Live Music Society Announces 2025 Toolbox Grant Recipients

Live Music Society (LMS), the nonprofit supporting small venues and listening rooms across the US, has announced the recipients of its 2025 Toolbox grants.

The numbers:

• Thirty-three venues across 19 states and Washington D.C. will receive a portion of $252,500 in grants.

Why it matters:

• The Toolbox grants are tailored to address the practical needs of small venues (50-300 cap), helping them fix short-term issues that can have long-term positive effects.

• 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.

The recipients:

• Among the 2025 Toolbox grantees are several venues completing upgrades that strengthen their day-to-day operations:

• North Omaha Music & Arts in Omaha, NE, 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.

• Central Saloon in Seattle, WA, will add new video equipment to provide emerging artists with high-quality content of their performances.

• The full list of grantees is here.

Impact:

• 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.