The Roz & Howard Larman Memorial Scholarship
Is the cost of conference registration problematic for you this year? If so then you may be a candidate for a scholarship award through the Roz & Howard Larman Memorial Scholarship Fund. The Larman Scholarship Fund was created specifically to give registration scholarships to artists who would otherwise be unable to attend the conference due to financial hardship. The Larman Fund was established in memory of Howard after his passing in 2007, and renamed to honor Roz along with him after we lost her in 2016.
Please watch this short video about the Larman Fund by Susie Glaze, former Larman Committee Chairperson, for more information and history.
Who May Apply for a Larman Scholarship? To be considered, an applicant must be an aspiring or currently performing artist who demonstrates current financial hardship that would prevent them from being able to attend the conference. Applications must be submitted individually. Applicants must register (see details below) to be considered. Priority is given to first-time applicants. All applications and scholarship recipient information are kept confidential.
Application Deadlines: There will be two rounds of scholarships awarded, so that early applicants can move forward promptly with their plans while allowing for those who discover the conference later on to have an opportunity as well.
– First round deadline: July 31
– Second round deadline: August 31
If there are less than 5 Larman Scholarship applications as of the second deadline (August 31st), additional worthy applications will be accepted until September 20th.
How to Apply for Larman Scholarship: Artists interested in applying for the scholarship must submit an application when the process opens. Electronic submission is strongly preferred, but paper applications will also be accepted. Please register for the conference as instructed below, fill out the application form completely and submit it according to the instructions found on it.
Step by Step process:
1. Complete and submit your Larman application. Fill it out and email it to farwestinformation@gmail.com.
2. DO NOT REGISTER UNTIL YOU RECEIVE NOTIFICATION OR GET YOUR CODE.
3. Complete the conference registration by clicking on the link provided in your invitation.
Note: You will need to be registered before you can apply for the Susanne Millsaps Coffeehouse, as well as late night private showcase slots, so it’s good to register as early as you can. Individuals receiving a Larman Scholarship are encouraged to volunteer at the conference.
What Happens Next? The Larman Scholarship Committee (consisting of the FAR-West treasurer, conference coordinator and one other board member) will review all submissions and make award decisions based on the stated criteria and availability of donated funds. All information is kept confidential within this team of board members who make the decisions and who need to know for registration purposes.
The chairperson will notify all applicants by August 7 for applications received by July 31, and by September 7 for applications received by the final deadline of August 31. (If further steps are required to complete your registration, information will be provided at that time.)
How are the Larman Scholarships Funded? All awards are contingent upon donations received to the scholarship fund. If you would like to help others through this program, donations to the Larman Memorial Scholarship Fund are accepted and greatly appreciated at any level. Donations can also be made when registering for the conference.
It’s easy to donate to the Larman Fund. Just click to Donate and make your contribution. (Donations to FAR-West are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.)
As you finalize making your donation, there is a place to specify where you want your money to go. The line says “Add special instructions to the seller” and it has a box where you can indicate Larman Scholarship.
Who were Roz & Howard Larman? Roz and Howard Larman were simply the heart and soul of West Coast folk, the music, the scene, its very presence. They hosted their Pacifica radio show, Folkscene, for over 40 years, and it continues on today in the care of their son, Allen Larman, and Peter Cutler. At the helm of Folkscene, Roz and Howard presented practically everyone in folk-roots-singer-songwriter music, from legends like Tom Paxton, Loudon Wainwright, Jackson Browne, Kate Wolf, Tom Waits and the McGarrigles, to genre-crossers like Peter Case, Dave Alvin and Lucinda Williams, to relative newcomers like Antje Duvekot, Dar Williams, the DittyBops, and hundreds more. Their blessing could, in a single stroke, engender unshakable credibility for artists whose “folkiness” might have been considered marginal or tenuous. As the saying goes, “if Roz liked it, it was folk”. Roz & Howard were also founding members of FAR-West, attending every meeting of the founding committee. They were former recipients of the FAR-West “Best of the West” Ambassador award, participated in numerous panels and workshops at our early conferences and served on the Official Showcase selection committee for many years.