As part of the U.S. Department of State’s Global Music Diplomacy Initiative to elevate music as a tool to promote peace and democracy, the Department recently awarded 10 small grants to alumni of the OneBeat international music exchange, as part of the OneBeat Accelerator program.
OneBeat is a leading multinational music exchange program of the U.S. Department of State that brings together musicians from around the world to unlock the power of creative collaboration and open a gateway to civic discourse and cross-cultural understanding. Musicians collaborate on new music and develop strategies to address shared challenges that have a positive impact on local communities in the United States and around the world.
The OneBeat Accelerator supports OneBeat’s growing artist network by awarding alumni micro-grants to seed creative solutions to community challenges. Accelerator grants are awarded annually through an application process that is open to alumni of the program, and range in amount from $2,500 to $5,000. The OneBeat alumni receiving 2024 Accelerator grants are from Colombia, Ghana, Hungary, Indonesia, Pakistan, Senegal, South Africa, and the United States.
The OneBeat Accelerator program has provided more than 50 grants since it began in 2018. The grants support projects that promote democratic principles and address issue areas such as access to education, community resilience, conflict transformation, cultural heritage preservation, diversity and inclusion, economic empowerment, environmental protection, media literacy, and youth engagement.
