The following grants were awarded in the first quarter of 2016. Congratulations to the following programs!
Bridge Boston Charter School: This is our second grant to Bridge Boston; the first grant was quite successful toward building participation in strings there. 100% of the children qualify for Federal free lunch, and 40% of the kids there are English language learners. CFKF is giving them matching support for 8 instruments.
Gulfport MS TSA Mississippi Gulf Coast Kroc Center: This Salvation Army Kroc Center supports a largely disadvantaged population with a variety or programs including music in Biloxi and the surrounding area that was hard hit by Katrina. 65% of the students qualify for the Federal free lunch program, and the population is quite diverse. We have given them support for 8 instruments from Deon Hilger’s generous gift in 2015.
Jackson OH Christian Life Academy: This is a new string program in an area of Ohio that’s mostly rural; CFKF has offered matching support to help them build a more substantial inventory of stringed instruments with a matching grant.
Los Angeles Harmony Project: This is our second matching grant to Harmony, which supports a very respected music program in the LA area for over 2,000 underserved kids. This grant will allow them to expand their offering of instruments to the kids they serve.
Lynchburg VA CSD: This program is an established and very active string program serving and ethnically diverse mix of kids K-12 in the metropolitan Lynchburg area. They had a substantial need for more instruments; and our matching grant will allow much greater access to the strings experience for families otherwise unable to participate.
Monitor Springs CO Elementary School: this innovative new program aims to offer the strings experience to their entire 3rd grade class. The student population is ethnically mixed, and our support will go a long way toward helping their kids experience the joy of strings as an integral part of their educational experience.
Sacramento CA A.M. Winn Waldorf-Inspired K-8: This active music program has a strong need to increase their inventory of instruments so that the kids there can take them home to practice; the students also have to share instruments at the school. This Title I school will now have greater access to fine new instruments through our matching grant.