On 1 August, Jazz Association (Singapore) [JASS] launched the second round of the JASS Crisis Fund (JCF) to support local jazz musicians to tide over their financial struggles due to the pandemic.
Applications for the JCF will be open until 31 August, and eligible local jazz musicians will receive a short-term financial aid of up to $1,800 each. Applicants can apply for the grant and submit any supporting documents here, not before checking out the details on JASS’ website.
As listed on their website, some of the eligibility criterias for the JCF are as follows:
- Applicant must be a Singapore citizen or Permanent Resident of Singapore
- At least 21 years of age
- Singapore-based jazz musician
- Primary livelihood is that of a professional jazz musician for at least three consecutive years
- Currently experiencing a loss of monthly personal income of at least 40% for at least three consecutive months
- Not a full-time National Serviceman
In a press release, JASS Executive Director and Music Director, Professor Jeremy Monteiro said: “We hope that through this assistance, our local jazz musicians will be encouraged to persevere in their craft and continue to pursue jazz as an art form, so that they can in turn continue to bring comfort and joy to communities in Singapore and beyond through their music.”
A stalwart within local circuits, Monteiro had previously spoken on the importance of keeping the local jazz scene alive and lifting jazz to greater heights in an interview with Hear65. "At the JASS, our work is to lift the jazz scene by helping to lift the level of jazz to higher levels of excellence and working in youth development," Monteiro explained.
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Founded in September 2016, JASS aims to promote excellence for jazz in the nation, and champions the genre to facilitate participation and interactions between the public and performers. Seeing the effects of the pandemic on the local jazz musicians, the JASS implemented the JCF in October 2020 to support the performers during this crisis.
Within the scene earlier this year, non-profit organisation We Love Jazz closed down as a result of its limited resources and capacity for survivability due to the ongoing pandemic.
For more information on the eligibility criteria and the submission of the application, click here to learn more.
