The Monthly Fund, a nonprofit event series spearheaded by Jeremy Prouty, is celebrating its tenth year showcasing local musicians in the name of fundraising for various Philly-based vital community organizations.

A decade ago, on the heels of the Standing Rock protests and Donald Trump’s first election to the presidency, a local event staple was born. That event turned into an ongoing series that quickly became what is now known as The Monthly Fund. Born out of a fierce passion to rebuke what would become the country’s Twilight Zone-esque new political status-quo over the ensuing decade, The Monthly Fund has consistently raised money and awareness for a considerable swath of local charitable, social-based causes.

Officially formed by Jeremy Prouty, its origins are about as grassroots as it gets:

“It happened organically back in 2016,” recalls Prouty. “I had some friends doing protests for Standing Rock and they were doing an art gallery show. They asked if I could maybe get a DJ or something.”

From that first event came the framework for the organization as it exists today. Because of the rapid and overwhelming degree of interest, a structure was put in place: It would be held on a monthly basis, roughly the same time each month, and it would feature local artists performing entirely not-for-profit in the name of a specific cause. The artists, causes, and venues would continue to rotate, offering supporters and the community a never-ending variety show of noble pursuit.

At its outset, the success was nearly instantaneous. Because of The Monthly Fund’s dual-purpose of showcasing the artistry of musicians and raising funding for local causes, the response was immediate and impassioned.

As Prouty explained, “Artists in Philly were like, ‘what can I do to tap in?’”

The list of artists and causes began to increase and inquiries as to how to get involved became the norm.

“It kind of became this matchmaking of tying people’s energy to a cause.”

The result of its overnight success was creating a manageable way to rotate and address the seemingly endless roster of artists and causes. Attendees at each event were given the opportunity to nominate both artists and orgs to benefit. And over the years, Prouty has established longstanding relationships with several venues, including Pentridge Station, The Perch, and The Rotunda, each of which regularly host the events. Following COVID, Prouty recalls the challenges in reintroducing the series to live music venues.

“We have six or seven venues that we rotate through. We kind of had to start from scratch after COVID,” he says. At its outset, The Monthly Fund had numerous houses hosting the events, but that has since dissipated following the pandemic in favor of more public-facing venues.

But that doesn’t seem to have had any net-negative effect on the success of shows as venues such as the aforementioned Pentridge Station, who themselves donate a portion of the night’s sales to the cause, and venues like The Perch, draw considerable crowds, sometimes just by virtue of people who are already out for a night on the town.

“We do a lot of them in West Philly, but I try to move around the city too,” he explains.

In addition to the ever-rotating list of venues, the artist roster also continues to be diverse both in terms of genre and medium. “It’s majority-music, but we’ve had artists, writers, theater… We donate everything we raise to the cause. Artists basically come in and know they’re donating their time… which makes it feel almost like an open-mic.”

And that open-mic feel is what fosters such a positive and rich community that sustains and continues to grow the organization’s events and popularity. 

“It’s a cool mixer - a lot of connections get made,” recalls Prouty. “I remember when two singer-songwriters did it, and they met at the event, and then a few months later, they started a band together.”

Each event proves to be more than only a fundraiser in service of a singular cause, but also doubling as a community-oriented music scene celebration. Artists of all kinds are put together under circumstances that might not happen otherwise.

“The styles are all over the place. The thing that connects it is the causes.”

And while The Monthly Fund has been going strong for a decade under the guidance and organizational care of Prouty, he expressed a sincere level of appreciation for all who have become involved in their varied capacities:

“I’m the organizer, but at each event there tends to be someone that steps up.”

Whether it’s organizers within the cause itself, venue personnel, artists, or anyone simply interested in helping (or bringing food and drinks), the enthusiasm for getting involved never stops at the sign-up stage. And the continued success and interest has Prouty presently booking shows all the way out to April 2027 and beyond.

As far as ensuring the sanctity of The Monthly Fund’s purpose there’s no specific “vetting” process. Instead, it relies on the goodwill and earnest support of all involved. Ten years in, its reputation speaks for itself, attracting exactly the right kind of positive interest.

“We don’t necessarily have an agenda, but it’s all very socialist, very left-leaning stuff. We support environmental groups, women’s rights… [among countless others]”

And it's in the shared values and beliefs that keep everything hunky-dory. The strength of community behind each event and the organization itself ensures that everything goes smoothly and in service to a righteous cause within the city, though it’s not an explicit rule of thumb. Despite a track-record of Philly-centered orgs, Prouty expresses, “It’s not like it has to be Philly-based, it just typically is.” This is the natural result of how the community aspect behind each event has cascaded forward, becoming a rich micro-environment in which dedicated citizens of Philly enact change through their nominations and donations of their time at each event.

When asked if there was ever a singular event that served to be emblematic of the entire venture, Prouty had no immediate answer.

After a moment, he further offered, “The ones at Pentridge Station are always next-level.” But he firmly states there is no singular event that has proven “better” than any other, highlighting the support he receives from the owner of The Perch and that, ultimately, the success comes down to those in attendance and the now-decade-long sustained enthusiasm for the entire venture.

My ultimate takeaway from my conversation with Prouty, beyond the obvious information gathering regarding The Monthly Fund’s origins and operations, is that it’s both an artistic celebration and one of the most pure expressions of principled, community-based virtue and “Brotherly Love” that I’ve seen here, period.

When something sounds too good to be true, it often is. But in the case of The Monthly Fund, I’m genuinely happy to express that it’s exactly what it purports to be: a now ten-years-running event series that functions as a celebration of music, arts, community, and social support within the city we call home.

There are no strings attached. The driving force is a passion to do good and share art. And in that mission, Prouty continues to excel. 

I only hope that the passion, drive, and care of the community continues to fuel the fires of change via the support of organizations like The Monthly Fund.

In the meantime, you can check out the next event this Friday at Studio 34 and see how to get involved below:

The Monthly Fund October 2026

  • Supporting: Coalition to Abolish Death by Incarceration (CADBI)
  • Date: Fri, Oct 9, 7-10pm
  • Venue: Studio 34 [4522 Baltimore Ave]

Lineup:

More information on The Monthly Fund:

https://www.themonthlyfund.com/

https://www.instagram.com/themonthlyfund

https://www.facebook.com/themonthlyfund

“The Monthly Fund is a roaming event series with the mission of raising funds and awareness for organizations doing vital work in our communities. For us, vital work means fighting for the rights of oppressed and underserved communities and the preservation of our planet.”

Performance Archive (via Medium Factory): https://www.youtube.com/@mediumfactory

Art contributions by Jeanne D’Angelo @everlastingfaint