D’Addario Foundation Awards $218K to Music Education Programs

So far in 2021, the D’Addario Foundation announced it has awarded $218,000 in grant funding and in-kind product donations to 74 music education programs across the country. Of those 74 programs, 20 are new grantees to the Foundation’s grant program. The Foundation awarded $176,000 in monetary and $42,000 in product support.

The D’Addario Foundation said in a statement that it “set an ambitious goal to keep music for social change thriving through the difficulties of the past year.” In 2021, the Foundation accepted proposals for support from organizations successfully conducting learning either in-person, in hybrid form or online. D’Addario Foundation grant winners have forged ahead, investing in technology, leaning on the creativity and generosity of their teachers and developing innovative ways to capitalize on the virtual environment — all while ensuring safety, equity and access to their students.

Each of the 74 programs receiving support from the D’Addario Foundation worked to quickly develop innovative responses to the impacts of COVID-19 on their programming. For example, grantee and school program El Sistema Santa Cruz/Pajaro Valley knew it needed to re-direct its efforts towards the most vulnerable during the pandemic. Giving priority to students who have difficulty with distance learning due to housing struggles and connectivity issues, the organization went to great lengths to set up safe in-person pods for those students in partnership with local school districts. Additionally, El Sistema Santa Cruz/Pajaro Valley’s teaching artists recently began providing daycare services for children of essential workers, monitoring classwork in the morning and teaching music in the afternoon.

“By supporting students through in-person program such as Safe Spaces and providing a platform for the voices of students through all the different ways to do music — ensemble work, peer to peer teaching, mentoring, improvising and composing — El Sistema Santa Cruz/Pajaro Valley is in the unique position to provide much needed social-emotional support, alleviating the sense of loss and anxiety triggered by the isolation imposed by the pandemic and giving both parents and their children a way to cope,” said Isabelle Tuncer, executive director of El Sistema Santa Cruz/Pajaro Valley.

The D’Addario Foundation conducts two grant cycles per year where organizations may apply for support after first submitting an initial letter of inquiry. Prospective non-profits must clearly illustrate critical elements for success, including intensity and need, leadership strength, sustainability, and community commitment.

All donations to the D’Addario Foundation go directly to supporting and expanding their initiatives, which include their grant-making, college scholarship fund, Music Education for Girls Initiative, and more.

daddariofoundation.org