What We Do

Play. Learn. Become.

SpreadMusicNow funds music education and creative youth development in and out of schools. We strive to find programs that center equity in outcomes and access for students' educational, career, and life success.

We partner with nonprofit music education and youth development organizations, school systems, higher education, and cultural institutions and venues. We value the relationship between creative youth development and creative placemaking and prioritize locations where we have a direct and ongoing connection to community success. As a Connecticut-based organization, we prioritize community leaders here first but also work nationally to advance our mission and partner with allied organizations.

Through this broad-based approach, we provide our donors with the confidence that their generosity makes a meaningful contribution to the success of underserved young people.

Ongoing Development

SpreadMusicNow chooses each prospective music education program by the impact their mission will have on youth development. We ask, "in addition to teaching kids music, what effects will your program have on a child's development over the course of their lives as young adults?" We focus our funding on programs whose organizational model contributes not simply to a child's music skill, but to their ongoing development.

What are some examples of ongoing development?

To further understand how we approach funding, take a look at some of the programs we have worked with:

Little Kids Rock focuses on engaged learning, by revision and approximation.

Music Haven guides students through the course of their music education-from grammar school through high school and beyond-providing free one-on-one lessons, mentoring, ensembles, and group classes, as well as a safe and supportive place to play.

INTEMPO engages directly with the families of students to offer multi-year development and tutoring.

Our investments focus on three strategic priorities:

  • Expanding access to high-quality music education, in and out of school
  • Building awareness and support for music and arts education
  • Strengthening the capacity of the nonprofit and public music education sectors

SpreadMusicNow supports nonprofit music education and youth development organizations, public school systems, higher education institutions, and cultural institutions and venues.

Eligible organizations must demonstrate a commitment to our three strategic priorities listed above and to building strong connections between in-school and out-of-school learning experiences as well as continuous pathways to college, career, and life success.

The SpreadMusicNow Fund does not accept unsolicited applications. Rather, we cultivate relationships in targeted cities and invite proposals for funding.

CT Arts Alliance

SpreadMusicNow is a proud member of the CT Arts Alliance.

CT Arts Alliance MemberWhether advocating for the resources our community needs to thrive, educating decision makers on the value of the arts to our state, our communities and our quality of life, or organizing the arts community to speak with a unified voice, all of their work is focused on inspiring support for the arts.

The CT Arts Alliance envisions a future where arts, culture, and creativity are valued as fundamental to vibrant, healthy, connected, and equitable communities in Connecticut. Learn more at ctartsalliance.org.



Our Grant Recipients

If you'd like to learn more about some of the organizations we fund, please visit our Grant Recipients page.