Puerto Rico Independent MusicianS & Artists (PRIMA) Fund
PRIMA is a collective of musicians and artists with the mission of helping to sustain the independent musical community IN Puerto Rico. The PRIMA fund was established in October 2017 to provide emergency assistance to musicians and artists in Puerto Rico after the catastrophic impact of Hurricanes IRMA AND MARIA.
As a musician-led organization, PRIMA is a trusted and vital resource for the music community in Puerto Rico. Since its founding in 2017, we have given over 70 grants, organized and funded multiple concerts, built bridges with the diaspora, and developed new opportunities for musicians in Puerto Rico through other organizations, including collaborative work with Newport Folk Festival, the Open Society Foundation, AND the Jazz Foundation of America WHICH PROVIDED HURRICANE AND EARTHQUAKE RELEIF GRANTS.
PRIMA IS A SPONSORED PROJECT OF FRACTURED ATLAS, A NON-PROFIT ARTS SERVICE ORGANIZATION. CONTRIBUTIONS FOR THE CHARITABLE PURPOSES OF PRIMA MUST BE MADE PAYABLE TO "FRACTURED ATLAS" ONLY AND ARE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.
2020 was clearly a challenging year for everyone globally due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, but in Puerto Rico it came on the heels of the devastation of a 6.4 earthquake that hit the southern part of the island in early January. With many homes and businesses destroyed and with constant aftershocks and power outages, our musical community found itself in a very vulnerable situation. An additional challenge was that our fundraisers had to be canceled, which meant our finances were extremely limited.
With these compounded crises, we had to improvise to find quick solutions to help support the island musicians. First, we activated our network of non-profits and partnered with the Jazz Foundation of America to coordinate a portion of their relief grants to musicians in Puerto Rico for earthquakes.
Then, with our limited funds, and our annual NYC Showcase canceled, we created the 100xUNA virtual performance series to highlight emerging Puerto Rican artists and close out the year on a hopeful note. PRIMA 100xUNA set out to give $100 for one song every week for the last 100 days of 2020. Independent musicians participated by sending a creative video playing their original song, check out the video playlist above.
PRESS
People.com - Puerto Rican Musicians Form Fund to Help Local Artists
NBCnews.com - A fund helps Puerto Rico's independent musicians after hurricane's devastation
KQED.org - Six Months After the Storm, Puerto Rican Musicians Search for Solutions
remezcla.com - Art Collective on a Mission to Help Puerto Rico’s Indie Musicians After Hurricane María
