship. Each Copland House Fiscal Sponsorship is governed by a formal, written agreement enumerating all respective responsibilities, and the terms of this financial and legal relationship. Copland House assesses a modest administrative fee on all funds received for sponsored projects.

We welcome email or telephone inquiries about the suitability of projects for Fiscal Sponsorship. Initial inquiries should briefly address the following questions about:

1. The exact nature of the proposed project and its planned activities.
2. The goals of the planned project.
3. The participating artists.
4. The prospective timetable for the project.
5. The estimated project budget.
6. The sources from which funds are expected to be raised.
7. Provide examples of other successfully-executed projects.

Should Copland House wish to consider sponsoring a project, we may ask for additional detailed information and work samples. We are eager to hear about project plans, and explore ways we may be able to assist in realizing them.

Featured Sponsored Projects

John Taylor Ward, The Southern Harmony

The planning, recording, creation, and promotion of The Southern Harmony, a commercially produced recording including songs from the eponymously titled shape-note tune book published in 1835—many of which have not been recorded—along with arrangements of Charles Ives songs and George Crumb's The Ghosts of Alhambra.

Aaron Grad, Many Masterpieces

An ongoing collaborative artistic project to realize original compositions built on concepts and material from past major compositions from the classical canon. Starting with "One Mother," an ode to Mother Earth and a plea for climate justice that weaves material from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and Stabat Mater into dynamic new songs composed and performed by Taína Asili and arranged for chamber orchestra by Aaron Grad.

Derek Bermel, The House on Mango Street: The Opera

Supporting the ongoing development of a new opera with music by Derek Bermel and a libretto by Sandra Cisneros, which receives its World Premiere at the Glimmerglass Festival in Cooperstown, NY in July and August 2025. The piece is based on Cisneros’ beloved novella, The House on Mango Street. Support has been given by Augusta Gross and Leslie Samuels, the Glimmerglass Festival, the University of Michigan Schools of Music, Theatre, & Dance, the Chautauqua Institute, and ROCO.

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