Artist Development Grants

HumanMade funds real artists making real music. Grants are open to all verified artists in the registry.

What is the Grant Program?

A portion of all HumanMade merch sales and platform profits is pooled directly into the Artist Development Grant fund. We distribute this back to verified artists to help them produce new work - no strings attached, no equity taken, no creative control.

This is about reinvesting in the community that makes HumanMade meaningful. Human creativity deserves direct support.

Single Grant

Monthly

Covers production costs for one single release - studio time, mixing, mastering, or distribution. Awarded monthly to one verified artist.

EP Grant

Quarterly

Supports the production of an EP - larger budget covering multi-track recording, session musicians, or full mixing and mastering. Awarded quarterly.

Album Grant

As Funded

The largest grant tier - supporting a full album production. Awarded when the grant fund reaches a sufficient level to meaningfully contribute to an album-scale project.

How It Works

1

Be a verified artist

You must have at least one verified work in the HumanMade registry. Registration is what puts you in the running.

2

Applications open each cycle

When a grant cycle opens, verified artists will be notified and can submit a brief application describing their next project and how the grant would be used.

3

Selection and award

The HumanMade team reviews applications and selects recipients. Awards are paid directly - no label involvement, no equity, no creative conditions.

4

Register the result

Grant recipients are asked (not required) to register the resulting work on HumanMade, adding to the verified human-made catalogue.

Where the Money Comes From

The grant fund is built from two sources: a portion of all HumanMade merch sales, and a share of platform profits as the registry grows. This means the community directly funds itself - every piece of merch sold, every registration paid, contributes to grants for other artists.

Grant amounts and frequency will grow as the platform and merch store scale. We publish fund status and award history transparently.

Get in the Registry

The first step to being eligible for a grant is registering your work. Create your free account and submit your first release.