The NAMM Foundation’s Global Grantmaking invests in big ideas that tackle the systemic barriers preventing music career mobility and the creation of more music-makers across the lifespan of learning.
The NAMM Foundation has announced $750,000 in grants to 32 programs, demonstrating one of the largest distributions in its history with over a 50% increase from last year. The projects selected serve music makers across our industry segments in 29 states and six countries and provide access to music-making opportunities to a variety of different communities and demographics, including those who are under-resourced.
The NAMM Foundation proudly supports the following 2025 Global Grantmaking programs:
After-School Music Education and Enrichment Program
Music Haven's After-School Music Education and Enrichment program is dedicated to fostering academic and economic success for under-served students from New Haven, CT through a comprehensive approach that includes one-on-one music lessons, mentoring, family engagement, and promoting equity and access in the arts.
Focus Areas: Band, Orchestra, Keyboard
Beneficiaries: Youth
Location: New Haven, CT
Behind the Scenes: A Career Pathway Program
The Arts and Learning Conservatory Music's Behind the Scenes: A Career Pathway program will integrate STEAM principles providing youth with a comprehensive learning experience in the technical aspects of theater, delivering high-quality youth workforce education.
Focus Areas: Band, Orchestra, Pro Audio & Lighting
Beneficiaries: Youth
Location: Orange County, CA
Dallas Wind Band Camp
Dallas Winds' Dallas Winds Band Camp, a high-quality, 5-day summer band camp is designed for underserved students in grades 6-12 within the Dallas Independent School District.
Focus Areas: Band
Beneficiaries: Youth
Location: Dallas, TX
Music Tech Empowers
Give a Note Foundation's Music Tech Empowers initiative is a program that enhances music education and creates career opportunities for youth through the integration of innovative music technology into K-12 education. This initiative offers students hands-on experiences in music production, audio engineering, and digital composition.
Focus Areas: Band, Orchestra, Electronic & Recording, Printed & Digital Music
Beneficiaries: Youth
Location: Woodburn, OR
Opus Project
The San Diego Youth Symphony's Opus Project is an initiative dedicated to providing access to quality instruction for any student wishing to study music. This program offers free music education in under-resourced school districts throughout San Diego, CA through weekly instruction, performance opportunities, and instrument loans and maintenance.
Focus Areas: Orchestra, Fretted Instruments, Percussion, Printed & Digital Music
Beneficiaries: Youth
Location: San Diego, CA
OrchKids
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's OrchKids is a year-round, during and after-school music program, designed to create social change and nurture promising futures for Baltimore’s under-served youth.
Focus Areas: Band, Orchestra, Fretted Instruments, Percussion
Beneficiaries: Youth
Location: Baltimore, MD
Passport to the Music Industry
Notes For Notes' Passport to the Music Industry prepares youth for careers in the music industry by nurturing their diverse skills and curiosities. The program provides participants with the space and financial support needed to explore potential career paths in the music industry.
Focus Areas: Electronic & Recording, Pro Audio & Lighting, Percussion, Fretted Instruments, Keyboard, Printed & Digital Music
Beneficiaries: Youth, Adults
Location: New York
Save The Music Mississippi "#MusicSaves"
Save The Music Foundation's Music Mississippi “#MusicSaves” program, an initiative aimed at expanding access and equity to instrumental music and music technology programs. This program targets 80 schools by 2026, ensuring more students can engage with and benefit from music education.
Focus Areas: Band, Orchestra, Electronic & Recording, Percussion, Fretted Instruments, Keyboard, Printed & Digital Music
Beneficiaries: Youth
Location: Mississippi
SongwritingWith: Soldiers
SongwritingWith: Soldier's retreat program offers 3-day songwriting retreats for veterans. These in-depth retreats combine wellness and workshop settings based on positive psychology to help veterans craft songs about their combat experiences and the transition back home. The program also provides ongoing post-retreat support.
Focus Areas: Community Music Making
Beneficiaries: Adults
Location: Smithville, TN
Student Studio
David's Harp Foundation's Student Studio program is a transformative initiative serving foster youth, juvenile offenders, and homeless youth in San Diego, CA. This program leverages the power of music and multimedia production to create positive change and provide a creative outlet for young individuals.
Focus Areas: Electronic & Recording, Pro Audio & Lighting
Beneficiaries: Youth
Location: San Diego, CA
Summer Programs
Percussive Arts Society's Summer Programs is designed to provide drum circles and other educational activities to youth in grades K-8 across Indianapolis. This program inspires students to explore the benefits of music-making and self-expression.
Focus Areas: Percussion
Beneficiaries: Youth
Location: Indianapolis, IN
NATIONWIDE
Arts Education Data Project
The State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education's Arts Education Data Project will extract music and arts education data from state education departments and provide back to state stakeholders with interactive dashboards, reports, and analysis based on the provided data.
Focus Areas: Research
Beneficiaries: Adults
Location: National, USA
Creating, Developing, and Sustaining Four National String Project Sites
National String Project Consortium's Creating, Developing, and Sustaining Four National String Project Sites program creates access and opportunities for children to learn string instruments, fostering a love for music from an early age.
Focus Areas: Orchestra
Beneficiaries: Youth
Location: National, USA
Day of Service Partner Grant
Each year, The NAMM Foundation proudly grants funding to its Day of Service school or nonprofit partners to support their music education program.
Focus Areas: Band, Orchestra, Fretted Instruments, Percussion, Keyboard, Electronic & Recording, Pro Audio & Lighting, Printed & Digital Music
Beneficiaries: Youth
Location: National, USA
Growing New Programs Organically from Coast to Coast
Guitars in the Classroom's Growing New Programs Organically from Coast to Coast will expand in-person training opportunities for educators. This program will equip and inspire teachers to integrate music into cross-curricular activities within their classrooms.
Focus Areas: Fretted Instruments
Beneficiaries: Adults
Location: National, USA
Increasing Access to Experience Drumming! and More Opportunities
Percussion Marketing Council's Increasing Access to Experience Drumming! and More Opportunities program aims to support educators and facilitators in providing low-cost, easy-to-adopt, and unique learning experiences for students through various drumming activities, including; Drum Set in the Classroom, International Drum Month and bucket drumming.
Focus Areas: Percussion
Beneficiaries: Youth
Location: National, USA
Make Music Day
The Make Music Alliance supports the growth and coordination of Make Music Day celebrations throughout the United States, and internationally. Every year MMA facilitates thousands of performances and interactive music-making activities, all free and open to the public, bringing together amateurs, aficionados, and seasoned professionals into an inclusive celebration of music.
Focus Areas: Community Music Making
Beneficiaries: Youth, Adults
Location: National, USA
Modern Band Summit
Music Will's 2025 Modern Band Summit, a peer-led, professional development program designed to empower teachers from across the country. This summit provides a unique opportunity for educators to connect, learn, and collaborate on best practices in modern band education.
Focus Areas: Band, Orchestra, Fretted Instruments, Percussion, Keyboard, Electronic & Recording, Printed & Digital Music
Beneficiaries: Adults
Location: National, USA
National Musical Instrument Expansion Program
Band of Angels’s National Expansion program will provide musical instruments and summer camp scholarships to students in underserved communities in the United States. This program aims to ensure that all students have access to and the opportunity to make music.
Focus Areas: Band, Orchestra
Beneficiaries: Youth
Location: National, USA
Powered by STEAM
Audiotonix's Powered by STEAM program puts portable DJ consoles in the hands of students that combine music and engineering, creating the next generation of audio creators and designers. The STEAM kit includes everything a student needs to build their own DJ console.
Priority Areas: Electronic & Recording
Beneficiaries: Youth
Location: National, USA
School Instrument Donation Program
Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation's School Instrument Donation program serves low-income and under-resourced school music programs in both rural and urban communities across the country. This program provides essential musical instruments to schools, ensuring all students have the chance to participate in music education.
Focus Areas: Band, Orchestra, Electronic & Recording, Fretted Instruments, Percussion, Keyboard
Beneficiaries: Youth
Location: National, USA
Sphinx Performance Academy
The Sphinx Performance Academy is a summer intensive music education and artist development program that offers full-scholarship opportunities for Black and Latino string players aged 11-17.
Focus Areas: Orchestra
Beneficiaries: Youth
Location: National
State-By-State-Initiative
Music Achievement Council's State-by-State initiative, a program designed to inspire educators with innovative ideas and best practices. This initiative aims to recruit and retain more students in instrumental music programs across the country.
Focus Areas: Band, Orchestra, Fretted Instruments, Keyboard, Percussion, Printed & Digital Music
Beneficiaries: Adults
Location: National, USA
TeachMusic Coalition
Music For All's TeachMusic Coalition is a nationwide initiative aimed at addressing the critical shortage of music educators in the United States. This collaborative project involves over 45 national music education organizations, including Music for All. It provides comprehensive resources and support for individuals pursuing a music education career and for institutions and stakeholders involved in this field.
Focus Areas: Band, Orchestra, Electronic & Recording Products, Keyboard
Beneficiaries: Adults
Location: National, USA
Teaching Guitar Workshops
Guitar and Accessories Marketing Association's Teaching Guitar Workshops equips school music educators with the skills and resources needed to incorporate guitar and ukulele into their music curriculum. This initiative aims to engage more students in music-making.
Focus Areas: Fretted Instruments
Beneficiaries: Adults
Location: National, USA
TI:ME Leadership Academy
Technology Institute for Music Educators (TI:ME)'s Leadership Academy will be held with the 2025 TI: ME conference. This program is dedicated to equipping educators with strategies for creating and leading technology-based music classes designed to reach students who are not in a band, choir, or orchestra programs.
Focus Areas: Electronic & Recording Products
Beneficiaries: Adults
Location: National, USA
INTERNATIONAL
Advanced Audiovisual Course Creation and Global Distribution: MIDI and MIDI 2.0 Technologies
SAE Mexico's project provides foundational and advanced knowledge in music production, live performance, and multimedia scoring, emphasizing hands-on, project-based learning. Practical assignments will enable students to apply theoretical concepts in real-world contexts. Additionally, industry insights through expert interviews and case studies will be integrated, offering learners the opportunity to learn directly from professionals who have pioneered MIDI technologies. This grant is made possible by the NAMM Foundation’s MIDI Fund.
Focus Areas: Electronic & Recording, Printed & Digital Music
Beneficiaries: Adults
Location: Mexico
Creation of Four New Youth Orchestras in France
Orchestre a' L'Ecole's Creation of Four New Youth Orchestras program focuses on underserved children aged 8-11. This initiative will provide equal access to instrumental practice and its numerous benefits, fostering a love for music and personal growth from an early age.
Focus Areas: Orchestra
Beneficiaries: Youth
Location: France
Make Music Day
Australian Music Association's (AMA) Make Music Day will grow and expand its reach to more community groups and schools, the music industry, and overall public awareness to ensure that MMD Australia is sustainable.
Focus Areas: Community Music Making
Beneficiaries: Youth, Adults
Location: Australia
Learn to Play 2025
Music For All-UK's Learn to Play 2025 is an initiative designed to inspire, encourage, and enable new and lapsed music makers to connect or reconnect with the joys and benefits of making music. This program offers free 10–15-minute music lessons on an instrument of their choice.
Focus Areas: Band, Orchestra, Fretted Instruments, Percussion, Keyboard
Beneficiaries: Youth, Adults
Location: UK
Make Music Day Program Expansion
Make Music Day-UK Make Music Day-UK's expansion program will include a vibrant, community-led celebration of music making. This event will provide an inclusive opportunity for people of all ages and abilities to come together and make music.
Focus Areas: Community Music Making
Beneficiaries: Youth, Adults
Location: UK
Music Monday: Hold On to Your Dreams
Coalition for Music Education in Canada's Music Monday: Hold On to Your Dreams is a national event dedicated to celebrating the vital role of music in our lives and schools. This annual celebration underscores the importance of music education and provides a platform for children and youth to advocate for their own music education.
Focus Areas: Community Music Making
Beneficiaries: Youth, Adults
Location: Canada