The Fender Music Foundation — Grant Information

Qualification

The applicant program:
The Fender Music Foundation accepts information from grant candidates through its Grant Candidate Form. Qualifying applicants are established, ongoing and sustainable music programs in the United States, which provide music instruction for people of any age who would not otherwise have the opportunity to make music.

The intent of the program must be music instruction, not music appreciation or entertainment, and the participants/students cannot be professional or career musicians.

Almost all of the selected programs, to which we award grants, fall into the following categories:

• In-school music classes, in which the students make music
• After-school music programs that are not run by the school
• Music therapy programs, in which the participants make the music

The grant request:
Almost all of the grants we award are traditional instruments and the equipment necessary to play them, ranging in value from $500 to $5,000. In specific instances, we have also awarded microphones and PA systems. In order to be eligible for a grant, the instruments and/or equipment must stay in the program for the life of the instrument/equipment and must be played/used by the participants.

We also award signed music memorabilia, which the program can sell or auction to raise money to purchase instruments or equipment (as previously described).

Requests that are specifically ineligible for a grant from The Fender Music Foundation are:

• General operating expenses, including rent, utilities, supplies, travel expenses, etc.
• Items or funds to benefit individuals, including scholarships, stipends or salaries
• Seed money
• Event sponsorship
• Music production equipment and/or expenses
• Recording studio equipment and/or expenses, including those used for educational purposes
• Instrument repairs
• Uniforms
• Sheet music

Selection Process
Programs interested in applying for a grant from The Fender Music Foundation must first complete the Grant Candidate Form. If the program is selected it will then receive a link to the online grant application by email. It may take five months to receive notification that the program is selected. Programs that are not selected will receive no correspondence. The program will have one month to complete the application, after which it will be reviewed by The Grant Committee. All applicants will be notified by mail if a grant is awarded or not.

Frequently Asked Questions - Please click here for clarification of our grants.