A charitable foundation set up by the estate of the late musician and viral performance artist Oliver Tree has been launched, with its website offering awards grants to “support creative art projects while remaining active for at least 50 to 100 years.”
In true Tree fashion, the attention-getting name of the foundation is Dr. Oliver Tree’s Extremely Epic Art Grant for Baby Geniuses. The website describes the foundation’s mission: “Oliver believed the most valuable way for artists to master their craft was not through studying, but by physically getting their hands dirty and creating things. The foundation provides grants to artists working in music, film, installation, and performance art.”
Projects, according to the statement, “should reflect the spirit of the work Oliver Tree created in collaboration with the foundation’s board members during his lifetime.”
Specifically, grants “must be used for the production and creation of art. Equipment, gear, and tools may be rented for a project. Grant money may not be used to purchase them.” The foundation does not provide grants for school or education.
Each year, the foundation board will review submissions and vote on how the available funding should be distributed. Depending on the available funds, the board may support one large project, three to five smaller projects and additional projects when more funding is available.
Application requirements, grant amounts, submission dates, and eligibility details will be announced soon. Donations are being accepted.
Prior to his death in a helicopter collision in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on June 14, the 32-year-old Tree had expressed a desire that the bulk of any money he accumulated during his lifetime be left to support art and artists rather than passed to his survivors. “I’ll get my kids through college,” he said on a podcast earlier this year, “that’s the agreement, but there’s not gonna be a silver spoon. All the money is going to go back to artists.”
Tree, born Oliver Tree Nickell, signed to Atlantic Records in 2017 following the viral success of his song “When I’m Down.” His debut studio album Ugly Is Beautiful was released in 2020 and included singles “Alien Boy”, “Hurt”, “Miracle Man” and “Let Me Down.” Subsequent album releases included Cowboy Tears, Alone in a Crowd, and this year’s Love You Madly Hate You Badly.
He was among six people killed in the helicopter crash, which remains under investigation by Brazilian aviation authorities.
