Hued Songs
“Give Miami Day funds all the things that are unsexy that other people don’t want to fund,” says Kunya Rowley, the founder of Hued Songs, a performance series that celebrates and explores Black culture through music, artists, and history. Unsexy, but no less significant: thanks to funds raised on Give Miami Day, Rowley was able to transition into the nonprofit’s first full-time employee last year.[JQ1]
“For many arts organizations, so much of the money that we get is programmatic,” explained Rowley. “Part of the challenge, especially for a small organization like ours, is we are accessing all these programmatic dollars and can’t do everything we want to do with them,” he added. “Give Miami Day is this way for us to increase our own operational capacity.”
This year, that programming includes four main stage performances, plus several community performances. That work is made possible by two part-time employees and a variety of contractors who “keep our work moving forward,” according to Rowley.
For Hued Songs and the many other nonprofits bolstering Greater Miami’s cultural landscape, this year’s Give Miami Day arrives with greater urgency. “We are among the organizations in the state who are impacted by having their arts funding cut,” shared Rowley, referring to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ decision in June to veto $32 million in grant funding slated for arts and cultural organizations.
“We lost $25,000 that was specifically slated to go towards salary costs,” he detailed. “We are anxiously trying to understand how to navigate that.” As a result, Hued Songs hopes to raise $20,000 on Give Miami Day to fill the gap in its budget.
“Our hope is this year Give Miami Day funds allow us to bolster our team in a way that catalyzes our growth,” concluded Rowley, who hopes to bring on a contractor that’ll assist Hued Songs with its communications and marketing.
Hued Songs
“Give Miami Day funds all the things that are unsexy that other people don’t want to fund,” says Kunya Rowley, the founder of Hued Songs, a performance series that celebrates and explores Black culture through music, artists, and history. Unsexy, but no less significant: thanks to funds raised on Give Miami Day, Rowley was able to transition into the nonprofit’s first full-time employee last year.[JQ1]
“For many arts organizations, so much of the money that we get is programmatic,” explained Rowley. “Part of the challenge, especially for a small organization like ours, is we are accessing all these programmatic dollars and can’t do everything we want to do with them,” he added. “Give Miami Day is this way for us to increase our own operational capacity.”
This year, that programming includes four main stage performances, plus several community performances. That work is made possible by two part-time employees and a variety of contractors who “keep our work moving forward,” according to Rowley.
For Hued Songs and the many other nonprofits bolstering Greater Miami’s cultural landscape, this year’s Give Miami Day arrives with greater urgency. “We are among the organizations in the state who are impacted by having their arts funding cut,” shared Rowley, referring to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ decision in June to veto $32 million in grant funding slated for arts and cultural organizations.
“We lost $25,000 that was specifically slated to go towards salary costs,” he detailed. “We are anxiously trying to understand how to navigate that.” As a result, Hued Songs hopes to raise $20,000 on Give Miami Day to fill the gap in its budget.
“Our hope is this year Give Miami Day funds allow us to bolster our team in a way that catalyzes our growth,” concluded Rowley, who hopes to bring on a contractor that’ll assist Hued Songs with its communications and marketing.