Grants
Since our founding in 1991, we have made grants to over 60 music programs in and around Boston, including Salem, Everett, Medford, Somerville, Arlington, Waltham, Quincy, Braintree, Weymouth, and others, as well in Boston (Roxbury and Dorchester) itself.
With the help of the Bubs Foundation, school programs have been able to purchase multicultural music, choral robes, and critical equipment such as keyboards and folding risers. Through our grant program, thousands of students have expanded opportunities to enjoy small ensemble and choral singing while building performance and teamwork skills, self-esteem and personal growth.
The Bubs Foundation has recently made the following grants:
- Music & Youth Initiative, to help support after-school youth music clubhouses and studios in and around Boston. Founded in 2004, Music & Youth partners with youth development organizations serving under-resourced urban communities. They provide partners with multi-year funding and extensive program support to help them create and sustain after-school music programs, which they integrate into their overall program offerings. (Learn more about their Programs and Partnership Opportunities). Programs focus on youth participants in 7th grade and up, and are designed to be a safe place for young people to explore their musical interests. But more importantly, Music & Youth uses music as a vehicle to help participants understand and express their emotions, and develop life skills as they move toward adulthood.
- Curtis Guild Elementary School of East Boston, to help support the first year of the school’s music program, which was designed and implemented in partnership with the Community Music Center of Boston. The program focuses initially on music theory and rhythm, with an overarching goal of encouraging a love of music in students and ultimately preparing them for a capstone vocal performance at the school. The program will emphasize vocal music and performance as part of a 2-year plan to create its own “Guild School Choir” with participants selected from a pool of the initial program's most engaged students.
- Ellis Mendell Elementary School of Roxbury, to support vocal music instruction and performance opportunities for an underserved population of economically disadvantaged students in partnership with the “Schools Outreach Program” from Community Music Center of Boston. Specifically, the program will maintain a qualified vocal music instructor assigned to the school throughout the year, providing consistency in general music education, chorus and performance instruction, with specific focus on listening, singing and movement.
- Chittick Elementary School of Mattapan, to support the activities of the Boston Public Quartet (BPQ), a nonprofit organization focused on intensive music education, mentoring and community building at the Chittick School. BPQ will serve students beginning in grade 1 and continuing until they enter college, focusing on private lessons, chamber music, and improvisation for each student. The BPQ has a 90% retention rate and a large and growing waiting list. As part of a partnership with nearby Emmanuel Church, students will learn Cantata 85, attend church rehearsals, and perform for members of the Emmanuel congregation at the end of the school year. BPQ is also piloting a city-wide chamber music program called Chamber Kids that is designed to serve as a destination for the most promising Chittick graduates. The Chittick school has no other general music or visual art programs.
Applying for a grant
If you have any questions about The Bubs Foundation Grant Program, please contact us here. For those who are interested in applying for a grant, please go to the online form and follow the instructions.