Today, Beatport has announced the recipients of its second annual Diversity and Parity Fund, which will distribute $150,000 in grants to organizations that accelerate gender parity and diversity across the music industry.
In addition to funding, throughout the next year, Beatport will support each of the six recipients with strategy, community outreach, editorial and social media support, and more.
The 2023 recipients are as follows:
Canada’s Change the Beat—also known as 23by23—is an organization devoted to connecting female and gender non-conforming producers with top independent labels, as well as providing mentorship for new artists within these groups.
In 2024, Change the Beat will disseminate their message globally with a series of club events, showcases, and continued monthly remix contests.
UK-based Last Night A DJ Saved My Life will use funding from Beatport to empower children and young people to build brighter futures, particularly through their “Get Equipped” project, which trains a total of 32 girls in either DJing or dance music production.
Australia’s ONE OFF TRAKS will use Beatport’s funding to ensure the continued growth of their week-long writing camp in 2024, which includes discussions with industry leaders in A&R, publishing booking, and more, culminating in the release of a camp mixtape.
South Africa’s Other Village People will use grant money to fund its newest endeavor: a three-day festival celebrating contemporary queer nightlife in the country, including a multidisciplinary program led by local queer creatives and organizations.
The UK’s Saffron organization will take advantage of funding to advance equality in music technology, by bringing together 20 UK-based Black creatives, selected through an application process open to all Black women, trans and nonbinary individuals looking to advance their music careers.
Finally, U.S.-based organization We Are Moving The Needle will utilize grant money to tour their “In CNTRL” symposium across major music hubs like Los Angeles, New York, and Nashville, bringing together producers, engineers, entrepreneurs and more to discuss the future of music with equity and inclusion as a focus.
Additional information about all six organizations can be found here.
Featured image from Beatport.
