named programs · 7 · from sources
What they call their work
AMS Studies in Music
Book series published in partnership with Oxford University Press that promotes innovative musicological scholarship for a broad academic audience.
Annual Meeting Registration Waivers
Provides full registration waivers for the AMS annual meeting to scholars from countries with per-capita GDP below $41,000 during online meeting years.
Chapter Activities Fund
Provides partial support of up to $500 for activities organized by local AMS chapters.
Journal of the American Musicological Society (JAMS)
Peer-reviewed journal published three times a year featuring research articles, book reviews, and scholarly communications in musicology.
Music of the United States (MUSA)
Produces scholarly editions of historically significant American musical works across genres including jazz, opera, and film music.
Publication Subventions
Provides financial support to individual scholars and institutions for publishing scholarly works in music studies, including books, articles, and digital resources.
Study Group Activities Fund
Offers partial funding of up to $500 for events and programs organized by AMS study groups.
activities · 6 groups
What they do
-
Arts Education Scholarships 4 activities
- Administering fellowship programs for graduate students in musicologyProvides three fellowship programs supporting PhD-level dissertation research in musicology, including a $25,000 stipend for final-year dissertation work, opera studies research, and support for students from historically underrepresented groups at US or Canadian institutions.
- Funding travel, research, and professional development for music scholarsAwards approximately $75,000 annually in travel and research grants to music scholars and educators, including support for professional travel and new musical scholarship. Uses a common application deadline of April 1 for eight of its grant programs.
- Offering professional development grants to independent and contingent scholarsProvides $500 professional development and career support grants through the Suzanne G. Cusick Fund to low-income independent scholars, contingent faculty, and non-academic professionals in music, sound studies, and performance.
- Providing publication subventions for musicological worksOffers annual publication subventions totaling approximately $80,000–$100,000 to support the publication of scholarly works in music, including articles, monographs, editions, recordings, and performances related to historical performing practices. Also provides subventions for the AMS Studies in Music series published with Oxford University Press.
-
-
Musicological Research and Scholarly Editions 3 activities
- Advancing musicological research and scholarship through advocacyAdvocates for the study of music and sound as a core component of advancing musicological understanding, integrated with research, teaching, and public outreach efforts.
- Producing scholarly editions and historical music resourcesPublishes the Music of the United States (MUSA) series of scholarly editions, maintains the Broude Trust collection of historical musical scores (15th–19th centuries), and provides free digital access to members. Publishes urtexts, historical scores, and pedagogical materials to advance music teaching and research.
- Publishing peer-reviewed journals and open-access scholarly resourcesProduces the Journal of the American Musicological Society (JAMS), published three times per year, and the open-access Journal of Musicology Pedagogy (JMP), which focuses on music history pedagogy. Also operates Musicology Now, an online magazine sharing academic research with the public, and produces Music Means, which shares American music history stories and pedagogical materials.
-
-
Artist Support Grants 2 activities
- Supporting AMS chapters and study groups through financial grantsProvides semi-annual grants of up to $500 (covering no more than 50% of costs) to support activities and programs of AMS chapters and study groups, including partial funding for events and invitations to non-musicology speakers at the Annual Meeting.
- Supporting research on classic song through the Thomas Hampson FundFunds scholarship, critical editions, and digital initiatives related to classic song—including American and contemporary song—and promotes public understanding through interactive media and internet-based platforms.
-
-
Organizational Newsletter Production and Distribution 1 activity
- Communicating Society news and events to membersProduces the monthly AMS e-Newsletter summarizing Society activities and the Meeting & Events Bulletin, which provides updates on upcoming events.
-
-
Mentorship and Professional Development Programs 1 activity
- Delivering mentorship and professional development through the Sustainable Mentorship ProgramProvides year-long mentorship, networking, and professional development support to individuals with advanced training in musicology and related fields through a structured program.
-
-
Professional Conference Support 1 activity
- Providing full registration waivers for the AMS Annual MeetingOffers full registration fee waivers for the online AMS Annual Meeting to presenters from countries with a per-capita GDP below $41,000; remaining waivers are distributed via lottery. Automatically awarded to eligible presenters, as demonstrated in the 2026 meeting scheduled for November 14–15 and 19–20.
-
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$1.85M
Contributions & grants$970K52%
Program service revenue$413K22%
Investment income$467K25%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$1.75M
Program expenses79%
Admin / overhead18%
Fundraising2%
Salaries & benefits$654K
Grants paid out$251K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$11.34M
Cash$229K
Investments$9.47M
Liabilities$74K
Net assets$11.27M
Liquid reserves66.7 mo
6 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue +25.1%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 6
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Siovahn A Walker | Executive Dir. | 40 | $184K |
| Louis Epstein | Director | 2 | $3K |
| Emily Wilbourne | Director | 2 | $1K |
| Ryan Baagale | Director | 2 | $1K |
| Marysol Quevedo | Director | 2 | $350 |
| Serona Elton | Director | 2 | $350 |
board members · 8
- Bonnie Gordon — Vice President
- Dwandalyn Reece — Director
- Emily Dolan — Director
- Gayle Magee — Secretary
- Julie Cumming — President
- Kunio Hara — Coun. Secretary
- Remi Chiu — Director
- Samuel Dorf — Treasurer
relationships · 19
Who they work with
- AMS Chapters Network — AMS supports and collaborates with its chapters and study groups as part of its broader scholarly network.
- AMS Study Groups Network — Provides funding and programmatic support to AMS study groups as part of its organizational network.
- AMS chapters Network — Local chapters of the American Musicological Society that are eligible to apply for funding
- AMS chapters Partner — Receives funding from AMS for local and regional scholarly activities.
- AMS committees Partner — Receives funding from AMS for activities including hosting guest speakers and educational programs.
- AMS study groups Partner — Receives funding from AMS for specialized research activities and programs.
- Affiliates Coalition — Sponsored interest groups that advance the Society's mission and foster relationships among members.
- Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Funder — Provides funding that supports the AMS publication subventions program.
- Broude Trust Partner — Partner organization whose historical musical editions are published and maintained by the AMS.
- Coalition of Music Organizations Network — Institutional applicants for AMS publication subventions must be members of the Coalition of Music Organizations.
- Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation Funder — Provides funding that supports the AMS publication subventions program.
- National Endowment for the Humanities Funder — Provides funding that supports the AMS publication subventions program.
- New York Pro Musica Antiqua Partner — Organization whose Trustees established the Noah Greenberg Award in memory of its founder.
- Organology Study Group Network — Collaborates with the Organology Study Group to administer travel grants for scholars in the field.
- Oxford University Press Partner — Collaborates with the AMS to publish the AMS Studies in Music book series.
- Submittable Partner — Uses Submittable platform to manage grant and fellowship applications.
- Suzanne G. Cusick Funder — Fund named in honor of Suzanne G. Cusick supports professional development grants for scholars in music, sound studies, and performance.
- Travel/Research Grants Committee Network — Committee responsible for reviewing applications for eight of the AMS travel and research grants.
- World Bank Partner — Uses World Bank data to determine country eligibility based on per-capita GDP for registration waivers.
strategies · 5
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Equitable Funding Distribution Across Networksmethodology: equitable_funding_distributionBy providing recurring partial funding to affiliate groups and limiting repeat individual awards, the organization ensures broader access to resources because it prevents concentration of funds and promotes inclusive participation across the scholarly network.
- Equity-Based Access via Economic Proxymethodology: equity-based_accessBy using per-capita GDP to determine eligibility for conference registration waivers, the organization increases international participation from lower-income countries because economic barriers are systematically reduced for scholars from financially disadvantaged regions.
- Integrated Scholarship Modelmethodology: integrated-scholarshipBy integrating research, teaching, advocacy, and public outreach, the organization strengthens music scholarship because interconnected scholarly activities produce broader impact and field-wide advancement.
- Matched Funding to Leverage External Supportmethodology: matched_funding_requirementBy requiring matching funds—limiting awards to no more than 50% of project costs—the organization ensures grantees secure additional funding sources because the requirement incentivizes resource mobilization and shared investment in scholarly projects.
- Sustainable Mentorship for Career Advancementmethodology: sustainable_mentorship_modelBy offering sustained, year-long mentorship combined with professional development and networking, the organization supports long-term career advancement in musicology because continuous engagement fosters deeper skill development and integration into scholarly communities.