The following grants were awarded in the second quarter of 2016. Congratulations to the following programs!
Baton Rouge, LA Kids Orchestra: This is our second grant to this quickly-growing after-school program that can only serve students that they have instruments available for. We gave $2,000 in matching support for this well-organized and run program.
Davenport, FL Horizons Elementary: This is a new string program serving kids grades 4-5 in a rural community in one of the poorest areas in central Florida. CFKF provided $3,848 in matching funds to this exciting new initiative.
Indianapolis, IN Judah Ministries Pride Academy: This is a Child Care Center serving kids pre-K through 6th grade that has invested in the creation of a music program where every child receives free music instruction. CFKF invested in this innovative program with a $2,000 matching grant.
Kissimmee, FL SD of Osceola County: This program, serving grades K-12, has a fairly new and quickly growing string program, and presently has an inadequate inventory to meet that demand. CFKF granted $3,000 in matching funds to this growing program.
Manassas, VA Adventist Prep: This is the second grant to Manassas, which has a small but well-run string program. CFKF gave a modest grant to support their purchase of 4 new instruments.
Manitou Springs, CO Arts Academy: This is a new initiative that hopes to offer strings instruction to all of its 3rd graders. CFKF has offered a matching grant of $2,000 to encourage the creation and growth of this innovative new program.
Milton, MA Wilson-Kindelan School: This is a new string program serving children grades K-1 from the communities of Mattapan, Quincy, Dorchester and Randolph, MA. Most of the children served are single-parent or grandparent-raised. They are bringing in a Sistema Fellow (from the New England Conservatory program) to run the program; their hope is to expand the program through 5th grade in a few years. We offered a $3000 matching grant to this new initiative from our Boston String Project reserve.
New York, NY Orchestra of St. Luke’s: This is our second grant to St. Luke’s; our first gift was very effective toward the creation and growth of their youth orchestra serving kids grades 3-8 from the Hell’s Kitchen area of New York City. This grant will help to continue their growth of high-quality instrument inventory and reduce the need for expensive rentals. We gave matching support for 8 new instruments for this growing organization.
Poinciana, FL Lake Marion Creek MS: This program supports children grades 5-6; their goal is to allow more access to strings for families who could not afford instrument rental fees. CFKF gave $3,000 in matching funds to support their growth.
San Diego, CA Recreational Music Center: This organization is creating three new string programs in Title I schools in San Diego County serving grades 3-5, and providing all instruments, instruction and materials. We have offered a $3,000 matching gift to support this exciting new initiative.
Somerset, NJ Central Jersey College Prep Charter School: This program serves children grades K-1; their request was to help expand their inventory to allow more students to participate regardless of financial need. We supported this worthy program with a modest matching grant.
Vista, CA Boys and Girls Club: This program has initiated a string ensemble that needs a substantial infusion of instruments to provide access to strings for a population that would otherwise be unable to participate. CFKF has offered a $2,500 matching grant to support this program’s goals.
West Linn, OR Youth Music Project: This is our second grant to West Linn, which began their program with our support in 2014. They wish to expand their strings offering so that more families can participate regardless of financial need. CFKF supported this growing program with a $2,000 matching gift.