Orchestra League Announces $1.5 Million Grant from Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation

The League of American Orchestras today announced the receipt of a three-year, $1.5 million grant from the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation to administer a re-granting program that supports orchestras in deepening their involvement with their communities.

The Getty Education and Community Investment Grants Program will fund orchestras’ educational and community engagement work, helping to fuel new practices or support longstanding model programs. The grants prioritize programs that are highly innovative, relevant, and responsive to community needs; a prerequisite for qualifying orchestras is the existence of partnerships with cultural and/or community organizations, such as schools or social service providers. A portion of the grant funds will also support the League’s program administration.

“For 25 years the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation has been an important source of support to the orchestra field,” commented League President and CEO Jesse Rosen, “and this new project underscores their dedication to the long-term health of our nation’s orchestras.”

Applicants to the grant program must include at least one partnership with a cultural and/or community organization, such as schools or social service providers, to create programs of all sizes that can make a difference in any of the following categories:

In-school programs
Afterschool programs that align musical and social goals
Health and wellness programs
Life-long learning programs
Other (e.g., early childhood programs, criminal justice programs, etc.)
Funds cannot be used to create new organizations or support single events or activities that do not establish long-term relationships.

Initial orchestra applications will be due on August 15, 2012, with Year One grants being announced in November, 2012.