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Community Partnerships

deepening the work together

What does it mean to be a Community Partner?

Community Partners are organizations that BMTN has developed careful relationships with over time. As these relationships develop and deepen, we identify shared areas of focus and support each other through amplification of our projects and goals, and through fiscal sponsorship of grants and/or special projects/events as deemed appropriate.

 

What sorts of organizations make ideal Community Partners? We prioritize relationships with organizations that…

 

  1. Center community based, and culturally sustaining practices, supporting the liberation and freedom of Black people (these organizations need not be specific to the profession of Music Therapy);

  2. Provide programs and initiatives that amplify Black indigenous healing traditions and deepen the knowledge of music and/or health to support Black communities;

  3. Provide educational programs that address the holistic needs of Black practitioners at/near the intersection of music and health; 

  4. Influence structural, institutional, systemic, and relational change that affirms Black peoples' humanity; and 

  5. Supports Black peoples’ health and well-being through advocacy or needs-based initiatives providing continued access to music therapy services and education.

 

NOTE: Community Partnerships are separate from Community Sponsors, which are people or organizations who make recurring donations to BMTN and receive limited forms of support.

Sample Community Partnership: Black Creative Healing

Black Creative Healing is a Platform and Community Care Project dedicated to Radical Conversations, Mindful Collaborations, and Wholistic Visioning, Centering Black Communities. Originally conceptualized as a videoblog by BMTN Steering Committee member Natasha Thomas, the project has gone through several phases of development. From videoblog to BMTN Sponsored Podcast (co-hosted by Adenike Webb, also a BMTN Steering Committee Member), the project now serves as a multi-dimensional space for Community Care. The podcast and social media spaces provide regular and accessible online resources on everything from somatics to abolition (and beyond!). BCH now also curates a dedicated social space on Sutra, a community learning platform for members of the Black Creative Community to share their work, network with other creatives, and engage in opportunities for collective and self care. Since its earliest days BCH episodes have been amplified on BMTN social media and newsletters, and provided fiscal sponsorship to BCH in grant applications. In return, BCH has forwarded portions of proceeds from its podcast and Patreon subscribers, amplifying the work of BMTN through episode content and the use of BMTN’s name in promotional materials.

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In 2022, BCH began conceptualizing its first ever Community Retreat, and at this time conversations between the BCH co-facilitators and broader BMTN leadership began about how our mutual support for each other might shift and grow as well. At that time a Community Agreement document was drafted and now clearly distinguishes BMTN and BCH as separate, but intimately connected, entities; we work alongside each other to provide continued amplification of each others’ work, while each maintaining our own social media and organizational structures that operate distinctly from one another. Learn more about BCH at www.blackcreativehealing.com.

 

So, wanna become a partner with BMTN? Here’s what you need to do:

 

  1. Get to know us! Follow us on social media, if you don’t already. Attend our events and introduce yourself to our team members wherever/whenever you encounter us. Become familiar with the way we move and work.

  2. Reach out and let us know how you think our work might align! Our Community Partnerships team can be reached at communitypartnerships@blackmtnetwork.org.

  3. Be patient. Community Partnership development takes time. It may be that we are already familiar with your/your organization’s work, and we may proceed straight from your communication with us into a meeting to devise future possibilities. OR, we may need some time to share your proposal with our leadership boards/committees, and/or feel out the relationship with a few “trial” events. We move at the speed of trust.

So, want to become a partner with BMTN? Here’s what you need to do:

  1. Get to know us! Follow us on social media, if you don’t already. Attend our events and introduce yourself to our team members wherever/whenever you encounter us. Become familiar with the way we move and work.

  2. Reach out and let us know how you think our work might align! Our Community Partnerships team can be reached at partnerships@blackmtnetwork.org.

  3. Be patient. Community Partnership development takes time. It may be that we are already familiar with your/your organization’s work, and we may proceed straight from your communication with us into a meeting to devise future possibilities. OR, we may need some time to share your proposal with our leadership boards/committees, and/or feel out the relationship with a few “trial” events. We move at the speed of trust.

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