Live Music Society Announces 2025 Toolbox Grant Recipients: $252,500 to 33 Small Performance Venues

Nonprofit Has Awarded $5.1 Million Total In Critical Funding to 227 Venues Since Launching in 2020, and has Distributed Over $1 Million For The Second Consecutive Year 

Celebrates the First Year of One Night Live, a Collaborative Touring Program Redefining How Emerging Artists Engage With Independent Venues

December 9, 2025 - - Live Music Society (LMS), the nonprofit supporting small venues and listening rooms across the U.S., today announced the recipients of its 2025 Toolbox grants, awarding $252,500 to 33 venues across 19 states and Washington, D.C., including the organization’s first-ever grantees in Nebraska and Utah. Since launching the Toolbox program in 2023, LMS has awarded $844,111 to 109 venues. The organization has now distributed a total of $5.1 million in grant funding overall to small performance spaces nationwide since its founding in 2020, and is proud to note that it has surpassed $1 million in annual grantmaking for the second consecutive year.

Live Music Society continues to play a vital role in supporting small performance venues, many of which operate on razor-thin margins yet provide essential stages for emerging artists and serve as cultural anchors within their communities. The organization’s Toolbox grants are tailored to practical needs, helping small venues (50–300 cap) address short-term issues that can have long-term positive effects on the health and growth of the venue. Projects funded in this round include accessibility improvements, sound and lighting upgrades, and equipment that enables training opportunities in live music production and stage lighting.

Among the 2025 Toolbox grantees are several venues completing upgrades that strengthen their day-to-day operations. North Omaha Music & Arts in Omaha, NE, LMS’s first grantee in the state, will use its award to expand its backline. In Salt Lake City, UT, The Beehive will make sound and lighting improvements in its all-ages space. Rudy’s Jazz Room in Nashville, TN, and The Sanctuary in Detroit, MI, will both install HVAC upgrades. The Kennett Flash in Kennett Square, PA, will update its lighting and seating, while Central Saloon in Seattle, WA, will add new video equipment to provide emerging artists with high-quality content of their performances.

To see the full list of grantees, visit www.livemusicsociety.org/toolbox. 

It’s been a tremendous year for LMS. In addition to its significant support of small venues, it launched One Night Live, a first-of-its-kind touring initiative created in partnership with like-minded organizations including D-TOUR, Salt Lick Incubator and Cleveland Rocks: Past, Present & Future to support emerging artists and independent venues. Billboard describes One Night Live as “a mission to create a viable alternative for independent artists and venues that have been hit hardest by the growing cost of live events.” The inaugural run in May featured Ellie Williams, Sofia Lafuente, and Farayi Malek, who debuted a collaborative format in which each performed her own set while also backing the others, a model that reduced touring costs, fostered artistic community, and brought fresh programming to locally owned venues. At each stop, the tour worked with venue partners to showcase local support acts and deepen ties to regional music scenes. Building on this success, One Night Live returned in the fall, headlined by Kid Tigrrr (Jenna Fournier), who collaborated with partners on routing, marketing, and artist curation for a series of Northeast shows. Across both tours, One Night Live strengthened the connection between emerging artists and the community-rooted venues that champion them. 

Artist Jenna Fournier, who headlined the fall One Night Live tour under her moniker Kid Tigrrr, spoke to the program’s impact on emerging musicians and the communities they serve. “They say it takes a village to raise a child, well, it also takes a village to raise up an artist. I am extremely grateful to have had this opportunity, and I hope to see it expand so more artists can share their voices and stories in this way. It has been a wonderful feeling to be part of something bigger than just the music I bring to the table. I believe strongly that creative expression and community are integral to mental wellness, and live music fosters exactly this.”

Following enthusiastic reception from venues, artists, and partners, Live Music Society will significantly expand One Night Live in 2026, with new routes, new cities, and new collaborative partners to be announced in the coming months.

Live Music Society continued its Music in Action grant program for the third year as well, awarding $765,500 to 26 small performance venues. Music in Action continues to be a catalyst for community engagement, audience development, and innovative programming at small venues. The third annual Music in Action application cycle opened in January, underscoring LMS’s commitment to helping venues cultivate new audiences and explore ambitious ideas.

Live Music Society also deepened its national presence in 2025 with activations at the NIVA ’25 Conference in Milwaukee, hosting a panel on the One Night Live model and gathering venue partners for a happy hour, concert, and VIP brunch that brought together small venue owners and operators from across its growing network.

About Live Music Society:

Live Music Society (LMS) empowers small venues and listening rooms across the United States. Since 2020, the nonprofit has distributed $5.1 million in grants to 227 unique venues, supporting live music stages, emerging talents, established artists, staff, and patrons. With a focus on engaging communities, expanding audiences, increasing representation, and enhancing the live music experience, these grants underscore the foundation's commitment to strengthening the small, independent venue ecosystem nationwide. In 2025, LMS introduced One Night Live, a first-of-its-kind, continuously growing touring collaboration with organizations like D-TOUR, Salt Lick Incubator, and Cleveland Rocks: Past, Present & Future. The series creates a new touring model that lowers costs, shares resources, and strengthens the connection between emerging artists and the independent venues hit hardest by rising live-music expenses. livemusicsociety.org