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2020 3rd Quarter Grants

Congratulations to our 3rd Quarter grant recipients!

Bloomfield, KY Elementary School Music Program: This is a Title 1 school serving kids grades K-5 in a rural area of Kentucky. They are building a school-wide music program to supplement their academic program; they started the program with bucket drums. The kids responded enthusiastically and want more musical experiences. CFKF gave support for 20 ukeleles to support this worthy program.

Boston, MA: Boston Arts Academy: BAA is Boston’s only public arts high school; they have a growing program and need more inventory for both home use (during Covid) and to replace rental instruments. We’ve offered support for 6 instruments to support this important program serving the arts in Boston.

Clearwater, FL: Sandy Lane Elementary:  This is a new program to build a robust musical experience for students grades K-5 in Clearwater. They are offering traditional string family instruments as well as guitar and ukulele; CFKF offered support for 30 ukeleles to help this exciting new initiative.

Cleveland, OH: Play It Forward Cleveland: This organization offers free instruction and instruments to kids around the area who have no access to either at their schools; they work in partnership with the Cleveland Orchestra and the City of Cleveland, among other orgs. They serve kids grades 6-12.  The student population comes from areas with high poverty and greatest need in Cleveland; they are getting CFKF support for 20 instruments.

Honolulu, HI: Saint Louis School:  This boys’ school serving students grades K-12 has one of the oldest music programs in the Islands; they integrate music and academics for their ethnically diverse student (primarily Hawaiian, Asian and Pacific Island ethnicity). They are expanding their musical offerings and need considerably more inventory; there is a strong focus on connecting students with Hawaiian culture. CFKF has offered a grant of $2,000 in matching funds to support this program, with a focus on their need for ukuleles and violins.

Kahului, HI: Maui Youth Philharmonic Orchestra: This organization is starting a new program designed to be the first string program ever on the island of Maui. Their focus is on preschool-5th grade. They are starting a pilot program in the town of Waihe’e; the school there supports an ethnically diverse population. CFKF is supporting their request for 7 instruments with a matching grant of $3,110 in matching funds to help this new program.

Kingston, TN: Harpeth MS Band Program:  Harpeth MS is starting a new string program to complement their existing band program; this would be the first string program in the County. Kingston’s a rural community, and this program will serve kids grades 5-8.  CFKF has offered grant of $1,500 in matching funds to support them.

Miami, FL: Area Stage Co.: This musical theater company in Miami is creating a new program to teach ukulele and guitar for kids involved grades K-12, with the goal of having them perform musically as well as theatrically. We’re offering matching support for 25 ukeleles and guitars to encourage this innovative program.

NYC, NY: Third Street Music School Partners Program:  Third Street is the oldest community music school in America (125 years old); they offer music instruction and instruments to an ethnically diverse student population from PS 42 in NYC (they offer all of this and dance in 20+ high needs schools in this area). Covid has necessitated the need for many more instruments; CFKF has offered matching support to help build more inventory for worthy and venerable program.

Paducah, KY: Lone Oak Elementary:  Lone Oak is starting an ambitious new program to give the musical experience to all kids grades K-1st grade at the school, starting with small guitars. These lessons will take place before and after school. This is a Title I school; we’ve offered matching support for guitars for this this innovative and inspiring new program.

Paducah, KY: Reidland Elementary:  Reidland is starting a new string program for kids grades 2-3 in this Title I school; this would be the first time for them to engage in strings instruction. They’ve been offered matching support to help them build an inventory of new violins.

Sandpoint, ID: Music Conservatory of Sandpoint:  This is our second grant to Sandpoint; they are building a lending Library of instruments for the kids in their Conservatory serving grades K-12. Students would take out instruments on loan, like a book from the library. This is the only organization in the area that offers music, working with the schools in an after-school setting. We have offered matching support for 6 instruments to support this interesting model for MCS.

San Diego, CA: San Diego Youth Symphony:  CFKF worked with this excellent organization when we shared a benefit there around 10 years ago. They wish to expand their inventory to enable students on scholarship to have access to instruments (they loaned 363 instruments out last year). The student population (grades 4-12) they serve is ethnically diverse. CFKF has offered matching support for 6 instruments at a cost of $4,244 to support this very worthy program.

Tucson, AZ: Quest for Education and Arts: This private program offers string ensemble and orchestra training to students K-12 in southern Arizona. They wish to expand their ability to offer instruments for use by low-income students involved in the program. We’ve offered a grant of $2,000 in matching funds to support this program.

Wausau, WI: Wausau Conservatory of Music:  This private conservatory wishes to build a new program for younger kids (they have an existing program for older students; students K-12 are able to attend). This grant supporting their acquisition of 10 ukeleles will help them to expand their offering to young students otherwise unable to be involved. They also have a small youth orchestra.

Woodside, NY :New York Edge: NY Edge provides music programming to IS 318, a middle school in the Williamsburg area of Brooklyn. They’re wishing to expand their after-school and online instruction to include more kids, especially those in high financial need families. CFKF has offered support for 16 ukeleles and guitars at a cost of $2,850 to help this worthy program and the low-income families they support.

2020 2nd Quarter Grants

Congratulations to our 2nd quarter grant recipients!

Alameda, CA: Bay Area Music Project:  This program serves kids K-8 in the Alameda area near Oakland with after-school music, academics and other activities.  They work with both an elementary school and a Title 1 feeder school; the student population is ethnically diverse. CFKF offered a grant of $1,000 in matching funds to support this inspiring model.

Billings, MT: Billings Christian School:  This eastern Montana faith-based school serving kids grads 5-12 is growing; they wish to provide greater access to this program for families unable to afford rentals. The slump in energy prices has particularly affected those families in this area.  Classics has offered $1238 in matching funds to support this worthy program.

Chapel Hill, NC: Carrboro Public School Foundation:  This public school program serving kids grades 6-8 with string orchestra needs to develop its inventory in order to better serve students unable to afford rentals. All of the instruments in this grant would be offered to students of color, and 100% of the students in this program qualify for the Federal free lunch program. We’ve offered $2000 in matching funds to support this public school program serving at-risk kids.

Detroit, MI: Detroit Suzuki Academy of Music:  This program serves children pre-K through grade 12 with private and group lessons; emphasis is on family involvement.  They need more inventory for families unable to afford instrument rentals. We’ve offered support for 4 violins.

Filer, ID: SD 413: This school district is starting a new program featuring ukulele instruction in the 5th grade; the goal is to provide a musical experience for nearly 800 students. CFKF has offered matching support for 35 ukeleles to support this district and their kids in a rural area of Idaho.

Hazelwood, MO: Blossom Wood Day School:  This school, located in a high-risk northern county of St. Louis, offers after-school and summer programming to kids ages 4-12. The student population is almost entirely African-American, the majority are single-parent families; they need more inventory to support families that can’t afford rentals. We’ve offered $2000 in matching funds to support this program in a socio-economically challenged area.

Honolulu, HI: PAI Foundation:  This Foundation’s goal with this grant is to support traditional Hawaiian music experience for kids grades 6-12 through a new music program, focusing on music performed on ukulele, guitar and double bass. They hope to reach Native Hawaiian kids, along with students of a variety of ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds; CFKF has offered $2000 in matching funds to support this Foundation’s work.

Hyattsville, MD: DeMatha Catholic HS:  This faith-based school serving students grades 9-12 wishes to expand their inventory of excellent quality new instruments to provide inclusion for families otherwise unable to participate along with providing incentive for recruitment. The school serves an ethnically diverse population of boys, and over 60% of the students in this program qualify for financial support. CFKF is providing $1496 in matching support for 6 beautiful new instruments.

Marysville, KS Elementary School Music Dept.:  This public school program located in a rural part of Kansas aims to build on an existing program offering recorder and band instruments for kids grades K-6; the goal is to offer strings through ukulele to fill out their musical experience. We’ve offered $1800 in matching support for 40 ukeleles in this rural area of Kansas.

Miami, FL: Guitars over Guns Organization:  This innovative organization offers after-school music programs to at-risk kids in Chicago and Miami; they’re currently looking at expansion to another major metropolitan area. A goal is to offer the musical experience to youth during a period of the day when most violence and crime happen in their neighborhoods. The population served is almost 100% African-American and Hispanic; 99% of the students in this program qualify for the Federal free lunch program. We’ve offered matching support for 16 guitars and ukuleles to this innovative and inspiring model for support of kids at risk.

Miami, FL: Hive Prep:  This Title I Charter school serves kids grades K-8; they have an active violin program and wish to both expand that program and include other instruments. The school’s demographic is almost completely African-American and Hispanic; most students live in poverty. CFKF is offering $2000 in matching funds to support this school’s work.

NYC, NY: Bloomingdale SOM:  This private music school serves kids grades 1-12 from Manhattan and other boroughs with strings education; they wish to expand their offerings to include more violas, cellos, and ukuleles for beginners. They offer beginning instruction, an intermediate orchestra, and chamber orchestra for more advanced students. We’ve offered a grant of $1500 in matching funds to support this private program’s growth.

Oakland, CA: Oakland Youth Chorus:  This organization offers choral music and culturally relevant instrumental performance programming to several schools in a high-risk and economically challenged area around Oakland. We’ve offered $2000 in matching funds to support this innovative program’s new direction to help them purchase ukuleles to augment their kids’ musical experience.

Paducah, KY: Lone Oak Intermediate School:  This Title I elementary school serving primarily low-income students in a rural area near Paducah wishes to add ukulele to their music program in order to provide an additional hands-on music experience for their kids in 4th and 5th grade. CFKF has offered matching support for 30 ukeleles.

Roselle, NJ: Roselle Board of Education:  This public school string orchestra program wishes to expand its offering to 7th and 8th grade kids, and to build more quality inventory so that more kids can participate. The program is in a highly urban area of Union County with high rates of gang membership and poverty. We’ve offered $2000 in matching funds to support this program’s ability to offer the musical experience.

Valley Center, CA: Valley Center High School:  This school serving kids grades 9-12 has a choral program that wishes to expand its offering to include ukulele. This creates an outlet for expression during the pandemic where students may not be allowed to sing, or need to do their work in a hybrid online and in-person environment. We’ve offered matching support for 30 ukeleles to support this innovative new program in a rural area of California.

Wadsworth, OH: Access the Arts: This new initiative to create a musical experience in the Medina County Juvenile Detention Center aims to provide a positive artistic experience for detained kids grades 6-12. Many of these youths are depressed and have little family support; the hope is to provide hope and joy through music. We’ve offered matching support of $2275 for 22 guitars and ukeleles to support this unique program and the challenged kids they serve.

2020 1st Quarter Grants

Congratulations to our 1st quarter grant recipients:

Bowling Green, KY: Drakes Creek MS: This middle school in a suburban and rural area of south-central Kentucky has decided to start a new music program with guitars due to strong demand from their students (they already have an orchestra and band program). They’ve been offered matching support for 24 guitars.

Chicago, IL: Chicago Bulls College Prep Music Program: This private high school offers free tuition and rigorous academics in Chicago Near West Side,, one of Chicago’s most underserved areas. Their music program consists of orchestra and guitar, and has a strong need for more inventory; all of their instruments need to be shared, CFKF has offered matching support for 4 new instruments to help them build their inventory.

Chicago, IL: The Peoples’ Music School: This school provides a tuition-free music experience to students K-12 to underserved students around Chicago. They are growing quickly (tripled ins size since 2015 to over 900 students); they partner with the Chicago Symphony for performance opportunities; they provide private lessons, orchestra and music theory to all of their kids. We’ve offered $2000 in matching funds to encourage this quickly growing initiative.

Clarksdale, MS: Griot Arts: Clarksdale is a small community in central Mississippi that has a rich history of blues music. This small school offers music education to students grades 3-12; they have a strong need for increased inventory as they grow. They’ve been offered matching support toward 14 new instruments to provide more access to this great program.

Dallas, TX: Dallas Symphony Orchestra: This is our second grant to the DSO; their Southern Dallas Residency program is expanding rapidly, supporting underserved kids grades 1-5 with free music instruction and events. We’ve offered $3000 in matching funds to again support this exciting initiative.

Detroit, MI: Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts: This quickly growing new school serving students grades 9-10 in Detroit has inspired over 1/3 of the students to become involved in music; they need a new infusion of inventory to keep pace with demand. They’ve been offered $2000 in matching funds to encourage this growing initiative in an economically challenged area.

Detroit, MI: Detroit Public Schools Foundation: This large public school system requested support for its orchestral program for kids grades 5-12; they have a strong need for more inventory as the program grows, as well as for replacement of aging and unplayable instruments. The system as a whole has made a substantial new commitment this year to music education, an exciting development after years of terminated music programs. This system’s student population comes from one of the highest poverty rates in the U.S.; they’ve been offered $2000 in matching funds to support this very encouraging new initiative.

Fall River, MA: Atlantis Educational Foundation: This public charter school is launching a new string program in Fall 2020 for kids grades 4-8 in Fall River, an economically challenged community with high rates of poverty.  They need a starter inventory of new instruments to be able to launch the program, and CFKF is offering $2000 in matching funds to support them.

Ft. Collins, CO: Off the Hook Arts: Off the Hook Arts is a recent private initiative aimed at creating musical opportunity for disadvantaged kids grades 1-5; they are expanding quickly at 2 locations in Ft. Collins with their Meadowlark program offering violin and guitar instruction. This is the only musical opportunity for underserved kids in the area; CFKF is offering $2000 in matching funds to continue encouraging this private program’s growth and the underserved kids they support.

Portland, OR: Bravo Youth Orchestra: This program serves kids grades pre-K-9 in one of the poorest areas of Portland, providing music instruction to over 600 students in 6 schools in the Roosevelt School District there; we’ve offered $2500 in matching funds to continue encouraging this program’s expansion.

Sedona, AZ: Chamber Music Sedona: This different model for string education by a chamber music society offers private instruction, access to public concerts, and music appreciation initiatives to kids grades 7-12 around the area. They’ve been offered  $1478 in matching funds to support this interesting model’s needs.

Winooski, VT: Winooski Schools: This program serves kids grades 5-12 in Winooski, which is close to Burlington. The town has the lowest per capita income in the state. The student body is truly international; a total of 25 languages, many African, Far Eastern and Middle Eastern dialects, are spoken. CFKF has offered $2,000 in matching funds to encourage this diverse public school system.

2019 4th Quarter Grants

Congratulations to our 4th quarter grant recipients:

Augusta, GA: Salvation Army Kroc Center: This Kroc Center music program that serves kids K-8 with guitar lessons and instruments is located in the Harrisburg area; This program is intended to reach the kids there through music, and to improve their prospects in life. CFKF has offered support for 12 guitars.

Brooklyn, NY: Noel Pointer Foundation: This is our second grant offer to Noel Pointer Foundation. NPF serves kids from around Brooklyn grades 3-12 with afterschool and weekend instruction. They support two orchestras, which perform around the New York area (including Carnegie Hall). We have offered $3,000 in matching funds to encourage this highly dedicated strings initiative.

Heathsville, VA: Rappahannock Concert Association: This program serves the fairly remote area of the Northern Neck of Virginia where there is currently no music instruction other than from this organization. They serve kids grades 1-7  with lessons and access to instruments, and we’ve given support for 3 cellos to encourage this program’s further development.

Kansas City, MO: Heartland Chamber Music: This is our second grant offer to Kansas City HCM; they serve economically disadvantaged kids pre-K-5 at 4 sites around KC with instruction for beginning violin and cello.  We’ve offered $3,075 in matching funds to encourage this growing initiative.

Lexington, MI: Camp Cavell: This is our 2nd grant to Camp Cavell; this is a summer program, and their desire is to provide a musical opportunity that’s a gateway to the music experience, while being affordable. The students come from around Southeast Michigan (including Detroit and a total of 35 cities and towns) we’ve offered $500 in matching funds to help them purchase 10 ukeleles and to continue encouraging their summer program’s growth and the underserved kids they support.

Los Angeles, CA: A Place Called Home: This is our second grant offer to APCH; they serve 1,000 kids grades 2-12 from around LA, and our last grant there has stimulated considerable growth and interest. We’ve offered $2,047 in matching support for 13 instruments to encourage this growing program.

Louisville, KY: Marion C. Moore School: This public school, serving kids grades 6-12 in an urban area of Jefferson County, has a strong need for new and better inventory for their students, and for instruments that the students can take home to practice on. We’ve offered $3,534 in matching funds to continue encouraging their growth and the underserved kids they support.

Padukah, KY: Redland MS:  This is a public middle school serving kids grades 6-8 in the same area as our recent grant site in Padukah; it’s a rural school district with many low-income families. They needed support for 7 instruments, and we’ve offered $3,043 in matching funds to help this school provide access to instruments for those in greatest need.

Philadelphia, PA: Philadelphia Orchestra: This prestigious orchestra has created the School Ensemble Program serving kids grades K-3 and 5-8 in two different public schools serving several hundred kids. They provide orchestral training (by PSO teaching artists and musicians) as well as instruments; there’s a strong need for more inventory, as many students have to share them. These programs are located in West Philadelphia; CFKF has offered $5,000 in matching funds to further support this exciting young program and the kids they serve.

Rancho Mirage, CA: Steinway Society Riverside County: This organization provides musical experiences and instruments to schools all around the Coachella Valley in southern CA. This particular program is offering musical support for kids grades 3 and 4 including instruction and ukuleles. We’ve offered recommend $5320 in matching funds for many new ukuleles to encourage this program’s vision and all of the kids in the area they support.

Richton Park, IL: Matteson SD 162: This public school string program serves kids grades 6-8; the program started 3 years ago, and they need more quality inventory to provide access to their growing participants. We’re offering matching support for 4 cellos and 3 double basses with $3,573 in matching funds to support this growing public school program’s needs.

Rutland, VT: County Public Schools: This string program in a rural area of Vermont is working to expand its orchestral program, but is inhibited by lack of quantity and quality of inventory. We’ve $4,000 in matching funds to encourage this public school system in a state we have little presence; this is our second grant in Vermont.

Sandy Springs, GA: North Springs Charter HS: This school serving students grades 9-12 has a limited inventory, and there’s a strong need for more double basses so that students can practice at home.  The school is a dual magnet school, and many students travel as long as 2 hours to attend. CFKF has offered $1557 in matching funds to encourage this program’s efforts to bring music to low-income kids and families in a state we’re expanding our presence in.

Help Us Expand Our Reach!

Now that we’re in all 50 states, help us identify other communities and programs in states we can have more presence in; tell your friends and colleagues about our grant program!

Here are our current statistics as of 01-01-2020:

Your Instruments have Arrived!

Students at Nesin Cultural Arts are excited with the arrival of their new instruments!

A student with Nesin Cultural Arts holds his new instrument.

A student with Nesin Cultural Arts receives her new instrument.

A student with Nesin Cultural Arts with his new instrument.

Playing with Holiday Spirit

“Recently Shenandoah Valley Academy had their Christmas pops concert including the beautiful bass that they received from CFKF. We’re so grateful”

A student from Shenandoah Valley Academy plays a bass purchased through a grant with CFKF.