The city of Cortez has provided information about the spring 2026 Musician Changemaker Academy, which is a nearly seven-month program for aspiring musicians across the U.S. and Canada. The goal of the academy is for talented musicians to “propose innovative ideas for music-driven social change in their communities.”
The deadline for submissions is 11:59 p.m. EST on Friday, Aug. 15.
The academy will run from Jan. 12 to July 10 and will accept 10 “socially conscious” musicians.
The program includes six weeks of intensive instruction, followed by 20 weeks of personalized coaching, according to the MCA website. Participants will develop skills in business, program development and grant writing, which will end with a comprehensive plan to launch a community-based social change pilot program for the musician’s community.
Selected musicians will receive a $10,000 package with a mix of cash and services that includes a $500 stipend during the instructional phase of the program, weekly training session, over 30 hours of one-on-one coaching, networking opportunities with other artists and leaders and $2,500 in matching funding to support their pilot program, which will be in collaboration with a local organization.
According to program organizers, candidates will be chosen based on their musical talent and the strength of their “proposed music-driven social change initiative.”
The schedule for the program will take place via Zoom, with classes three times per week from Jan. 12 to Feb. 20, followed by one-hour weekly coaching sessions from Feb. 23 to July 10. The classes will be scheduled at the convenience of the selected musicians.
Musicians of all genres are encouraged to apply. More details about applying can be found on the program’s website, at www.musictolife.org/news/musician-changemaker-accelerator-mca-academy-applications-open/.
