Saffron, a leading non-profit working to advance gender equality in the music tech sector, has launched a fundraising campaign.
The organisation is currently struggling to secure its future due to the departure of a primary donor and a number of other crucial arts grants and income sources. Saffron founder Laura Lewis-Paul says that "the cost of living, government arts cuts and lack of sustained funding post-BLM is leaving non-profit organisations like us without the crucial core investment we need to stay afloat".
By providing essential access to resources and a supportive community, Saffron has been creating space, visibility and representation in music technology for women, female-identifying and non-binary people since 2016.
The organisation runs accessible courses both online and in-person across the UK, helping marginalised people build skills and develop knowledge in music production, audio engineering and DJing. They also run 7 Days of Sound, a week-long digital event that invites notable women within electronic music and music technology to share their expertise.
The latest report from USC Annenberg shows that less than 5% of the music tech industry is comprised of women, non-binary or trans people, and less than 1% of these are people of colour, while credits database Jaxsta's recent survey of the top 100 most successful producers in music featured only six non-male entries.
Saffron is helping to address this imbalance and build a more equitable music industry. In 2022, they provided music tech training and community infrastructure for over 1000 people around the world.
Support Saffron by contributing to their GoFundMe campaign.
