Best Music Grants for Nonprofits in Oregon

Utah Division of Arts & Museums

As the first and oldest state arts agency in the nation, the Utah Division of Arts & Museums (UA&M) celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2025.

UA&M Mission: Our agency enhances Utah’s quality of life. We champion opportunities to experience culture by investing in arts and museums, offering professional development, facilitating connections, and providing direct services.

Creative West - TourWest Grant

Creative West’s TourWest grant program, supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, provides funding to presenters and presenting organizations to bring touring performers and literary artists to communities throughout the Western region.

Regional touring is defined as:

• Programming that brings out-of-state touring artists to your venue, or
• In-state artists traveling at least 50 miles from their home base

TourWest focuses on expanding access to the performing arts, especially in underserved communities. To support this goal:

• Creative West encourages working closely with local individuals and groups to understand and meet community needs.
• Applicants are urged to include community engagement or educational outreach activities in their projects.
• Collaboration with artists, agents, and community partners is highly encouraged, along with strategies like block booking and using presenter networks to reduce costs and maximize impact.

A 1:1 cash match using non-federal funds is required. This match requirement is waived for organizations based in the Pacific Jurisdictions, including American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam.

Nonprofit 501(c)(3) music organizations in Oregon seeking capital support for opera, symphony, or similar civic programs can apply for grants up to US $50,000. With a mission to support animal protection, land and wildlife conservation, agriculture, and civic arts, T.S. & K.D. Glide Foundation prioritizes established organizations, especially those based in California but also considers others in the U.S.

Oregon arts and cultural nonprofits with U.S.-based 501(c)(3) status and audited expenses over $2 million can access funding through William Randolph Hearst Foundation for culture programs. Grants over US $100,000 support arts and science institutions, especially arts education, STEAM initiatives, and artist development that engage youth and demonstrate broad, lasting impact.

Music students in Oregon’s Benton, Linn, and Lincoln counties planning careers teaching piano, voice, or orchestral music may be eligible for the Loene Pooler Guthrie Scholarship Fund. Focused on music education, Benton Community Foundation invites qualified students and recent high school graduates to seek support for their ongoing music studies and teacher preparation.

Oregon arts, culture, and community nonprofits can access funding through Idacorp Employee Community Services Fund for programs in music, symphony/orchestra, visual and performing arts, education, and community development. Eligible 501(c)(3) organizations in Idacorp’s Oregon service area may request capital, operating, or program support that demonstrates broad community impact and strong management.

Nonprofit arts, education, environmental, and health organizations in Oregon can apply for Stantec’s Community Engagement Grant to support community projects, initiatives, or events. Programs in visual and performing arts, symphonies, museums, and art education near Stantec office locations may be especially competitive for this global corporate community investment funding.

Graduating high school seniors involved in classical orchestra, music performance, or planning to study music can receive scholarship support for higher education from Central Kentucky Community Foundation. While based in Kentucky, this music-focused scholarship may interest Oregon music educators and youth arts advocates seeking examples of support for young musicians pursuing college studies.

Oregon music students pursuing accredited 2- or 4-year colleges can access funding for higher education through the Highland Orchestra Scholarship, which supports full-time study in the U.S. Awards of US $500 are paid directly to schools or may reimburse books, and some may be renewable for up to four undergraduate years.

Music students pursuing orchestral string degrees can receive scholarship support through the Jim and Margie Fegley Orchestral String Scholarship Fund, administered by Berks County Community Foundation. With a mission to help individuals pursue higher education in music, this fund supports Berks County residents studying orchestral strings who meet specific academic and program participation requirements.

Arts and culture organizations and performing groups in Oregon, especially those serving Hillsboro residents, can apply for City of Hillsboro’s project grants, awarding up to US $3,000 for short-term or one-time arts projects. Funding supports music and arts programming, festivals, performances, youth activities, and capacity-building efforts that expand access for underserved communities.

Individual singing actors ages 19–32 working in music, theater, or opera, including those based in Oregon, can compete for US $750 - US $25,000 in prizes through the international Lotte Lenya Competition. Grants from Kurt Weill Foundation for Music reward fully acted, idiomatic performances across a wide lyric theater repertoire, with multiple prize tiers from preliminary rounds to finals.

Nonprofits and schools planning community cultural or music-focused events in Oregon can seek sponsorship to support festivals, parades, runs, walks, galas, and similar activities. With a mission to help people fulfill their life’s potential, American Honda Motor Co. provides up to US $25,000 for events benefiting communities where Honda associates live and work.

Graduating high school seniors planning to study music or science can receive US $1,500 for tuition, fees, and required equipment at accredited colleges or universities from the Community Foundation of Madison and Jefferson County. Oregon music-focused nonprofits may share this opportunity with eligible Jefferson County, Indiana students active in academics, community, and extracurriculars.

High school seniors in Oregon pursuing visual or performing arts degrees can receive US $1,000 - US $5,000 in non-renewable scholarship support through this NAACP program. National Association For The Advancement Of Colored People provides U.S. NAACP members with funding for college studies in fields like music, dance, film, journalism, and related disciplines.

Professional U.S.-based jazz artists planning multi-stop tours can receive up to US $15,000 to support performances, travel, lodging, and related touring costs, including dates in Oregon. Grants from South Arts help bring jazz into new and rural communities through public performances at venues such as clubs, festivals, arts centers, campuses, and community spaces.

Full-time doctoral students in opera studies at North American universities can receive US $25,000 to support dissertation research and completion, including those based in Oregon. American Musicological Society provides this year-long fellowship for academically strong projects, enabling focused, full-time work on opera-related dissertations with limited outside employment.

Oregon 501(c)(3) nonprofits presenting free outdoor music festivals can receive up to US $5,000 to support 2026 events. Focused on live music in public spaces, Mortimer and Mimi Levitt Foundation invites organizations across the U.S., including Oregon groups, to activate underused outdoor areas and expand community access to the performing arts.

Professional performing ensembles, dance companies, and contemporary music institutions in Oregon can seek funding for general operating or project support focused on living American classical concert composers. Focused on classical and contemporary music, the Alice M. Ditson Fund also accepts fiscally sponsored groups and projects featuring younger or under-recognized American composers.

Gifted young opera vocalists seeking support for early-career expenses such as coaching, travel, clothing, living costs, and auditions may be eligible for up to US $12,000 in unrestricted funding. Community Foundation for Southern Arizona’s Igor Gorin Memorial Award supports individuals tied to select major opera programs and competitions active between 2020 and 2024.

Oregon music nonprofits, performing ensembles, festivals, and conferences can access funding through the Alice M. Ditson Fund to present contemporary American classical concert music by younger and relatively unknown living composers. Organizations may be U.S.-based or international with a U.S. 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor, including educational institutions serving as sponsors for professional projects.

Women opera composers in the U.S., including those collaborating with Oregon-based nonprofits, can apply for OPERA America’s Discovery Grants to develop new operatic works. Awards up to US $15,000 support libretto readings, workshops, and working performances, helping expand diverse voices in opera and potentially benefiting music organizations presenting new work.

About Us

Mission Statement

The Westfield Center for Historical Keyboard Studies offers a unique environment for the study, appreciation, use, and promotion of a wide range of keyboard instruments. To serve an increasingly diverse audience, the Center presents keyboard-related conferences, workshops, concerts, masterclasses, educational programs, and publishes scholarly work at regular intervals; longstanding priorities have included the intersections of historical practices and technologies with larger social and artistic developments. In its activities and governance, the Center seeks to foster inclusion and equity among artists, builders, scholars, educators, students, enthusiasts, and partner organizations.

Since its founding in 1979, the Center has sponsored over one hundred events, including workshops, research conferences and symposia, tours to historic instruments, solo recitals and early music concerts, and educational programs designed to interest the general public in keyboard instruments and their repertoire.

Members include highly acclaimed artists, noted scholars, some of the world’s greatest instrument builders, and music lovers.

The Barbara Owen Research Grant

A lifelong member of the Westfield Center, Barbara Owen made immense contributions to our understanding of the organ and its music. She was especially known for her scholarship on the American organ and organists, and she co-wrote the Grove Dictionary article on the organ, a standard reference work. To honor her memory, the Westfield Center will award a $2000 grant for research into historical keyboard instruments (organ, harpsichord, clavichord, fortepiano). The research may culminate in a scholarly article or other format for presenting the information.

The Joanie Bostic Memorial Senior Pirate Spirit Award, established by the Decatur County Community Foundation, honors Joanie Bostic's passion for youth and Greensburg athletics. This scholarship recognizes a senior who exemplifies outstanding school spirit through participation in or support of athletics or music. Eligible candidates must be graduating seniors from Greensburg Community High School and submit a statement detailing their school experience and encouragement of Pirate spirit.

The Dr. Alice M. Hudder- Richard T. Molder Post-Secondary Scholarship Fund, established by Richard Molder, supports Erie County high school seniors pursuing post-secondary education. In 2023, the Erie Community Foundation awarded over $800,000 in scholarships to deserving students. Two awards will be granted: one for students focusing on science, math, or business, and another for those studying art or music, emphasizing financial need and a strong work ethic.

The H. Lyman Mooney Music Scholarship, offered by the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, provides a $450 scholarship to a graduating senior from Marshfield High School pursuing music studies. Applicants must submit their transcripts, demonstrate financial need through FAFSA-SAI, and provide a letter of recommendation from their music teacher. The scholarship application period will reopen on January 1, 2026, for the 2026–27 academic year, aiming to support students in achieving their educational goals.

Stark Community Foundation is one of the area’s major sources of college scholarship support— thanks to the generosity of caring individuals, families and businesses that have created scholarship funds.

The Foundation currently manages more than 100 scholarship funds that support hundreds of deserving students each year from Stark and Carroll counties. In 2025, more than $1,000,000 was awarded to local students to help them achieve their educational dreams.

The Velma Shotwell Griffin Memorial Scholarship Fund

The Velma Shotwell Griffin Memorial Scholarship Fund was established to assist graduates of Conotton Valley or Carrollton High Schools planning to enroll, or currently enrolled, at an accredited college or university to pursue further education in the following fields: History, Writing (not limited to, English, Journalism, Language Arts, Communications and programs in Mass Media), Graphic Arts, Music (which shall include but not limited to, vocal music, instrumental music, music history, music education, and music performance) and any other program or field of study approved by the Selection Committee. 

Amount:

• Varies. Minimum $500.

Renewable:

• Yes

The ACFM Project Support Program offers funding between $2,000 and $20,000 for special projects that enhance public appreciation of contemporary American concert music and jazz. Eligible applicants include performing ensembles and music organizations with a minimum of two years of programming history. Projects must focus on contemporary works by American composers and can involve live performances, recordings, or educational initiatives. This support is pivotal for fostering innovation and creativity in the American music scene.