Notable Nonprofits: New England Musicians Resource Fund
Credit: New England Musicians Fund
Behind every concert, community event, and unforgettable live performance are hardworking musicians who often navigate unpredictable careers without the safety nets many workers take for granted. New England Musicians Resource Fund was created to help change that. Founded during the height of the pandemic, this nonprofit has become a vital source of support, advocacy, and relief for freelance musicians across New England. In this interview, we spoke with general manager Jodi Ekelchik about its mission, the challenges musicians face, and the meaningful ways NEMRF is helping artists through difficult times.
Life in Mass (LIM): For readers discovering the New England Musicians Resource Fund for the first time, how would you describe your mission and the heart behind your work?
New England Musicians Resource Fund (NEMRF): In brief: NEMRF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity founded in 2020 in response to the needs laid bare by the Covid-19 shutdown of the music industry to create a safety net that will serve the professional musician community in New England for years and decades to come.
Credit: New England Musicians Fund
For added context: There is a stark contrast between employee benefits afforded to workers in “standard” jobs and those available to a freelance musician. Most musicians do not have access to employer benefits of any kind. Should they experience any personal situation that impacts their ability to work, e.g. illness, injury, childcare, jury duty, family emergencies, etc., they have no safety net.
NEMRF was created to help New England musicians weather the shutdown of the music industry during the Covid pandemic. Since our launch, NEMRF has expanded its offerings through community partnerships to provide a fundamental “safety net” of support resources for professional and “gig’ musicians. NEMRF now helps musicians across all musical genres who find themselves facing extraordinary problems of lost income, physical and mental health problems, legal issues, education and advocacy.
LIM: NEMRF was founded during the pandemic, a particularly difficult time for musicians to say the least. How has that origin story shaped who you are today as an organization?
NEMRF: Every step we’ve taken at NEMRF has been a labor of love: by showing up for colleagues and friends, musicians facing real hardship found support when it mattered most. That’s exactly why we started the New England Musicians Resource Fund.
Freelance musicians bring our stages and communities to life, yet most freelance musicians have no job security or safety net. Our mission remains clear: to provide a safety net of resources so that when life throws the unexpected at a musician, they are not alone.
LIM: Many people don’t realize how vulnerable freelance musicians can be. What are some of the biggest challenges they face in New England?
Credit: New England Musicians Fund
NEMRF: Most musicians do not have access to employer benefits of any kind. Should they experience any personal situation that impacts their ability to work, e.g. illness, injury, childcare, jury duty, family emergencies, etc. who can they turn to for help?
LIM: Your organization provides a “safety net” for musicians, this is something that really impressed us. What does that look like in real, everyday terms for the people you serve?
NEMRF: The New England Musicians Resource Fund (NEMRF) offers musicians access to these core programs:
Financial Relief Grant
The global pandemic created acute financial distress for the thousands of freelance musicians who make their living playing music in New England. Due to the “gig” nature of freelance work, when the halls went dark on March 13, 2020, freelancers were left—overnight—with no regular income, few benefits, and for many, no qualified unemployment insurance, even under the emergency CARES Act. Our financial relief grant program continues to this day. Our grants average $1000-2000, and we have also set up emergency appeals for individual artists facing a medical crisis that has brought their careers and income to a halt.
Mental Health Services
In partnership with the Brookline Center for community mental health, we provide musicians with access to mental health care services at no cost.
Legal Services
In partnership with the Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston, we provide musicians with access to pro bono and/or low fee legal services. We also provide professional development workshops on relevant topics for freelance musicians (e.g., contract management best practices, legacy planning).
LIM: Can you share a story of a musician whose life was meaningfully impacted by your support?
NEMRF: In Autumn 2024, NEMRF stepped up with an emergency appeal to help hornist Alyssa Daly when she was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer. Today, Alyssa is cancer free and back on stage! Take a moment to listen to musician Alyssa and Jay’s (and Cooper’s) moving message of gratitude that they shared in December 2025. Nobody should have to sell their home, uproot their family, or leave their community simply because they chose a profession as a musician.
NEMRF set up an emergency fund to help support Alyssa, a hornist. Note that her husband Jay is a freelance trumpeter.
LIM: Beyond financial grants, NEMRF offers resources like mental health and legal support. Why was it important to take such a holistic approach?
NEMRF: There is a stark contrast between employee benefits afforded to workers in “standard” jobs and those available to a freelance musician. Most musicians do not have access to employer benefits of any kind. NEMRF steps in to provide this service to musicians who bring so much joy to our communities.
LIM: How do you define success, not just in numbers, but in the human impact you’re making?
NEMRF: We value sharing stories about the impact that we are having on the lives of musicians across New England with our community. This includes hearing Alyssa’s story (see link above) and Corrinne’s story (link here). Find Yahuba’s story here about what an NEMRF grant meant to him when his music recording and teaching studio flooded in back-to-back weekends, and see firsthand his rebuild which happened because his insurance did not cover this type of flooding.
Also, find this quote from a Maine-based pianist (who is also a percussionist, producer and teaching artist): “I truly cannot thank you enough for this support during one of the most trying moments in my musical career. This gesture means the world to me...In my deep gratitude, I felt inspired to share one of my albums with you. A central theme of it is hope, something which your organization has given me through this act of care.”
LIM: Music plays such a vital role in the culture and identity of Massachusetts and New England. How do you see your work contributing to the broader community?
NEMRF: Could you imagine our corner of the globe without music? We can’t imagine that. The answer to this question is in our mission statement: New England Musicians Resource Fund is committed to furthering high quality music performance in New England by investing in and advocating for the professionals whose talents bring the music alive.
LIM: You support a wide range of musicians, from performers to production staff. Why was it important to be inclusive in who you help?
NEMRF: This is part of our organization’s core set of values. NEMRF provides resources to help freelance musicians in need, regardless of race, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, physical ability, and gender, and is committed to building resources for musicians of historically excluded groups. NEMRF is committed to acting ethically and with integrity in all of our work. The organization acknowledges the racist and unjust past and present practices within the music industry and believes the New England music community will be a stronger, more creative, and welcoming artistic ecosystem when it is a more diverse and honest reflection of the broader community.
LIM: Can you tell us more about your events or workshops and how they help musicians grow professionally?
NEMRF: Most musicians do not have access to professional development that is available in other professions and industries. Whether a musician is a union member or an independent artist, understanding contract management (as one example) is key to protecting their music and their livelihood.
Credit: New England Musicians Fund
Through the NEMRF Talks workshop series, developed in partnership with the Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston, NEMRF offers programs focused on e.g., contract management best practices, legacy planning, introduction to copyright, business structure for musicians, and other professional development topics. When available, we also help to promote other professional development workshops offered by our community partners.
LIM: Community support is clearly a big part of your work. How can everyday people in Massachusetts get involved or support your mission?
NEMRF: We love when everyday people in MA and across New England ask how they can help!
Thank you for asking. Here’s five ways to get involved:
Share our story: Spread the word with your neighbor or family around your picnic and holiday tables, at your weekend gigs, or via a group chat with friends. Add a personal note or use the soundbite below. When you do, know that your Aunt Lucy will be proud. Need a soundbite to explain what we do while chatting with your neighbor in their garden full of daffodils, swapping stories with a cello soloist after that performance, talking shop at your next gig, or while catching up with your Aunt Lucy? We’ve got you covered: The New England Musicians Resource Fund provides a safety net of resources to freelance musicians when life hits an unexpected note. We provide access to financial relief grants in times of crisis, plus access to legal services, mental health services, professional development and more.
Curious? Learn more and be our ambassador: www.nemrf.org.Make a donation: Make it in honor of your favorite music teacher, a musician in your family or a musician you heard last weekend. Don’t wait to honor a music teacher in your life. When you do, know that you’re supporting a musician performing in your community. Honor a musician now.
Fundraise your way: While we didn’t make the cut as a new 2026 Boston Marathon Charity program participant (yet), there are countless ways to get involved. Run the friendly (and informal) Paul Revere Half Marathon on April 11, 2026, or any race, walk, or ride near you. Or, create something uniquely yours, such as a paradiddle marathon, a mountain trek, a backyard concert, even a yard sale. Find more NEMRF inspiration here.
Double your impact with a matching gift: Many employers match donations. Take a moment to check if yours does and double your gift in minutes.
Celebrate a milestone moment for musicians in New England, be a part of your 2026 Semiquincentennial anniversary
Alright, full disclosure. We can’t quite claim a shiny ‘first of its kind in New England’ title just yet (give us time). But as the Semiquincentennial events happen across New England, know that we’re building something that matters: a real, lasting safety net for musicians. Help us make it official - follow along, spread the word, and connect us with your community.
LIM: As you look to the future, what are your biggest hopes or goals for NEMRF and the musicians you serve?
NEMRF: Our goal is to ensure sustaining support for freelance musicians across New England. We may not have racked up as many years as that famous Boston cream pie founded in 1856 (find the recipe here!), but in just five+ unprecedented years, we stepped up when it mattered most.
We’ve helped more than 500 musicians who came to us seeking help during the COVID pandemic and since, to musicians facing cancer, stroke, flooded basements, and fractured limbs. All of these life-changing moments brought their careers and income to a halt, sometimes for months at a time. Together, we were there when these musicians in our community had nowhere else to go.
LIM: Finally, what does live music mean to you personally, and why do you believe it’s so important to protect and support the artists behind it?
NEMRF: We cannot imagine our corner of New England without live music. Music pits, stages, and spaces in New England are not abstractions. They are livelihoods. We invite the New England community to help us build a robust musicians fund, and ensure that we remain a resource to the next musician facing hardship who walks through our doors.
The work being done by New England Musicians Resource Fund is a powerful reminder that the people who bring music into our lives also need support and community behind the scenes. From financial relief to mental health resources and advocacy, NEMRF continues to stand beside New England musicians when they need it most. Their dedication is helping ensure that artists across the region can continue creating, performing, and enriching our communities for years to come.