When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, SONA (Songwriters of North America) created the Songwriter Fund to assist music creators by providing emergency grants, eventually distributing more than $400,000 directly to recipients. Now a program of The SONA Foundation, the Songwriter Fund has been relaunched — this time to help songwriters and composers who are victims of the recent Los Angeles wildfires.
"SONA is by songwriters, for songwriters,” said SONA / The SONA Foundation CEO Michelle Lewis. “We created The Songwriter Fund in April 2020 as a way of getting immediate and targeted financial relief to members of the songwriter and composer community when they needed it during the Covid pandemic. After last week’s wildfires raged through our home city of Los Angeles, we are in need once again.”
Lewis added, “We are still in an active situation, and the loss of homes, studios, and businesses and the uncertainty around what’s coming next have put so many livelihoods at risk. That is why we are announcing that the SONA Foundation will be restarting The Songwriter Fund emergency grant program, effective immediately.”
The SONA Foundation's Songwriter Fund (www.sonafoundation.com/songwriter-fund) is specifically for songwriters and composers financially affected from the 2025 Palisades, Eaton and related L.A.-area fires. To qualify, you will need to provide a few links demonstrating professional work as a music creator, be based in and around the area of the fires, and three recent songwriter and/or composer credits. (e.g., website, YouTube, streaming, SoundCloud, or PRO). Apply here today! Qualified, approved individuals will receive payments via direct deposit, check, or digital wallet.
The relaunched grant program will be a long-term effort, as the fires are ongoing and the grieving and recovery process will continue long after the flames are extinguished. With that in mind, the public can make an immediate impact by donating to the Songwriter Fund here — every dollar counts! (The SONA Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization, so donations are tax deductible.)
In conjunction with the relaunch of The Songwriter Fund, The SONA Foundation's next mental wellness Fireside Chat series with Backline, taking place TODAY, Thursday, Jan. 16, at 2 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. ET, will focus on disaster events. The chat’s scheduled participants are songwriters Momma Molasses and Cam Ragsdale, along with Backline’s Clinical Director Ari Jacobson and Community Manager Terra Lopez. Be part of the conversation, share your thoughts, and connect with others navigating the intersection of mental health and living through disaster events by registering for this free event here: found.ee/SONAFireside.
