The Dirt Logo - Art, Food, Music, Culture, Events
The Dirt

The Dirt

Nat Lefkoff Awarded $10k Grant from Davis Independent Music Initiative

The award will enable Lefkoff to record a new album and ramp up marketing efforts to bring his music to new and existing fans.

The Davis Independent Music Initiative (DIMI), a grant-funded initiative that seeks to improve the quality of music produced in Davis, Calif., has announced it has chosen singer-songwriter Nat Lefkoff as its 2022 grant recipient. The Davis-based musician will receive a $10,000 grant to advance his music career. 

Lefkoff is a familiar presence on the Davis music scene. His interest in music began at an early age. With the support of his family and the Davis community, he honed his skills as a musician through recording music, playing in local bands, and performing at local and regional events. His music, featuring strong vocals and songwriting can be heard at Spotify.

In college, Lefkoff wrote and recorded a self-titled album and toured to gain exposure. Next, Lefkoff took his talents on the road on a 40-city tour of the West Coast. Once the pandemic hit, Lefkoff took time to write, record, and release his second album, Heavy Lifting, a 10-song, full-length record. Following the album’s release in October 2021, Lefkoff returned to local stages to promote the album and was billed as an opener on a cross-country tour for the Sacramento-based band Hobo Johnson. 

Since returning from the fall 2021 tour, Lefkoff has been busy recording new music, performing locally, creating videos, and collaborating with other musicians including Rowan McGuire and Jackson Vanover. His next performance will be at Amado’s in San Franscisco on July 30th. 

“I am honored to be this year’s recipient of the DIMI Grant,” said Lefkoff. “The Davis community has supported my music career since I was a kid, and to continue to showcase my work in the community and receive funding to grow my career is exciting. The DIMI grant will allow me to record new music, create music videos, play more shows, and increase my marketing efforts.”

DIMI was founded in the fall of 2019 after inaugural recipient Joel Daniel received a $10,000 award from the City of Davis to write and release new music. With the City of Davis’ support, Daniel grew the program into an annual award aiming to improve the music coming out of the city. Grant recipients are expected to produce new music and perform for the city. 


To learn more about DIMI and the DIMI Grant, visit https://www.davisimi.com/. Fans can learn more about Nat Lefkoff at https://www.natlefkoff.com/ and follow him on Instagram and Facebook.

More to explore

davis farmland map

120 Acres of Farmland Preserved by City of Davis

City of Davis purchases an agricultural conservation easement on 120 acres of farmland located about a half-mile from the City limits, as a permanent preserve for farmland and open space.

Scroll to Top