Written by: Kara Kundert
We here at Bluegrass Pride are proud to support individuals of all backgrounds pursuing change and community within American traditional music. As part of that mission, we launched our Mini-Grant Program this past April -- a new tool for us to provide direct support to musicians, students, teachers, engineers, writers, festival organizers, and more. We'll be distributing $4,500 in mini-grants to folks all across the globe as they pursue excellence in music, compassion in education, and survival under a brutal system.
As we distribute these grants, we want to share with you, our broader community and membership, about what we're funding and how you can also help support these projects!
Up first, we're thrilled to have offered our very first mini-grant to Joe Troop! Best known as the founder of international supergroup, Che Apalache, Joe has spent this past year and change focusing on his activism and launching his solo career. In June, in addition to making a guest appearance at our in-person SF Porch Pride watch party, Joe traveled across the border to Nogales, Mexico to volunteer as an ESL instructor and music teacher to the asylum seekers living at La Casa de la Misericordia.
Joe requested funding from Bluegrass Pride to support his travel to the migrant shelter. In his own words: