"As enthusiastic, venturesome members of your choirs, every one of those singers should have that special opportunity of bringing a commission into being, including the risks associated with commissioning. Likewise every audience, particularly for special occasions, should have the opportunity to enjoy being part of the sometimes-risky adventure that comes with the new.”
– Dale Warland
The Dale Warland Singers Commission Grant
To honor Dale, the Singers, and their contributions to the artform, the Dale Warland Singers Commission Grant is presented by Chorus America in partnership with the American Composers Forum. This $10,000 grant supports a chorus entering into an artistically meaningful and mutually beneficial partnership with a composer of their choice to contribute a new work to the choral repertoire. Choruses apply for the grant in partnership with the composer for a specified commission project.
This grant opportunity is made possible by the Dale Warland Singers Fund for New Choral Music, a permanently restricted endowment fund established in 2004 to honor Dale and the Singers. The Dale Warland Singers Commission Award was created in 2008 and became a grant opportunity in 2024.
This grant reflects Chorus America and the American Composers Forum’s commitment to modeling equitable compensation practices for the field. The selected chorus will receive a grant of $10,000. $7,500 of the award is designated towards the commissioning fee (paid to the composer) and $2,500 is designated towards travel to support in-person engagement with the project composer, production costs to present the project, and promotion costs for the concert and work.
The project period for grants awarded may be up to two years, and the new work must be world premiered by the chorus within the grant’s project period.
Eligibility
Applicants must meet the following criteria:
Chorus Type Eligibility rotates through a three-year cycle:
- 2027: Adult volunteer choruses (Applications due November 20, 2026)
Adult volunteer choruses are defined as choruses with singers over the age of 18 that either do not pay any of their singers or pay less than 25% of their singers, or 12 singers, whichever is fewer.
- 2028: Children’s/youth choruses
- 2029: Professional and professional-core choruses
Membership & Past Award History This grant opportunity is open to Chorus America members. Additionally, it is only available to organizations who are not recent recipients of the Dale Warland Singers Commission Award. If your organization received this award in 2017-2026, you are ineligible to apply.
Nonprofit Status All applicants must be either a 501(c)3 US tax-exempt charitable organization or registered Canadian charity per the Canadian Revenue Agency. Fiscally sponsored projects are also eligible to apply; the fiscal sponsor must provide documentation of their 501(c)3 US tax-exempt status or qualification as a registered Canadian charity with the Canadian Revenue Agency.
In preparation for submitting your application, we encourage all applicants to:
- Review the timeline and selection process, including the scoring rubric on our website
- Seek out answers to any questions that arise through one of our informational webinars or FAQ section
- Download the Application Toolkit to help you navigate the application process
2027 Dale Warland Singers Commission Grant
"As enthusiastic, venturesome members of your choirs, every one of those singers should have that special opportunity of bringing a commission into being, including the risks associated with commissioning. Likewise every audience, particularly for special occasions, should have the opportunity to enjoy being part of the sometimes-risky adventure that comes with the new.”
– Dale Warland
The Dale Warland Singers Commission Grant
To honor Dale, the Singers, and their contributions to the artform, the Dale Warland Singers Commission Grant is presented by Chorus America in partnership with the American Composers Forum. This $10,000 grant supports a chorus entering into an artistically meaningful and mutually beneficial partnership with a composer of their choice to contribute a new work to the choral repertoire. Choruses apply for the grant in partnership with the composer for a specified commission project.
This grant opportunity is made possible by the Dale Warland Singers Fund for New Choral Music, a permanently restricted endowment fund established in 2004 to honor Dale and the Singers. The Dale Warland Singers Commission Award was created in 2008 and became a grant opportunity in 2024.
This grant reflects Chorus America and the American Composers Forum’s commitment to modeling equitable compensation practices for the field. The selected chorus will receive a grant of $10,000. $7,500 of the award is designated towards the commissioning fee (paid to the composer) and $2,500 is designated towards travel to support in-person engagement with the project composer, production costs to present the project, and promotion costs for the concert and work.
The project period for grants awarded may be up to two years, and the new work must be world premiered by the chorus within the grant’s project period.
Eligibility
Applicants must meet the following criteria:
Chorus Type Eligibility rotates through a three-year cycle:
- 2027: Adult volunteer choruses (Applications due November 20, 2026)
Adult volunteer choruses are defined as choruses with singers over the age of 18 that either do not pay any of their singers or pay less than 25% of their singers, or 12 singers, whichever is fewer.
- 2028: Children’s/youth choruses
- 2029: Professional and professional-core choruses
Membership & Past Award History This grant opportunity is open to Chorus America members. Additionally, it is only available to organizations who are not recent recipients of the Dale Warland Singers Commission Award. If your organization received this award in 2017-2026, you are ineligible to apply.
Nonprofit Status All applicants must be either a 501(c)3 US tax-exempt charitable organization or registered Canadian charity per the Canadian Revenue Agency. Fiscally sponsored projects are also eligible to apply; the fiscal sponsor must provide documentation of their 501(c)3 US tax-exempt status or qualification as a registered Canadian charity with the Canadian Revenue Agency.
In preparation for submitting your application, we encourage all applicants to:
- Review the timeline and selection process, including the scoring rubric on our website
- Seek out answers to any questions that arise through one of our informational webinars or FAQ section
- Download the Application Toolkit to help you navigate the application process