The following grants were awarded in the third quarter of 2016. Congratulations to the following programs!
Albuquerque, NM: New Mexico Philharmonic: This organization has created a program entitled Young Musicians Initiative whereby children grades K-6 in two Title I schools and one school on the Navajo reservation receive stringed instrument instruction. 100% of the children qualify for the federal free lunch program. They have been offered a grant for 6 new instruments from our Deon Hilger fund.
Denver, CO City Strings: Augustana Arts administers this program, which runs six string programs serving children grades 3–10 in particularly needy areas of Denver. The students served are primarily Black and Hispanic; there is a chronic shortage of instruments, both in numbers and condition, to serve the children involved. CFKF has offered them a matching grant to support their need for 20 new instruments.
Earlimart, CA SD: This public school string program serving children in grade 3 was recently created in this rural community near Bakersfield, California. The area is primarily agricultural, and nearly half of the families there live below the poverty line. They wish to expand the program to offer cellos; at present they only have violins, and they’ve been offered our support for 4 new cellos.
Juneau, AK: JAMM: CFKF has given 2 grants to this very well-run and rapidly expanding program serving children grades K-6. The student population there is ethnically diverse, and they have received a matching grant for 6 new cellos.
Madera, CA USD: This is the second grant request from Madera, which has a rapidly growing string program serving children in the 4th grade. The district is creating two new string programs in the elementary schools there, and they wish to expand their inventory to support that growth. 100% of the children there qualify for Federal free lunch. They requested support for 40 instruments, which CFKF supported with a $3,000 matching grant.
Moreno Valley, CA USD: This Adventist school serves children in grades K-8 in Riverside County, California. They are creating a new program to give their students experience in strings; the student population there is ethnically mixed. They requested support for many new violins to get them started on a substantial new inventory, and we’ve offered a $2,500 match toward that goal.
Oahu, HI: The Salvation Army Kroc Center: The Kroc Center in West Oahu is creating a string program in the fifth grade to build on an existing program for older children there. The population is native Hawaiian, and the program serves an isolated community with little access to outside services. 87% of the children qualify for the Federal free lunch program. They asked support for 12 instruments, which we encouraged with a $2,600 matching grant from our Deon Hilger fund.
San Marcos, CA Fortissimo Program: We supported the creation of this program serving children grades K– 6 two years ago, and they have expanded rapidly. Their goal is to grow from 45 to 100 students this year. The student population is ethnically mixed, serves the general community, and we supported their request for 11 new violins with a second matching grant.
Stamford, CT Starfish Connection: This organization delivers the music instruction to students in the Stamford area; this grant will support their strings initiative serving children grades 3-8. There is a strong need for more and better instruments for the kids there. The student population served is 100% minority, and 100% qualify for Federal free lunch. They received support for 3 new violins.
Walnut Creek, CA California Symphony: California Symphony’s Sound Minds program is building on an after school program they have created for elementary students in San Pablo at Downer Elementary. This program serves a predominantly Hispanic and economically challenged population; 96% of the children qualify for Federal free lunch. The program has grown significantly since its creation in 2012; there is a strong need for increasing their inventory of better and larger size instruments. We supported this need with a matching grant for several new violins, cellos, and many bows.
Waterbury, CT Brass City Charter School: This program for students pre-K-4th grade, supports primarily African-American and Latino children through a comprehensive music program in an economically challenged area. 72% of the children qualify for the Federal free lunch program. We supported their needs with a matching grant for 10 new instruments.