The following grants were awarded in the fourth quarter of 2015. Congratulations to the following programs!
Brooklyn NY PS 230: this ethnically diverse school serving grades 2-5 wishes to build a string program to complement their active band program; they have received a $2,000 matching grant from CFKF to support this exciting new initiative.
Cincinnati Public Schools Itinerant String Program: This large school district serving children grades 1-6 proposes to greatly increase access to instruments for four schools that are classified as Title I near downtown Cincinnati. The student population is mixed and predominantly black; CFKF has offered an initial $2500 matching grant to support this large new initiative.
Fergus Falls MN Fergus Falls Orchestras: This traditional string program, serving kids grades 4-12 in this rural community in Minnesota, wishes to expand access to strings for students and families unable to participate due to rental fees. CFKF has offered a $1,000 grant to support their request.
Flint MI Carmen-Ainsworth: This is the third grant application from Flint, which supports a quickly growing string program. Flint is an economically challenged community that nonetheless supports this active program. We offered them a grant to help them gain access to beautiful new cellos.
Hartford CT Kinsella: This privately run program supports children grades 1-12 from the public schools in Hartford. Our $1,000 grant will allow them to expand their string program along with a greater variety of instruments. The student population is diverse, and 85% of the children qualify for the Federal free lunch program.
Lapwai ID SD 341: This exciting new program, serving primarily Native American students grades 7-12, aims to create a new string program for the Nez Pierce Nation. 91% of these children are identified as socioeconomically disadvantaged, and 91% qualify for the Federal free lunch program. We are offering them a $3,000 grant to support this exciting new initiative, funded by a generous gift by Deon Hilger.
Monterey CA MP USD: This substantial new initiative serving grades K through 12 aims to revitalize string education for 4 schools supporting several hundred students in the Monterey area. Many students are English language learners, and 73% qualify for the federal free lunch program. We are supporting their growth with a $2,000 matching grant.
Nellysford VA Nelson County Community Orchestra: This program for students grades 2-12 in a rural part of Virginia is a community orchestra for students of all ages that these kids participate in. Their goal is to provide more instruments to students whose families could otherwise not afford participation. CFKF has offered them a $1,500 matching grant.
New Haven CT Music Haven: Music Haven is an innovative new afterschool program serving a predominantly at risk population grades 2-12, and 80% qualify for the Federal free lunch program. Black and Latino students make up 82% of their enrollment. We have given a $1,000 matching grant for 3 new instruments to help them keep their upward momentum.
Peekskill NY City School District: This program, serving an ethnically mixed population of students grades 3-5, aims to develop an ambitious program for string instruction throughout the district. 73% of the students qualify for the Federal free lunch program, and a major goal is to provide instruments for students unable to afford rental fees. We’ve offered them a $1,500 matching grant.
Richmond VA Public Schools: The RPS Education Foundation is embarking on a large initiative to build support and inventory for most of the 26 schools they serve. Only 9 of these schools currently have an instrument inventory and rely heavily on instrument rentals. 87% of the kids qualify for the Federal Free Lunch program, and 80% of the students are African-Americana. We are supporting this large and exciting initiative with an initial $2,000 matching grant.
Santa Cruz CA El Sistema Santa Cruz: This program aims to develop a stronger string program in one of the elementary schools through an El-Sistema inspired initiative. The population is both primarily at risk and economically disadvantaged, and many are English language learners. They have been offered a matching grant to expand their instrument inventory.
Texas Lutheran University Community Music Academy: This program serving grades 2-12, supports a diverse student population; between 40-82% qualify for the Federal free lunch program (depending on the child’s background). This is the second grant request from Texas Lutheran; the program has grown substantially since our first grant, and they have a strong need for more and larger instruments as the children grow. CFKF is supporting this program with a $2,000 matching grant.
Topeka KS Public Schools: The Topeka public schools need substantial support to help them revitalize their aging inventory of instruments in order to encourage participation and continuation in strings grades 6-8. They have a substantial string program, but attrition is substantial after f5th grade, often due to Instruments of poor quality. The population is ethnically diverse, and approximately 80% of the students qualify for the Federal free lunch program. We have offered them a $2,000 matching grant to help them build an exciting new inventory.
Watertown MA Friends of Watertown Music: This organization wishes to build support and stringed instrument inventory for the general Watertown MA public schools. This suburban Boston community serves a diverse and often low-income family population. We are offering them support for 3 new cellos.