2018 4th Quarter Grants

Congratulations to our 4th quarter grant recipients:

Albany NY High School Strings Program: This public school program serving kids grades 9-12 is growing, and needs more quality inventory to support that growth. Much of their inventory is of lower quality and condition. We’ve offered $3,000 in matching funds to encourage this growing program and help them build a stronger inventory.

Atlanta GA Mt. Vernon Presbyterian School: This school serves kids grades 8-12; the program is growing, and they’re starting a new 4th and 5th grade program. They wish to expand their inventory to support students and families unable to afford rental fees for instruments. The student population is ethnically mixed,. CFKF is offering $2,710 in matching funds in support of 13 instruments to encourage this program’s vision.

Boston MA Boston Arts Academy: This program serves students grades 9-12 as the only visual and performing arts school in Boston; their ensembles perform all over Boston, and an audition is required for admittance. They have a strong need for more new instruments to augment their aging inventory. We’ve offered matching support for 5 instruments with 1,975 to help this unique school in Boston.

Boston MA Boston Bridge Charter School: This is the second grant we’ve offered to Boston Bridge; this charter school’s students are accepted through a lottery system, and the student population is almost entirely students of color. We’ve offered $3,000 in matching funds to encourage this program’s growth and help them grow a sustainable inventory of new instruments.

Bozeman MT Public Schools: This is our first request from Bozeman in some time; the orchestral program there continues to thrive. This school, Chief Joseph Middle School, has no cellos available for use in their building, and CFKF has offered $1,391 in matching funds to encourage this program’s growth in the town of CFKF’s origin.

Buffalo NY Buffalo String Works: This is an inspirational program that serves the refugee and immigrant community in Buffalo with music training. These kids come from such countries as Somalia, Eritrea, Afghanistan, Iraq and Burma. Their students go to several of the area public schools; we’ve offered $1,486 in matching funds to encourage this growing program’s exciting vision with 4 new instruments.

Chicago IL Chicago West Community Center: This community center serves students pre-K through adult in an area of Chicago plagued by poverty and crime. We gave a grant there several years ago, and the program continues to grow and need more inventory. CFKF is offering $3,316 in matching funds to encourage this Center’s ability to provide the musical experience to kids in a challenging environment.

Flint MI Ballet Folklore: This community program utilizes Mariachi, taught by classically trained musicians, to inspire kids through culturally relevant music. They work with 80 students grades 2-12, and are limited in growth by their small inventory. The population there is predominantly Hispanic. We’ve offered $1,000 in matching funds to support this growing program and help them revitalize that inventory.

Greenfield IN Public School Foundation: This small community near Indianapolis has a growing middle school string program with a need for more instruments for families unable to afford to buy or rent them, as well as a need to augment a very small inventory. CFKF has offered $2,000 in matching funds to encourage this program’s instrumental needs in a fairly rural area.

Kansas City MO Heartland Chamber Music:  This active and growing program serving low-income families and children ages pre-K-5th grade has a large program for violin and viola and wishes to add cello to their offerings. We’ve offered $3,000 in matching funds to expand their instrumental offerings and encourage this growing program’s vision.

Los Angeles CA A Place Called Home: This organization serves low-income families and kids grades 2-12 with string ensemble programs; at this point they are offering violin instruction and wish to expand to include other stringed instruments. The student population is predominantly Latino. CFKF has offered $3,000 in matching funds to encourage this program’s growth.

Memphis TN Redwood Training Group: This organization, serving kids K-12, wishes to expand its music theory program with more instruments. They only have keyboard and percussion at the moment and wish to add guitars to help students with comprehension and support better outcomes for math and English. We’ve offered $1,000 in matching funds to encourage this program’s innovative approach and build an inventory of new guitars.

Milwaukee WI Public Schools: This large district is quite committed to improving the quality of its growing string program and their inventory. CFKF has offered support for 11 beautiful new instruments with a $4,085 matching grant.

New Orleans LA Walter Plessy School: This innovative arts-integrated school in the French Quarter of New Orleans serves a diverse low-income population of students grades 2-7 with an active a growing string program. They have a strong need for an inventory of instruments (they’ve been renting for the past 5 years) and to provide free use of quality instruments; CFKF is offering $3,500 in matching funds to encourage this exciting program’s growth.

Peoria AZ Centennial HS Instrumental Music: This is a new program in the Phoenix metro area that wishes to provide string instruction for students grades 9-12 (they have an active feeder program for earlier grades; our grant will support the creation of a high school program). We’ve offered $1,854 in matching funds for 4 new instruments to encourage this new program’s expansion.

Rapid City SD Chamber Music Festival of the Black Hills: This program, which has traditionally supported high-level chamber music performance throughout western South Dakota, wishes to expand its mission by providing instruments and instruction to children grades 3-5, in particular Native American students in need of instruments and instruction.  The hope is to reduce truancy rates and support better academic performance. The student population being supported is 71% Native American; We’ve offered $3,500 in matching funds to encourage this new program’s vision for our first grant in South Dakota.

Springfield MA Community Music School: This school serves a very low-income and disadvantaged area with a large and inclusive music program; they offer string education to students from around the area ages 7-18. We gave a grant there several years ago, and they’ve grown substantially. The program is large (830 participants), and they have a great need for more inventory (many students have to share instruments). We’re offering $3,000 in matching funds to encourage this program’s expansion.

St. Louis MO Classical Guitar: This is our second grant to this organization; they serve kids grades 4-12 in 15 schools around the economically and socially challenged area of Ferguson. The program has grown substantially since our last grant, and they have a strong need for more guitars to meet that growth. CFKF has offered $2,700 in matching funds to encourage this program’s growth and their purchase of 24 new guitars.

Wilson NC Save Our Youth Program: This is a new string program being offered though the elementary schools in Wilson; they want to build a program that supports better outcomes for academics as well. We’ve offered $1,423 in matching funds to encourage this new program’s vision and help them purchase 9 new stringed instruments.

Winston-Salem NC IBF Solutions: This is a new program that provides after-school initiatives for blind and vision-impaired kids grades 4-11. They wish to build a starter inventory to help these students explore music. At this point, 11 students are involved from schools around the area. We’ve offered $952 in matching funds to encourage this innovative program’s ability to provide the musical experience to these kids and to purchase 2 violins and 2 guitars.