Louisiana Musicians’ Disaster Relief Fund

Heavy rains and flooding along with hurricanes and frequent disasters in New Orleans and surrounding areas regularly effect the lives of our local musicians. These tragic circumstances may destroy instruments, recording equipment, and other vital necessities local professional musicians need to make a living, and the cost of replacing these items can be devastating for many. Because New Orleans is prone to several ominous weather systems throughout the year, local musician Paul Mauffray established The Louisiana Musician’s Disaster Relief Fund beginning in October 2017 with a goal to raise at least $20,000 in the year.

The initial concert and fundraising effort in 2017 started the fund off with $4,723.00.

This fund will be a permanent Donor Advised Fund at the New Orleans Musicians’ Assistance Foundation with the specific purpose to assist Louisiana musicians affected by disasters.

In 2019, this fund provided much needed relief to two local musicians. You can read the stories in their fund requests here:

Musician # 1.
This fund request was for a Louisiana pianist, gospel band member, and US military veteran. …
Last year he had ongoing chronic pain and bulging disc issues and was laid off from his day job because he could not accommodate the physical requirements of the job. After his layoff, patient transitioned into work as a full-time musician, playing 5 gigs a week steadily.
However on Mothers’ Day, his ground floor apartment flooded – destroying and badly damaging his music equipment. Social Worker requested one-month of rent in the amount of $655 from the Disaster Relief Fund to help offset the cost of equipment repair and replacement so he could continue to work and grow his self-sustainability.

Musician # 2:
This fund request was for a New Orleans funk, brass and gospel percussionist & trumpeter employed in New Orleans for close to 20 years. … He and his wife have two children, however his wife was recently let go from her long-term employment and he no longer has a dual income house hold. His father also recently passed away, adding additional financial and emotional stress.

Although he was not flooded on July 10, 2019, Chalmette evacuated for Hurricane Barry when it was clear that a developed storm would over-top the levees and flood the region. The patient evacuated with his family to Hattiesburg for three days, and the evacuation spent a significant amount of his savings. He was then unable to pay rent, and Social Worker requested an $850 supplement from the Disaster Relief Fund at NOMAF to avoid a financial crisis for this compliant patient.

We are excited to announce that we are planning a potential benefit concert with a performance of the Tchaikovsky Serenade for String Orchestra on WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 4th at the Marigny Opera House. Check back soon for more information.

To assist a musician who has lost an instrument or suffered other losses due to flooding or other disasters, individuals may make a tax-deductible donation in any amount to the Musician’s Disaster Relief Donor Advised Fund at the New Orleans Musicians’ Assistance Foundation.

• Check: Please make checks out to NOMAF and in the memo line indicate “Disaster Relief”. Send or deliver checks to: 1525 Louisiana Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70115
• Online: visit this link to initiate a secure credit card donation.