CFKF is currently partnering with the following schools and communities. To see partners from previous years, please visit our grant history.
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.
Albuquerque, NM: Tierra Adentro of New Mexico: This charter school serves kids grades 6-12 from around the Albuquerque area, including students from the Navaho and Pueblo reservations nearby. They have an active music program and need more guitars to provide needed instruments for their music program, which teaches flamenco and some popular Spanish music. We’ve offered matching support for 6 guitars.
Anaheim, CA: Anaheim, CA ESD: This elementary school district in urban Anaheim has an innovative program whereby students grades 4-6 rotate through different kinds of instruments. During this time, ukuleles are ideal instruments to work with during Covid; they also have violins and guitars. We’ve offered a matchinggrant of $1,500 to support this worthy program.
Baltimore, MD: Strawbridge School Music Program: This school serving kids grades 3-12 wishes to further increase their immersion in music with more instruments and community outreach. CFKF has offered them a matching grant of $1,500 from the Hilger reserve to encourage this innovative community initiative.
Batavia, OH: Clemont NE Community Schools: These K-5 schools serve a rural area of Ohio; the area is large, with endemic pockets of rural poverty. Most of the students have never touched a stringed instrument. We have offered agrant of $850 in matching funds to support this rural and growing program’s need for ukuleles.
Bay Harbor, MI: Dorothy Gerber String Program: This string program serves kids K-12 in rural northern Michigan (some on Beaver Island are only reachable by air in the winter). They have a need for more instruments so that students unable to afford rentals or purchase can participate. We’ve offered $1,500 in matching funds to support this program serving kids in a rural area of the Midwest.
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.
Bowie, MD FAME: This is FAME’s second request; we gave a grant here in 2016. They serve kids grades 4-8 in Prince George County. They need more instruments that kids can take home to practice and develop greater proficiency. 77% of the students in this program classify as economically disadvantaged. They asked for support for 2 double basses and 10 ukeleles; we’ve offered them a grant of $1,500 to continue supporting the great work they do there.
Bronx, NY: Heilbrunn School of Music: This inner-city music school provides lessons and instruments to underserved kids grades K-12 in the South Bronx. They need more inventory in order to provide instruments for more kids, and to have instruments they can take home to practice. We’ve offered a grant of $2,000 in matching funds to support their instrumental needs.
Brookville, IN: An Orchestrated Journey 4H: This is the first 4H program we’re supporting; they serve kids grades K-12 at their center in a rural area of eastern Indiana. They’ve adapted well to the pandemic with a combination of online and distanced in-person learning, and need more instruments for students to be able to learn in this hybrid environment. We’ve offered $533 in matching funds to support this program in a rural area of the Midwest.
Brownsburg, IN: Brownsburg Education Foundation: Brownsburg is a suburb just west of Indianapolis; their large public school music program is seeking to increase the number of ukuleles to be able to offer 1:1 availability of instruments for their students in the K-5 age group. This experience also prepares them for entrance into more advanced stringed instruments. CFKF has offered them a matching grant of $1,000 to encourage this public school system’s important and empowering string program.
Buffalo, NY: Jewish Community Center: This JCC offers music instruction to students around the Buffalo area regardless of their race or religious affiliation. They seek to expand the number of instruments available particularly to families unable to afford them; they have a present focus on refugee families from Ukraine, Afghanistan and other countries. CFKF has offered them a matching grant of $1,000 to encourage this organization’s efforts to provide the musical experience particularly for refugee children.
Canton, GA: Madedonia Elementary School: This is a new program that aims to offer the musical experience to kids grades K-5 while avoiding issues around singing during Covid. They’re building a ukulele program, and we’ve offered $1,000 in matching funds to support them.
Cascade, ID: SD PTO: This small rural Title I school in western Idaho wishes to build a new string program for 3rd and 4th grade; this will continue later through 6th grade, with the goal of students being able to participate in an extracurricular area orchestra. CFKF’s offered a grant of $2,000 in matching funds to support this program’s inventory needs in a rural area of Idaho.
Chandler, AZ: East Valley Jewish Community Center: This community center serving young children pre-K through kindergarten wishes to start a new string program with guitars for their kids, teaching them motor skills, communication, teamwork and language skills. We’ve offered them a grant of $1,500 to encourage this community center’s growing program in an area we are growing presence.
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: Chicago Public Schools Foundation: This grant request is specific to the school system’s Chopin Elementary School Orchestra serving kids grades K-8. They need an expanded inventory of instruments so that students have access to them, both for classes at and after school, as well as for home practice. CFKF has offered them a grant of $1,500 from the Hilger reserve to encourage this public school’s important and empowering string program.
Cleveland, OH: Cleveland School of the Arts: This School serves kids grades 9-12; they have a strong need for more instruments for kids whose families cannot afford to rent them. Their student population comes mainly from around Cleveland; we’ve offered a grant of $2,000 in matching funds to encourage the growth of this program and its need for more instruments.
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.
Columbus, OH: Columbus MS Orchestra: This middle-school program in Columbus has insufficient inventory for their large program; students have to share instruments, and are unable to take them home to practice. We’ve offered $2,000 in matching funds to encourage this program’s growth.
Coral Gables, FL: G.W. Carver Elementary School:This ethnically diverse elementary school serving kids grades 3-5 wishes to provide equitable access to the musical experience. The instruments they have are of poor quality; they need a substantial infusion of new instruments to build their orchestra program. We’ve offered them a matching grant of $1,500 from the Hilger reserve to encourage the revitalization of their string program.
Corvallis, MT: Corvallis, MT MS and HS Orchestras:This rural community south of Missoula has a growing orchestra program (it grew 25 % the past 2 years) in need of more quality instruments to be made available to kids grades 5-12 there. This is the only community within 40 miles that has an orchestra initiative. We’ve offered them a grant of $1,500 to encourage this public school system’s string program in the predominantly rural state where CFKF was born.
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.
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.
Eckert, CO Valley Youth Orchestra: This program serves a rural area of Colorado; students come from a variety of age groups, socioeconomics and ethnicities. They need more instruments of quality to support their growing program. This is the only orchestral program within 60 miles. CFKF is offering them a grant of $1,500 to support this worthwhile program in an area of the Intermountain West we are building presence in.
Elgin, IL: Eljin Youth Symphony Orchestra: EYSO wishes to build an inventory for their tuition-free Starter Strings program serving kids in 4th grade. They hope to provide these instruments in particular for families unable to afford instrument purchase or rental. Elgin is one of the fastest-growing cities in Illinois, and we’ve offered them a grant of $1,500 to encourage this public school’s string program.
Gainesville, FL: Cornerstone Academy Music: This private school serving kids grades 5-12 wishes to help their students achieve more advanced musical skills with quality instruments. The students come from several counties in north-central Florida. CFKF has offered them a grant of $1,000 to encourage this program’s growth in an area of Florida where we have a growing presence.
Greenfield, IN: Central School Foundation: This program serves kids grades 7-12 around Hancock County; they need an influx of more instruments to provide them to students whose families can’t afford to own or rent them. CFKF is offering $1,000 in matching funds to support this program in a rural area of Indiana.
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.
Henderson, KY: East Heights and Jefferson EMP: Henderson is a rural community a fairly short drive from Evansville, Indiana. This program plans to offer ukulele instruction to kids grades K-5 to give them a hands-on experience of learning, music-reading and performing. This would be their first string program; they’ve mainly provided choral instruction. We’ve offered $760 in matching funds to support this rural program in an area we don’t have a lot of presence.
Henderson, NV: Nevada Blind Children’s Foundation: This program serves children from birth through age 22; last year they worked with 96 young people. They provide audible and tactile experience of various instruments through individual and group lessons. CFKF is offering $2,000 in matching funds to support this program to serve this worthy program in a state we don’t have a large presence in.
Herman, PA: The Summit School: The Summit School supports the positive development of males grades 7-12 referred by probation officers from a variety of states around the upper Midwest, East and as far away as Texas. Their music program is focused on providing a positive and pro-social experience to students coming from difficult backgrounds and experiences. The student population is ethnically mixed. CFKF is offering them a matching grant of $1,480 to encourage this organization’s important work.
Homestead, FL: Arts in Action: This summer music program is building an opportunity to experience and play culturally relevant music for disadvantaged kids grades 1-8. Students receive 1-1 guitar instruction, with songs celebrating Hispanic culture for the students in the program. 98% of the students in this program qualify for the Federal free lunch program. CFKF has offered matching support for this program’s purchase of 12 guitars.
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.
Houghton, MI Copper Country Suzuki Assoc.: Located in a very rural area of upper Michigan, this association serves a group of children from elementary through high school. They need support for a few cellos for younger students in their developmental years. CFKF is offering a matching grant of $500 to support this worthwhile and growing program in a very rural area.
Kansas City, MO: Heartland Chamber Music: This is our second grant offering to Heartland; they serve economically challenged kids in KC, and need support for more instruments for their first-year violin and cello students. The program serves kids grades K-5 from almost all Title I schools. CFKF is offering $1,500 in matching funds to support this vibrant program’s needs for more and better instruments.
Kansas City, MO: Providence School of the Arts: This private arts school serving kids pre-K through 8th grade wishes to expand the quality and quantity of stringed instruments in order to provide more access to strings and the inspiration of a quality instrument. CFKF has offered them a matching grant of $1,500 from the Hilger reserve to encourage this program’s continued growth.
Knoxville, TN: Boys and Girls Club of the Tennessee Valley: This Club works with kids grades K-12 through its Youth Arts initiative to provide them with access to the arts in four of its community settings, including low-income housing. We’re offering $1,850 in matching funds to support this worthy program serving kids most at risk in an area of Tennessee we have little presence in so far.
La Jolla, CA: Community Music Center: This center, supported by the La Jolla Music Society, gives after-school bilingual support to underserved kids grades 3-12 in the Logan Heights community of south-central San Diego. They need a further infusion of quality new instruments to give access to strings to more of their students, who can use them at school and at home. We’ve offered them a matching grant of $1,500 from the Hilger reserve to encourage the growth of this needed program in an economically challenged area of San Diego.
Las Vegas, NV: FAYM: Las Vegas’ Foundation to Assist Young Musicians afterschool program works in an area of Las Vegas with high poverty; their goal with this grant is to replace broken instruments and increase their available inventory for their needy students grades K-12. The student population is primarily Hispanic. CFKF is offering them a matching grant of $1,233 to encourage this organization’s music program for needy kids.
Lenoir City, TN: Intermediate School: This middle school has a need for more ukuleles to supplement their inventory; 50 students have to share 12 instruments. We’ve offered $950 in matching support for 20 ukeleles tosupport this program in rural Tennessee.
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.
Lodge Grass, MT: Public Schools: This is a new string program being initiated on the Crow Reservation in Montana. They’ve had an active band program there for years, but this is their inauguration of a string program. The student population is nearly 100% native Apsaalouke. We’ve offered them a grant of $2,500 from the Hilger fund to support this important new initiative in one of the most economically challenged areas in America.
Los Angeles, CA: A Place Called Home: This is our second grant request from APCH; we gave them a grant in 2021. For this grant request, they are serving kids grades 4-7 with beginner collective instruction, and there’s great interest in developing a solid ensemble program. CFKF has offered them a grant of $1,500 from the Hilger reserve to further encourage the growth of this needed program in the most impoverished area of Los Angeles.
Los Angeles, CA: Friends of Gardner: This school offers ukulele instruction to kids grades 4-5; they need more inventory so that students can take instruments home to practice, and so they can build a ukulele ensemble. We’ve offered a matching grant of $1900 to support this worthy program and their building program.
Los Angeles, CA: Harmony Project: We supported this large urban program several years ago. This large program serves kids grades K-12 with year-round comprehensive music instruction. This program often offers the only musical opportunity in an area where cultural offerings are scant. The student population is multiethnic, and many families involved are below the poverty level, with 100% of the students in this program qualifying for the Federal free lunch program. We’ve offered $2,500 in matching funds to further support this great program and the kids they serve.
Marietta, GA: Marietta, GA City Schools:The Marietta High School orchestra, serving students grades 9-12, has a healthy double bass section, but needs another double bass for all of the students to be able to perform at concerts. The student population is diverse; we’ve offered them a grant of $862 from the Hilger reserve to encourage this public school’s string program.
Medford, MA: Tufts University: Tufts has created an outreach program for kids grades K-12, along with the goal of providing instruments to each student involved. CFKF has offered $2,000 in matching funds to encourage this program and the venerable institution that runs it.
Mesa, AZ: Heritage Academy Mesa: This program operates an orchestra for kids grades 7-12; they need more cellos and basses to continue to grow and expand lower strings participation. We’ve offered $1,660 in matching funds to encourage this program’s growth in an area we have little presence.
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.
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.
Miami, FL: Salvation Army: This Miami branch of TSA has a band program serving kids grades 1-9, and they wish to develop a new string program to be able to offer a complete musical experience to their students. We’ve offered them a grant of $1,500 from the Hilger reserve to encourage this great organization’s new strings initiative.
Miami, FL: Youth Enlightenment System Corp: This organization is building a full orchestra program and needs to expand its inventory of instruments to reach that goal. They work with students ages 3-20, and have existing band and chorus programs. CFKF is offering $1,500 in matching funds to encourage the growth of this program.
Milwaukee, WI: Milwaukee Public Schools: This is our second grant to MPS; they’re working on expanding equitable music instruction across the district, and this grant will support their effort to provide first-time access to music to three more schools serving kids grades K-8. We’ve offered grant of $2,000 in matching funds to continue support for this exciting large initiative.
Montgomery, AL: Black Seed Arts Academy: This arts school serving underprivileged kids grades K-12 needs to grow their inventory to allow their students more access to good instruments both at school and home. They come from various socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds, and the school employs a holistic approach to the musical and theater arts, immersing kids in culture. They requested support for 8 instruments at a cost of $5,815, and we’re offering $2,907 in matching funds to encourage this school’s vision and the kids they support in an area of the South we are working to expand our presence in.
New Orleans, LA Living School: This school offers music instruction to students grades 9-12; they have an existing band program but wish to add strings to the mix to provide greater variety and interest. The area they serve includes all zip codes in New Orleans; we’re offering a matchinggrant of $1,500 from the Hilger reserve to support this worthwhile program in New Orleans.
New Orleans, LA: Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra: This orchestra has created a program called Music for Life for kids grades 3-8 in economically challenged areas of New Orleans. Their goal is to provide stringed instruments to one of their sites where kids currently have to share them. The majority of the families served are low-income; CFKF has offered $2000 in matching funds to encourage this growing program’s vision.
New York City, NY: Developing Artists: This organization is a nonprofit arts school dedicated to creating performance opportunities for their students, including spoken words, beats and songs. They are in need of several new instruments to fully offer that experience to their students. They serve kids grades 9-12 from all 5 boroughs of NYC. CFKF has offered them a grant of $1,575 to support this new initiative.
New York City, 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.
New York City, NY: UpBeat NYC: This organization, formed in 2009, provides free music instruction to students grades K-12 in the South Bronx area of NYC. They need to build inventory to better support the underserved and underrepresented families that participate in the program’s musical work, which is not present in the schools there. The student population is of color (70% Latinx/Hispanic and 30% African American; CFKF is offering them a grant of $1,500 to encourage this organization’s work in an economically and socially challenged area of NYC.
New York City, NY: WHIN Community Music School: This public charter school serves kids grades K-5 in the Washington Heights and Inwood areas of New York. They have a strong need for more instruments to both build inventory and to replace damaged instruments (their need has increased during the pandemic for instruments the kids can have at home). CFKF is offering $1,500 in matching funds to encourage this school and the at-risk kids they serve.
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.
Odessa, TX: Ector County ISD Education Foundation: This middle school string program needs an infusion of more new instruments to better allow access to the program from those unable to afford rental or purchase of instruments. CFKF is offering $1,500 in matching funds to support this established program serving kids most at risk in an area of Texas we haven’t had a presence in yet.
Oklahoma City, OK: El Sistema Oklahoma: This program serves kids grades 3-12 from around Oklahoma City; they need an infusion of better and larger instruments to support their students as they grow (they still only have the instruments they received as beginners). CFKF is offering a matching grant of $1,500 from the Hilger reserve to encourage the growth of this much-needed program.
Oxnard, CA: Nyeland Promise: Nyeland Promise’s work in the Nyeland Acres community in Ventura County serves the most economically challenged inhabitants there; the students’ age range from K-12. Their music program focuses on supporting the musical culture of the families there; 100% of the participants are Hispanic, and CFKF is offering them a grant of $1,500 to encourage this organization’s cultural and musical work.
Paducah, KY: Concord Elementary School: This elementary Title I school wishes to begin a new program to provide ukulele instruction in the curriculum; the area has a strong string program in the middle and high schools that the students could participate in afterward. We’re offering $1,000 in matching funds to support this new program in Paducah.
Peoria, IL Artists ReEnvisioning Tomorrow Inc.: ReEnvisioning Tomorrow is the only program in the community offering instruction to all wishing to participate. They serve kids K-12; they offer a broad variety of instruction that includes strings. Their after-school program is designed to engage kids during a vulnerable time in their day. We’re offering a matching grant of $1,500 from the Hilger reserve to support this worthwhile program in an area of the upper Midwest where we are building presence.
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.
Philadelphia, PA: West Park Cultural Center: This small program in an underserved area of Philadelphia is starting a guitar program (first online during Covid, then in-person after) to provide musical experience and community connection. Kids in this program and the area are drawn to the arts, and this would be their first playing opportunity. CFKF has offered $750 in matching funds to support this new direction.
Pittsburgh, PA: Community Specialists Corp.: CSP’s work focuses on at-risk females grades 7-12, providing musical activities that promote healing and growth. Students are referred there by probation officers and Office of Children, Youth and Families. They have a need for more instruments to support their work. CFKF has offered them a matching grant of $1,480 to encourage this organization’s work with at-risk females.
Placerville, CA: El Dorado HS Music: This Title I high school is working on providing more access to music for their ethnically diverse student population. Placerville is a small former mining town in a very rural agricultural area. CFKF’s offered $450 in matching funds to help them build a ukulele class.
Plattsburgh, NY: Plattsburgh City SD: This string program serving kids grades 5-9 has an active orchestra program, but needs an infusion of new (and better) instruments in order to better serve the students and have age-appropriate sizes available. CFKF is offering $1,000 in matching funds to support this solid program in upstate New York.
Pompano Beach, FL: Volta Music Foundation:Volta’s afterschool music program serving kids grades K-4 needs support to increase the number of double basses there. The students come from Title I schools, Boy and Girls Club, and community centers. 99% of the students involved are of color. CFKF is offering them a matching grant of $723 to help them acquire another double bass.
Port Arthur, TX: Bob Hope String Program: This program serves a large area of southeast Texas; this request is for their charter middle school program. They have a strong need for more inventory to support the influx of students into middle school from the area. These schools are Title I. CFKF is offering $1,500 in matching funds to support this program and build our presence this area of Texas.
Porterville, CA: Porterville Strings: This after-school program in a rural farming area of California with a large migrant population is creating an orchestral experience that kids wouldn’t have after the 8th grade, where the string program ends in the public schools. They have a strong need for more stringed instruments to fulfill this vision. CFKF has offered them a grant of $1,500 from the Hilger reserve to encourage the growth of this needed program.
Portland, ME: Palaver Strings: This is our second grant offer to Palaver; they serve kids pre-K and 1st grade in the Portland area. The program is growing; this grant will help provide new instruments for beginners, and larger instruments for their advancing grade. CFKF has offered $1,000 in matching funds to support this building program.
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.
Providence, RI: Community MusicWorks: This is our second application from CMW; we gave our first grant there several years ago. CMW is one of the most highly regarded programs serving at-risk youth in America; This grant is part of a larger goal of having quality instruments for all of their students; they need larger size instruments for their growing violinists and cellists. CFKF is offering a matching grant of $1,500 from the Hilger reserve to encourage this well-known and groundbreaking program.
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.
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.
Salinas, CA: El Sistema USA/Salinas Inc.: This program in a largely agricultural area serves kids grades 1-12 in Salinas; they have a need for more new instruments to inspire continued participation, and to have sufficient inventory for new students this coming summer. We are offering $2,000 in matching funds to support this Sistema program in a new community in California.
San Antonio, TX: Classical Music Institute: This program serves kids grades 2-12 from around the Bexar County area of San Antonio; their goal with this grant is to provide greater access to instruments so that students can take them home to practice. We’ve offered matching support of $2,063 for 7 instruments.
San Diego, CA: Youth Symphony: SDYS, which engages students from around the San Diego area, has an Opus Project that seeks out underserved children grades 3–12 for participation in their free instruction and ensemble opportunities. They have a need for more instruments to support this initiative. The student population is ethnically and culturally diverse. CFKF is offering them a matching grant of $1,500 to encourage this well-known youth symphony’s important initiative supporting underserved youth.
San Rafael, CA: Enriching Lives Through Music: ELM serves the Canal area of San Rafael, providing instruction and instruments to kids ages 7-18 in an economically and socially challenged area. They have a well-organized and incremental learning program, starting with strings and developing into full wind and chamber ensembles. They need more instruments to be able to best serve the variety of needs of kids’ age levels and sizes. CFKF has offered them a grant of $2,000 to support the great work they do there for a student population in need.
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.
Santa Fe, NM: Santa Fe Youth Symphony: This is the second grant we’ve offered to Santa Fe; we gave a grant there a few years ago. They have a strong need for more violins for their growing program. There are no other string programs in Santa Fe available for this age group. They serve kids grades K-5; we’ve offered $2,500 in matching funds to encourage this youth symphony program and the kids they support in an area we have little presence.
Savannah, GA: DUET: This organization serves kids pre-K through ninth grade in the Savannah area. Their focus is on predominantly Black communities in the region; they have a need for many more instruments in order to expand their activities. CFKF is offering them a matching grant of $1,500 to encourage this organization’s efforts for underserved children.
Sidney, ME: Snow Pond Center for the Arts: This is our second grant offer to Sidney; they have expanded their reach to include new programs that will be served at the Kennebec Valley YMCA. The new school being served teaches kids grades 2-6, and they need an infusion of new violins for their incoming 5th and 6th graders. This scenic area is economically challenged; SPCA offers the only string program in the area. CFKF is offering amatchinggrant of $1,479 in matching funds to continue our support for this growing program in rural Maine.
St. Charles, MN: St. Charles Public Schools: This new program serving kids K-12 is offering after-school music instruction in a rural farming area of Minnesota. They need an infusion of new instruments in order to build the program. They have a band program (marching band), and this would be their first foray into the string area. Primary employment is through farming and the nearby Mayo Clinic. We’ve offered a matching grant of $810 in matching funds to support this worthy school system in an area of the upper Midwest.
St. Louis, MO: St. Frances Cabrini Academy: This school serves kids grades K-8; they have a general music class, but are starting a new string program to give the students a chance to learn an instrument and to create opportunities to bridge cultural divides and bring students together. They serve students from around South St. Louis; we’ve offered a grant of $2,000 in matching funds to support this interesting new program.
Stamford, CT: Intempo: This is our second request from INTEMPO; we gave them a grant in 2021. This after-school music program offers instruction to kids pre-K through 12th grade from around the general area of Stamford. They have a need for quality and appropriately sized instruments to best serve kids as they grow and that inspire them. We are offering a matching grant of $1,500 to help this excellent and much-needed programs for kids at risk in the Stamford area.
Stockton, CA: Able Charter Schools: This charter school is beginning guitar instruction for 4th and 5th grades. They presently have no orchestral program, but hope to build one with the expansion of their performing arts center. They do have an existing violin program that the guitar offering would build upon. CFKF is offering a matchinggrant of $2,010 in matching funds from the Hilger fund to support this worthy and building program for disadvantaged kids.
Takoma Park, MD: Don Bosco Cristo Rey HS: This high school serving students grades 9-12 wishes to build a new string program, responding to students’ appeals for more arts electives. In order to initiate this program, they need a starter inventory. The school draws kids from as far as DC metro; we’ve offered them $809 from the Hilger reserve to support the initiation of this new program in an economically challenged area.
Tucson, AZ: Arts for All Inc.: This program serves kids K-12 from all around the Tucson area; for many, this is the only musical opportunity they have. Arts for All wishes to expand its instrument instruction to include ukuleles; we’ve offered $450 in matching funds to support this program’ growth.
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.
Tyler, MN Public Schools: This rural public school system in southwest Minnesota wishes to start a new program with ukulele and guitar instruction for students grades 3-12 to provide the music experience to their system with the myriad benefits that it provides. We’ve offered a matching grant of $1,500 to support this worthwhile and growing program in a very rural area of the upper Midwest.
Veazie, ME: Veazie Community School: This school serves kids pre-K through 8th grade; they wish to expand the number of students who can play ukulele or guitar. CFKF is offering $1,500 in matching funds to support this program in rural Maine.
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.
Washington, DC: Serve Your City: This program serving kids grades 3-11 believes that the arts can empower the most underserved populations in the DC metro area. They presently have no owned inventory of stringed instruments, and need to have a quality and reliable inventory of their own to support their students. We’ve offered them $1,500 from the Hilger reserve to support the initiation of this new program in an economically challenged area.
Wenatchee, WA: Pinnacles Prep: Wenatchee Prep, located in a rural area east of Seattle, is a new public charter school serving kids grades 6-8. They are building a new string program and need a starter inventory of instruments to build interest and accessibility to strings. We offered them a grant of $1,500 from the Hilger reserve to encourage the initiation of their program in an area of the Northwest where we are growing our presence.
West Valley City, UT: Monticello Academy: This charter middle school has a comprehensive required music program including music appreciation; students in that class will play ukulele to learn to play and read music, perhaps enabling them to participate in other performance programs. CFKF is offering $1,425 in matching funds to support this program and its great model.
Wichita Falls, TX: Youth Symphony Orchestra: This youth Orchestra’s K-5th Grade program (GCAM) involving students from around the Wichita Falls area needs an influx of new instruments for their rental program, which also allows for periodic maintenance of these instruments. Students are encouraged afterward to audition for upper levels of this organization’s Orchestra program. CFKF is offering them a grant of $1,500 to encourage this Youth orchestra’s ability to offer strings instruction in an area of Texas we are building presence in.
Wilmington, DE: The Music School of Delaware: This inspiring new initiative, supporting kids ages 2 and up, has been created to deliver El-Sistema-based learning to nearly 1,000 children in the Wilmington area. CFKF has offered matching support of $3,040 for 15 violins to encourage this program’s exciting beginnings; this is our first grant in Delaware.
Wilmington, DE: Tennis Rocks: This afterschool youth support program wishes to build on their existing activities through offering instruction in guitar and ukulele. The hope is to create more opportunities for positive social and cultural interaction through the experience of music. This program serves an impoverished and diverse area of the community and 100% of the students in this program qualify for the Federal free lunch program. We’ve offered a matching grant of $1,375 to support this worthy and innovative program in a state we’re still building presence in.