2026 Next Jazz Legacy Cohort Applications Now Open

By DownBeat I Oct. 21, 2025

Next Jazz Legacy is a national apprenticeship and mentorship program designed to elevate emerging jazz improvisers.
(Photo: NJL)

New Music USA and the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice have announced the opening of applications for the 2026 cohort of Next Jazz Legacy. Applications for the fifth cycle of Next Jazz Legacy will be accepted through Oct. 31.

Next Jazz Legacy is a national apprenticeship and mentorship program designed to elevate emerging jazz improvisers. The program’s mission is to increase opportunities for musicians who will contribute to a vibrant and inclusive jazz future, and to create waves of lasting change that benefit the whole jazz community.

The program invests in its awardees through a comprehensive support package that includes intergenerational apprenticeships and mentorship, showcases, cohort learning and an unrestricted grant that contributes to awardees’ creative and professional development.

Next Jazz Legacy is a partnership between New Music USA and the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice, supported by $1.25 million in funding from the Mellon Foundation. Next Jazz Legacy welcomes applications from musicians of all gender and sexual identities to achieve the goal of true gender diversity in the field.

Terri Lyne Carrington is the program’s artistic director. It was launched in 2021 and continues under Carrington’s leadership as founder and artistic director of the Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice. NJL’s network of mentors has included Bobby McFerrin, Nicole Mitchell, Chris Potter, Esperanza Spalding, Brandee Younger, Georgia Anne Muldrow and Marcus Miller, among others.

“As Next Jazz Legacy moves into its fifth year, I look forward to building upon the program’s momentum by continuing to provide incredible emerging musicians with on-stage apprenticeship and mentorship opportunities,” Carrington said. “This focus on mentorship both on and off stage helps the growing community of Next Jazz Legacy awardees propel their careers forward and ensure a more inclusive jazz future, which will benefit all.”

In addition to mentorship, NJL awardees receive a $10,000 unrestricted grant, a one-year performance apprenticeship, access to peer-learning cohorts led by Carrington and other jazz innovators, and networking opportunities through partnerships with major cultural institutions such as New York’s Winter Jazzfest and the DC Jazz Festival. They also participate in a 12-week Berklee Online course and gain promotional opportunities, including artist profile films and showcase performances.

Next Jazz Legacy has impacted the careers of 30 artists, engaged 87 bandleaders and mentors, and continues to grow its footprint in the jazz community. To date, the program has allocated $808,000 directly to artists, convened 358 creative and business mentorship sessions, facilitated 174 apprenticeship sessions and organized 24 cohort learning sessions. The program also provides additional visibility through NJL Artist Profile Films, panel discussions at Jazz Congress and BRIC Festival, and showcase performances at renowned festivals such as the Winter Jazzfest, the Mary Lou Williams Festival at the Kennedy Center, the Angel City Jazz Festival and the DC Jazz Festival.

Interested artists can CLICK HERE to visit the program’s website and apply. DB