Overview

The Salt Lick Incubator is a nonprofit organization that supports emerging musicians on their paths to building sustainable careers. Our grants support a range of music-related projects as well as attending specific educational conferences. 

AMERICANAFEST Grant:

Approximate total value is $1,750 and includes:

Attending the Americana Music Festival and Conference (AMERICANAFEST) with panels and workshops that give artists a better understanding of the music-business landscape. This is not a grant to perform.

• Up to $1,000 to be used for support travel and accommodations
• AMERICANAFEST 2025 Conference and Festival Pass
• Ticket to Americana Honors & Awards

To be eligible for the grant, applicants must meet the following criteria:

•  Be at least 18 years old
• Be a U.S. citizen, legally eligible to work in the United States, or hold a valid student visa not expiring within six months
• Be an emerging artist, industry professional, or music enthusiast actively engaged in contemporary music
• For artist applicants: Must not be considered an established artist—defined as having signed a major label or publishing deal, or having achieved a significant level of artistic or commercial success

Evaluation Criteria

Applications are evaluated by committee, based on the following criteria:

• Strength and quality of the applicant’s potential to contribute to and benefit from the conference and festival
• Financial or other demonstrated need
• Accuracy, completeness, and quality of the application

Deadlines

The next grant cycles are as follows:

• Applications open April 14, 2025 and close May 16, 2025. Awards announced in June 2025.

Applications close at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Accessibility

No person on the basis of race, color, national origin or ancestry, native language, disability, age, religion (creed), gender or gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, socioeconomic status, or military status shall be excluded from participation in, or be denied benefits of, or otherwise be subject to discrimination of services, programs and employment provided by the Salt Lick Incubator or Americanafest.

About the Organization

Salt Lick Incubator is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to supporting emerging musicians with grants, collaborative opportunities, strategy, communication, marketing support, mentorship, and a YouTube platform. The Salt Lick Incubator aims to be a  supportive community of artists operating within an exploitation-free ecosystem of partners who help new artists discover pathways to sustainable careers. 

Music is one of the most powerful tools we have to help people understand, hear, and embrace one another. To support the music-making of our emerging artists is to further a humane approach to one another and the world around us—particularly valuable in light of the division and fractiousness we see in the world.

About the Internship

The Salt Lick Incubator internship program strives to give interns a holistic view of artist development. To achieve this, internship duties are divided among three main functions: A&R, data/marketing, and administrative.

A&R

• Serve as a first-line reviewer of grant applications
• Research complementary artists for potential collaboration
• Help identify appropriate talent for future Salt Lick Sessions (YouTube video series)
• Prepare pre-session briefs

Data/Marketing

• Prepare targeting suggestions for weekly Salt Lick Sessions drops
• Track statistics for current Salt Lick Incubator artists and sessions. Use research and deductive reasoning to give context to increases and decreases in engagement. Compile weekly reports. Present to the team
• Social-media marketing 
• Strategize for and promote YouTube channel and accompanying social posts
• Capture, upload, organize, prioritize, and share in-studio/on-site social media content (where applicable.)
• Produce content for TikTok

Administrative

• Execute physical mailings (merchandise, etc.)
• Assist with load-in, setup, and load-out for Salt Lick Sessions recordings (where applicable.)
• Support the Salt Lick Incubator team across departments including operations, artist development, production, post-production, advertising, and social media.

Requirements

• A keen desire to support creators
• An obsession with music and discovering new artists
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills 
• Knowledge of and appreciation for social media and the ways it can connect fans to creatives
• Experience creating and maintaining Excel or Google spreadsheets
• Familiarity with Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Calendar, Gmail)
• Availability to work remotely 10–15 hours per week
• Familiarity with audio/video production and/or graphic design is a plus
• Familiarity with Slack is also a plus

Compensation

• $18 per hour
• College credit available