Best Grants for Music Education in Maryland

The Community Foundation of NCW is a tax-exempt philanthropic organization that helps individuals, families, businesses, and agencies support charitable causes throughout Chelan, Douglas, and Okanogan counties.

Stella Knoebel / Saddlerock Evangelical Presbyterian Church Music Scholarship

Stella Knoebel was a significant part of the music department at First Presbyterian Church of Wenatchee (now called Saddlerock Evangelical Presbyterian Church). To honor her legacy, the church established an endowment fund to provide scholarships to students who are members of the congregation and preference will be given to those who plan to continue their education in the field of music.

LSW Architects Legacy Scholarship

The LSW Architects Legacy Scholarship Fund was established in honor of LSW Architects' founding leaders and their ability to imagine and build in creative space. 

Number and Size of Awards:

The number and size of awards may vary and are determined by the selection committee. Minimum award amount is $2,500.

Number of Awards: 4

Total Amount Awarded: $10,000

Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley

The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley is a collection of individual funds and resources given by local citizens to enhance and support the quality of life in the Fox River Valley of Illinois.

We are a tax-exempt public charity that allows individuals, businesses, and non-profit organizations to establish permanent endowments and temporary funds within the confines of one large foundation.

Foundation funds are used to provide grants to non-profit organizations and scholarships to area students. The Foundation also hosts a Youth Engagement in Philanthropy (YEP) program, which helps high school students learn more about philanthropy and empowers them to make a difference in the community.

The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley serves the City of Aurora, Kane County, and Kendall County within the State of Illinois.

Kayla’s Hope Foundation Scholarship Fund

Kayla’s Hope Scholarship Fund was created by Hans, Ruthie and Hannah Lehmann of Saint Charles, IL to honor the life of their beautiful daughter and sister, Kayla Brooke Lehmann (April 5, 2003- April 7, 2018). Scholarships from the fund are awarded to graduates of St. Charles East High School, St. Charles North High School, Geneva High School and Batavia High School who will continue their education studying Music, Literature, psychiatry or psychology.   

The monetary value of each scholarship award varies depending upon the amount available in each individual scholarship fund. The most common scholarship award amount is $1,000 for a single year. Scholarships are designated as non-renewable one-year awards or renewable multi-year awards depending upon the scholarship fund criteria, as established by the donor of the scholarship fund.

Graduating music students at Bethlehem Area School District in Pennsylvania pursuing post-secondary education can receive multi-year scholarship support through the Ralph R. Morris Memorial Scholarship Fund. Grants from Pittsburgh Foundation help eligible students with financial need attend accredited vocational or technical schools, or 2- and 4-year colleges and universities; Maryland music education programs may find this model relevant.

Maryland music education students pursuing undergraduate or graduate degrees can access funding through the Pittsburgh Foundation’s Paul J. Baum Fund Scholarship to support their college or graduate studies in music. Applicants must be enrolled in higher education, major in music, have active music program participation, and hold at least a 2.5 GPA.

Graduating high school seniors pursuing instrumental music or art degrees can receive scholarship support for higher education from Greater Salina Community Foundation. With a mission to enhance quality of life, the foundation assists Solomon Valley area students, including those in Mitchell, Cloud, and Jewell Counties, which may interest music education advocates in Maryland researching similar opportunities.

Graduating high school seniors planning to study music education can apply for this scholarship, which supports vocal, choral, instrumental, or general music education degrees. Focused on music education, Scranton Area Foundation invites eligible students from Lackawanna County to apply through its online scholarship portal and Common Application system.

Graduating seniors from Montrose or Elk Lake planning to major in music can receive scholarship support for post-secondary study. Awards from the Community Foundation of the Endless Mountains assist music education students in accessing higher education, illustrating a community-based model of targeted arts funding for aspiring musicians and educators.

Students pursuing music education studies in Maryland can apply for the Mildred E. Troske Music Scholarship to support higher education costs. Focused on music education, Grand Rapids Community Foundation prioritizes applicants with significant financial need, though all eligible students may be considered through its broader scholarship process.

Scientific & Regulatory Consultants, Inc. Scholarship

Science plays a vital role in our daily lives and includes a wide range of fields such as physician or veterinary services, nursing, microbiology, biology, chemistry, engineering, mathematics, psychology, music, etc. This scholarship views “scientific” very broadly and invites you to be creative.

Your application will be reviewed based upon the quality, not quantity, of the response to each question.

Applicants may apply every year.

Scholarships

Since awarding our first $500 scholarship in 1987, the Saginaw Community Foundation has awarded college scholarships to area students totaling more than $13.7 million, thanks to our generous donors. Each year, over 500 college-bound or career and technical education students benefit from our scholarship awards.

Our single application process makes it easy to potentially qualify for one or more of our 260+ scholarships.

Gregory Keith Jones Memorial Scholarship

The Gregory Keith Jones Memorial Scholarship was established in remembrance of the creative energy, kindness and passion that embodied his much too short time on this earth. This beautiful soul would spread joy, love, and the gospel through music.

Greg was a 1997 graduate of Saginaw High School and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in project management. Along with his gifts of writing music, singing, and playing keyboard and bass, Greg was also a lover of math and tutored young students who struggled with the subject.

The Gregory Keith Jones Memorial Scholarship was established as an enduring legacy to a kind, loving, humble and giving man. May his spirit continue to live on. 

Community Foundation Serving Western Virginia

Our Community Foundation was established in Roanoke in 1988. With our growth, we expanded into the Martinsville/Henry County area in 2005. Today, we administer many hundreds of named endowment funds ranging in size from a minimum of $10,000 to millions of dollars. To date, donors have also committed very significant resources to the Foundation through future estate gifts.

Our Mission:Enabling people who love their community to easily give back.

Scholarships

Community Foundation Serving Western Virginia, the region’s community foundation, administers a variety of scholarships to reward and assist capable and deserving students based on the criteria established by the fund donors.

Joycelyn “Fudgie” Lee Farrelly Music Education Scholarship Fund

Fund provides higher education scholarship assistance to deserving students who intend to pursue a degree in music or music education.

Buesching-Tucker Memorial Scholarship

This Scholarship is available to any Whitley County resident. Applicants may be current students, non-traditional students, home-school students, and traditional graduating high school seniors with aspirations for a nursing career or obtaining a degree in music.

In loving memory of our amazing mother, sister, aunt, and “Gummi”, and our dear father, uncle, brother, and “Baba” we establish this scholarship to honor Nancy Buesching Tucker and Robert Lewis Tucker residents of rural Churubusco. Our family invites you to apply hoping that in some small way we can aid you in becoming as gifted a nurse as Nancy was or as entertaining a musician as Bob was.

Ruth E. Owen Scholarship Fund

Russ Owen established the Ruth E. Owen Scholarship Fund in memory of his beloved wife. He met Ruthie during World War II when he was home on leave. The couple carried on a long-distance romance throughout the war. Ruthie lived in Pittsburgh and worked as a secretary and a professional singer. She performed on the Rege Cordic and Bill Cullen Show on WWSW and with a group called the Melody Guild.

Ruthie trained in New York for the Metropolitan Opera and considered moving there but, as fate would have it, she remained in Pittsburgh and married her beloved Russell. Russ’ hope for this scholarship is that students who are pursuing further education in music can achieve their dream.

The Michael R. Priddy Music Scholarship, offered by the Central Kentucky Community Foundation, aims to support graduating high school seniors from Hardin County Schools, specifically Elizabethtown and LaRue County High Schools. This scholarship is intended for students who have demonstrated involvement in classical orchestra or music performance, or who plan to pursue music studies, thereby fostering musical education in the community.

Minority students in Maryland pursuing further education in culinary arts or specialized piano instruction can receive scholarship support to advance their studies. Grants from Community Foundation of Washington County Maryland help Washington County music education and culinary students at trade schools, colleges, universities, or other focused institutions, with preference given to African American applicants.

About Us

Overview

The Alaska Community Foundation connects people who care to the causes that make a difference and matter most to them. We encourage and nurture philanthropy through building and managing permanent endowments, convening stakeholders, working with partners to strengthen Alaskan communities, and providing donors with flexible giving options that are strategic to their philanthropic objectives. ACF also manages the Pick.Click.Give. program.

Mission

Inspiring the spirit of giving and connecting people, organizations, and causes to strengthen Alaska’s communities now and forever.

Vision

ACF envisions an Alaska where communities come together and have resources to thrive.

Dorothy and Dona Lee Croft Scholarship Fund for Young Musicians

The Dorothy and Dona Lee String Music Scholarship is for students who display talent, dedication to string instruments and a serious commitment to advance in music education through a non-profit music camp.

Dorothy Croft (1910-2009) helped found the Odessa Symphony, serving as the first concertmaster. The Odessa Symphony evolved into the present Midland-Odessa Symphony and Chorale. In 1949, she became a charter member of the Odessa Music Teachers Association, serving as its first president. She was a founding member of the Odessa Civic Concert Association, serving intermittently as its president. She was an early supporter of the Permian Playhouse of Odessa and later of the Globe of the Great Southwest. Dorothy Croft believed that money shouldn’t stop people from chasing their dreams and taught her students multiple lessons beyond just violin.

Dona Lee Croft was an international performer from the age of fourteen, giving concerts throughout Europe, Mexico, and the USA, the last concert performed in Carnegie Hall. A student of such eminent violinists as Nathan Milstein, Bela Katona and Ivan Galamian, she was a Professor of Violin at the Royal College of Music for 20 years where her lessons were filmed by the Albeniz Foundation of Spain, then shown throughout Europe. She has recorded two CDs, the first featuring violin music of Schumann, Kreisler, Brahms, Debussy, and Vieuxtemps and the second 'Violin Music of the 20th Century’.

Armstrong County Community Foundation (The Community Foundation Serving the Heart of Western Pennsylvania)

In 1997 Merchants National Bank, an Armstrong County community bank, marked its 100th anniversary. The centennial celebration included a unique expression of gratitude to the community in the form of $100,000 to be used as a seed fund to initiate a community foundation for Armstrong County. The bank challenged the community to keep the principal balance of the endowed funds intact and spend only a portion of the interest earnings to ensure a lasting legacy.

The Armstrong County Community Foundation, a public nonprofit corporation,

• Gives grants, scholarships, and organizational support to address the needs of our community.
• Builds a permanent endowment to help our donors create a legacy through this endowment.
• Promotes informed philanthropy to increase and sustain charitable resources for the region.
• Provides leadership and builds partnerships to identify and solve community issues.

Armstrong Concert Band Scholarship

The Armstrong Concert Band Scholarship was established in 2006 to assist in funding the education of Armstrong Concert Band members.

Rita Ildsgaard Dunk Scholarship (Music/Piano)

Amount

• $8000
• Active
• Renewable

This scholarship is for students graduating from high school or the equivalent who are residents of Henderson County and pursuing a bachelor’s degree or the equivalent from an accredited education institution with a focus in music having preference given to piano. Recipient should be seeking a career in piano performance and a desire to instruct others in piano. 

The Sperry L. Storm Memorial Scholarship Fund and The Guss Family Scholarship Fund for the Arts

Frederick County students ages Kindergarten through 12th grade who are currently pursuing instrumental or vocal music instruction may apply for a music scholarship supporting private or group instruction. These scholarships are funded by The Sperry L. Storm Memorial Scholarship Fund and The Guss Family Scholarship Fund for the Arts. 

"Slipperman” Music Scholarship in Memory of Timothy J. Gilles

The “Slipperman” Music Scholarship in Memory of Timothy J. Gilles recognizes the hard-working graduates of Herkimer and Oneida counties pursuing their secondary education in a music-related field.

Candidates are identified by Utica Dollars for Scholars.

Napa Valley Community Foundation

There are more than 800 Community Foundations in the US, each devoted to a specific region. We operate independently, with a common goal in mind: to be a platform for local people who want to pay it forward. To deliver resources to effective charitable programs. And to make our communities stronger and more successful by doing these two things.

Among our peers, Napa Valley Community Foundation ranks first on several key measures of donor satisfaction and impact, according to a recent donor survey conducted by the Center for Effective Philanthropy. Our donors say that we deeply understand their interests, and deeply understand the needs of Napa Valley. That, in a nutshell, is our job.

Ted Kohler Music Scholarship

The Ted Kohler Music Scholarship benefits Calistoga students who are committed to music and wish to advance their musical development. The scholarship can be used to pay for activities such as music lessons or summer camp, or for college tuition (where the student demonstrates their desire to continue their musical education). The Ted Kohler Scholarship was established in 1997 to promote musical participation and aspirations in honor of Ted, who upon retirement from San Francisco State University, became a full-time musician and leader of the Napa Valley Jazz Band. He encouraged people of all ages to express themselves musically.

Mission: To continually improve the Marion Area community through philanthropy, leadership and civic engagement. Marion Music Club ScholarshipMarion Music Club , which has existed for more than 100 years (formerly known as the Marion Lecture and Recital Club), is open to anyone who loves music and supports the performing arts in Marion. Members range in age from 20-80 and includes those active with the Marion Area Orchestra, Marion Concert Band, area music stores, and private teachers, as well as students. They offer monthly programs for the community, including musical arts, poetry, theater, dance, instrumentals, and history — both live and via their YouTube channel. The Club encourages the arts in Marion by supporting the Palace Cultural Arts Association and Marion Civic Chorus.

The Bill Monroe Memorial Scholarship, managed by the Brown County Community Foundation, offers financial support to graduates of Brown County High School pursuing a full-time baccalaureate degree in music or a related field. This scholarship is open to current and previous graduates, including those participating in Bluegrass music mentoring programs. The foundation has a strong focus on education and has facilitated numerous scholarships, enhancing opportunities for local students since its establishment.

Presser Foundation

Passionate about music, Theodore Presser wanted to give back to it. When he died in 1925, he had been widowed twice without any children. The bulk of his fortune was left to The Presser Foundation, which was formally established 14 years after his death. From 1995 to June 2021, The Presser Foundation gave more than $80 million to music organizations, undergraduate and graduate music students, and retired music teachers.

Originally, the Foundation sought to promote the causes of musical education and musical philanthropy by providing scholarships for promising students, supporting the construction of buildings for music organizations, and directing aid to retired music teachers. Over time, the Foundation has evolved to support a broad array of music genres, expand its grantmaking areas, convene its nonprofit partners at special events, and collaborate with fellow funders, while continuing to follow the original intent and wishes of Theodore Presser.

Assistance to Music Teachers

Theodore Presser, mindful of his own early struggles in the profession, was committed to the support of music teachers. He also felt a sense of gratitude for the thousands of teachers who were the primary customers of his music publication business. In 1906, he established the Presser Home for Retired Music Teachers in Philadelphia. When it was no longer practical to maintain an independent facility, the Foundation created the Assistance to Music Teachers Committee to carry on its basic mission of financial support for retired teachers with financial need.

Typically, the Foundation provides modest financial assistance and/or help with the cost of medical insurance. Awards are made to individuals living in the United States whose primary occupation was as a teacher of music. To be considered for Assistance, applicants must be nominated by a music institution for consideration. 

About

Founded in 1971, the Mensa Foundation was established by members of American Mensa to extend the organization’s impact. While connected by a shared purpose, the Foundation operates independently, guided by its own Board of Trustees, strategic plan, and initiatives.

Grants & Fellowships

Dissertation Mini-Grant

The Mensa Foundation empowers the next generation of researchers through its Dissertation Mini-Grant program.

Designed to support advanced doctoral students, this grant funds innovative studies that broaden our understanding of intelligence, creativity, gifted education, and related fields.

Details

The Mensa Foundation Dissertation Mini-Grant provides $2,500 to advanced doctoral students conducting research on intelligence and gifted education. By funding innovative studies, the grant promotes research that addresses the complexities of intelligence, creativity, and related fields.

Grant Components

Scholarship amounts vary depending on the scholarship applied for. Applicants are encouraged to apply for as many awards as they are eligible to increase the likelihood of receiving one or more awards.

Scholarships can be used for cost of attendance, direct education expenses, including tuition, books, and/or other school-related fees.

If you receive an award, be sure to complete your scholarship acceptance form (online portal). Scholarship awards are paid directly to the academic institution by the end of August.

Brian D. Slavenas Memorial Scholarship Fund

The Fund honors Brian D. Slavenas, a DeKalb High School graduate who was killed in Iraq (2003). The scholarship is awarded annually to a graduating high school senior who is a resident of DeKalb County, IL, and going on to either major or minor in music. Preference is given to applicants who were involved in music during at least the last two years of high school.