The We Are All Music Foundation (WAAM) celebrates another round of grants to best-in-class music nonprofits improving lives through the power of music.
Thanks to our WAAM community of donors and sponsors, we’ve now granted a half-million dollars to organizations making a tangible impact on critical life stage development and challenges across the country through innovative, effective, and vitally important work.
- After school music programs among disadvantaged youth alongside direct mentorship, resulting in improved academic performance
- Linking young people mental health resources otherwise not available to them
- Bedside performances at across hospitals and pediatric oncology wards alleviating depression and anxiety
- In-school music programs in low-income districts fostering social-emotional learning
- Content creation using music to establish health equity by teaching kids (and adults) nutrition, fitness and other health & wellness topics
- Concerts and programs promoting economic development
- Cognitive enhancement among individuals with dementia or Alzheimer’s
Music has a remarkable ability to transcend boundaries, uplift spirits, and foster positive change within communities. At the We Are All Music Foundation, we’re proud to support organizations that harness the transformative power of music to address societal challenges and create lasting impact. Join us as we celebrate our grantee recipients and the incredible work they’re doing to make a difference.
Concerts in Motion
Concerts in Motion (CiM) provides personalized, community-based live music and engagement for New York’s most isolated residents. Their social workers personally match residents with musicians to foster meaningful connections. CiM’s programs combat depression and loneliness among older adults, veterans, individuals with disabilities, those experiencing housing or food insecurity, medical patients of all ages, individuals with mental illness, and more.
Education Through Music
Education Through Music (ETM) partners with under-resourced schools in high poverty areas to integrate music into the core curriculum, reaching over 20,000 students in New York City and beyond. By using music as a catalyst for academic achievement and self-confidence, ETM demonstrates how music education can drive social change and empower students to succeed.
Guitars Over Guns
Guitars Over Guns Organization (GOGO) empowers youth from disadvantaged backgrounds through after-school music education and mentoring programs. Located in Miami, Chicago, LA, and now New York(!), they use Positive Youth Development (PYD) measurements to impact key capacities, including: academic self-efficacy, contribution, positive identity, self-management, and social skills. GOGO provides comprehensive training to mentors who serve as role models for students, helping them overcome hardships and reach their full potential as leaders.
Hip Hop Public Health
In the heart of New York City, Hip Hop Public Health (HHPH) utilizes the transformative power of hip-hop music to foster positive health behavior change in underserved communities. HHPH’s unique platform communicates the untapped potential of music to directly improve mental and physical health, creating a pathway to health equity and societal well-being.
Jazz House Kids
In under-resourced school districts in New Jersey (and virtual international reach), Jazz House Kids (JHK) empowers children in under-resourced school districts by providing equal access to jazz education, performance and mentorship programs. JHK creates thriving communities by helping students build careers and develop essential social and emotional skills (SEL): confidence, leadership, perseverance, focus, collaboration, dedication, accountability and an openness to constructive feedback.
Music Haven
In the heart of New Haven, Music Haven empowers young people through exceptional music education, mentoring, and performance opportunities. Through individualized focus, their program provides quality, longevity, community, equity and wellness. Including immigrants and refugees, 95% of their graduates enroll at a 4-year university. Music Haven creates a vibrant community of musicians who support and inspire each other to succeed.
Music Will
Music Will transforms lives by restoring, expanding, and innovating music education in schools across 48 states. They strive to make music education available to all students regardless of their socioeconomic background. Music Will’s program empowers teachers to build diverse music programs that reflect the students they serve, strengthening connections within schools and communities.
Musicians On Call
Musicians On Call (MOC) brings live and virtual music to the bedsides of patients, families and caregivers in healthcare environments. Their pediatric focus serves thousands of children recovering from a variety of illnesses and critical events, including intensive care, oncology, and neurological trauma. MOC’s one-on-one musical interactions are vital in delivering hope and powerful healing effects to patients.
Rock to the Future
Rock to the Future (RttF) delivers free, music-based youth development programs to students in under-resourced communities in Philadelphia. By incorporating trauma-informed approaches and student-driven curriculum design, RttF builds executive functioning capabilities, self-confidence, and workforce development skills through music.
Each of these grant recipients embody WAAM’s core belief in the power of music to drive positive change and strengthen communities. As we celebrate their impact, we invite you to join us in supporting their work and spreading the joy of music far and wide.
Stay tuned for more updates and exciting WAAM news to follow. Together, we can continue to amplify communities and create a brighter, more musical future for all.
