DIXFIELD — Regional School Unit 56’s Dirigo High School Music Program has been awarded $5,200 for sheet music and MIDI keyboards for a rural public high school music program by the The Mockingbird Foundation. The request was submitted by James Hamalainen.
The foundation announced 19 new grants totaling $144,158 in 15 states, the largest competitive disbursement in its history. Mockingbird, a nonprofit founded and run by volunteer Phish fans, has now disbursed 625 grants totaling more than $2.3 million to support music education, according to a news release from Ellis Godard, executive director of the foundation.
The 19 grantees were selected from among 1217 initial applicants who requested a total of nearly $10 million, far beyond the foundation’s resources. Because of such high demand, Mockingbird’s two-tiered online application process remains one of the most competitive in the nation.
Each year, the foundation is able to fund a slightly higher percentage of inquiries, making grants slightly less competitive, because of the generosity of fans.
The Mockingbird Foundation is a nonprofit that has been operated entirely by volunteer fans, with no office, salaries, or paid staff, since its inception in 1996.
Check out upcoming area events!
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
