The NAMM Foundation continues its vision of creating a more musical world, by providing financial grants to community music-making organizations that are serving as models for outreach and opportunities to make music. In line with the season of celebration and giving, a total of $477,500 has been awarded to 24 music organizations from around the world. The annual grants from NAMM Foundation reflect the generosity of all NAMM members and private donors and their ongoing support for the industry's annual gathering at The NAMM Show.
Since 1994, The NAMM Foundation and the NAMM market development department have reinvested well over $200 million to fulfill the organization's vision to support music education and advance active participation in music-making.
"NAMM and our Foundation are bestowed the honor each year to distribute these critical music grants on behalf of our members throughout the world," said John Mlynczak, NAMM president and CEO. "These grants provide impactful funding to organizations that support community-level access and music-making and align with our organization's mission and values."
This year's recipients are listed below:
NAMM Foundation funding supports AMA’s “Make Music Day” efforts to grow and expand its reach into community groups and schools, its engagement with the music industry, and overall public awareness to ensure that MMD Australia is sustainable.
Arts and Learning Conservatory Music Department
NAMM Foundation funding supports the expansion of the Arts and Learning Conservatory’s service areas in the diverse communities of Orange County, California, and the acquisition of percussion instruments for their programming.
NAMM Foundation funding supports BSO “OrchKids,” a year-round, during and after-school music program, designed to create social change and nurture promising futures for Baltimore youth.
Coalition for Music Education in Canada
NAMM Foundation funding supports the Coalition’s “Roots of Advocacy," an initiative that creates vibrant music programs through mentorship-based learning for music educators and public awareness.
NAMM Foundation funding supports the “Student Studio” Program serving foster youth, juvenile offenders, and homeless youth in San Diego using music and multimedia production as a platform for change.
NAMM Foundation funding supports the organization’s “Dallas Winds Band Camp” for underserved students in grades 6-12 in the Dallas Independent School District and “Strike Up the Band!” concerts for the district’s fifth graders.
Guitars and Accessories Marketing Association
NAMM Foundation funding supports GAMA’s “Teaching Guitar Workshops,” a program that gives school music educators the tools they need to use guitar and/or ukulele in school music curriculum and engage more students in music making.
NAMM Foundation funding supports GITC’s work to train, equip, and inspire educators to make music part of cross-curricular and social-emotional learning, special education, and home/hospital programs.
NAMM Foundation supports the expansion of “Make Music Day-UK,” a community-led celebration of music making and an opportunity for people of all ages, and abilities to make music.
The Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation
NAMM Foundation funding supports the “School Instrument Donation” program serving low-income and under-resourced school music programs in both rural and urban communities across the country.
NAMM Foundation funding supports the “Learn to Play Day” program which inspires new and lapsed music makers to start or return to music via a free 10–15-minute music lesson on an instrument of their choice.
NAMM Foundation funding supports Music Haven’s goal to provide academic and economic success for their students by providing lessons, mentoring, family engagement, and equity and access in the arts. Music Haven serves low-income students of color from New Haven.
Music Will (formerly Little Kids Rock)
NAMM Foundation funding supports the expansion of the 2024 “Modern Band Summit,” a peer-led, professional development program that empowers teachers from across the country to connect, learn, and collaborate towards best practices in modern band.
NAMM Foundation funding supports the “Recreational Music Making (RMM) Scholarship” program to enable qualified teachers to attend the MTNA convention to begin and/or expand group classes using RMM techniques and methods in a home, school, dealer, or other community setting.
National String Project Consortium
The National String Project Consortium (NSPC) is a coalition of String Project sites at colleges and universities across the country that are based on the University of South Carolina String Project model. NAMM Foundation funding supports emerging programs at four existing sites and the addition of a new site.
NAMM Foundation funding supports the purchase of instruments for the “Mass Deployment of French School Orchestras” program. The program’s goal is to create orchestras that will grow, evolve, and flourish for three years in accordance with the criteria defined in their quality charter, thus enabling orchestras to function optimally and sustainably.
NAMM Foundation funding supports “Experience Bucket Drumming,” a program with goals to support educators and facilitators in providing low-cost, easy-to-adopt, unique learning experiences for students through the power of bucket drumming.
NAMM Foundation funding supports the “Museum Without Walls” program, which serves nine partner school districts by bringing interactive musical education programming to the classroom. The program's primary goal is to inspire students to explore the benefits of music making and self-expression.
NAMM Foundation funding continues to support the expansion of the “Opus Project” providing access to quality instruction to any student that wishes to study music. Goals include increasing service to hundreds of student musicians throughout San Diego through weekly instruction, performance opportunities, and instruments loans and maintenance in the Chula Vista, San Diego, and Santee school districts, as well as in four Title 1 designated schools.
NAMM Foundation funding supports SongwritingWith: Soldiers “3-day Songwriting Retreats for Veterans.” The in-depth retreat program includes wellness and workshop settings based on positive psychology to craft songs about combat and the transition home. The program also supports post-retreat growth with group calls, online forums, volunteer opportunities, and in-person events.
NAMM Foundation funding supports the continued efforts to provide music education and exposure to Black and Latino students through the “Sphinx Performance Academy” (SPA) which provides full-scholarship summer chamber music and solo performance program designed for string players, ages 11-17.
Technology Institute for Music Educators (TI:ME)
NAMM Foundation funding supports expanded participation in the “TI:ME Leadership Academy,” held in conjunction with the 2024 TI:ME conference. Participants will focus on strategies for creating and leading technology-based music classes designed to reach students who are not in a band, choir, or orchestra.
Save the Music Foundation (formerly VH1 Save the Music Foundation)
NAMM Foundation funding supports Save the Music (STM) Los Angeles “#MusicSaves” program in their goal to advance equity and access to instrumental music and music tech programs, targeting 50 schools across the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Young Audiences Arts for Learning
NAMM Foundation funding supports, sustains, and expands the curation and management of The NAMM Foundation “Nonprofit Management Institute” at The 2024 NAMM Show. The Institute will continue to share best practices as well as monitor and explore trends in the field of nonprofit music service organizations.
The Change Starts Here
Consider a gift to The NAMM Foundation. Your gift helps to provide opportunites for people of all ages and abilities to start and keep playing music, recognizes excellence through scholarships and awards, and mobilizes support for future music-making through research and professional development. Donate today.