How Sony Music Group’s Global Social Justice Fund Is Empowering Artists Worldwide – Forbes

Today Sony Music Group (SMG) announced that more than 90 new international, national and regional community organizations will receive funding from SMG’s $100 million Global Social Justice Fund. The third round allocation is part of the company’s global commitment to make progress against inequality and injustice around the world.

According to SMG, recipients funded in the latest round are community partners working to advance nonpartisan solutions focused on civic engagement, criminal justice reform, educational programming and youth advocacy. As organizations use the support to strengthen communities across Africa, Australia, Canada and New Zealand as well as the U.S., U.K. and Latin America region, SMG artists in these areas will directly benefit from the effort. 

“We’re definitely taking a global approach with this round,” says Towalame Austin, SMG’s executive vice president of philanthropy and social impact. “There was an opportunity this time for us to work more closely with our global teams, and they identified some great organizations that they are engaged with.”

Chosen by a global advisory committee representing divisions across SMG, Global Social Justice Fund beneficiaries include 24% educational initiatives, 23% civic and community engagement programs, 21% civil rights and social justice organizations, 17% youth advocacy organizations and 15% additional equal rights, cultural and wellness programs. 

As SMG increases its global social justice footprint, Austin says that the company is also working strategically on a Grass-Roots level with organizations in communities most impacted by systemic social justice issues. Her team is connecting directly with these communities to improve the landscape, which will support better opportunities for musicians. 

“The music industry, and other industries in my opinion, really stepped up and made a strong commitment to social justice–it’s rooted in strategy and purpose,” Austin says. “Many of our artists live in these communities, their families are in these communities–and many of our employees and staff are also in these communities.”

One of SMG’s most successful civic engagements, Austin says, was a voting campaign launched last fall. The effort was focused on educating artists and staff about the power of expressing diverse voices as well as election candidates and the voting process. Future goals for the music company include the creation of new strategic partnerships promoted by SMG artists. 

Benefiting from the latest round, The Advancement Project (U.S.)’s Executive Director Judith Browne Dianis says, “Advancement Project works to transform our criminal legal system on all fronts: changing laws and prosecutorial practices that criminalize race and poverty, shutting down jails that bleed communities of resources and their people, and reinvesting into true community supports. Through this, we support communities of color in dismantling the systems that criminalize and incarcerate them in the name of “safety,” and help those communities re-imagine how safety is pursued.” 

With the support Advancement Project received in 2020, the organization was able to grow its related efforts and expand and amplify messaging of building power in communities going forward. Also part of SMG’s third round, Key4Life (UK) is reserving funding to help more young men avoid the risk of going to prison by completing a seven-step program designed to maximize gainful employment opportunities. The organization’s founder Eva Hamilton MBE says employment is “the single most effective route to break the cycle of reoffending.” 

SMG’s first two rounds were directed at community-based partners globally since June 2020. Including today’s announcement, the SMG Global Social Justice Fund has contributed to expanding programs at more than 300 global organizations. Related community organization programs and services have a direct impact on vulnerable populations around the world, and all nonprofit partners fit three pillars–civic engagement, criminal justice reform and education.