Classics for Kids Foundation

OUR MISSION The mission of Classics for Kids Foundation is to empower young people to shape positive futures through music, build sustainable stringed instrument music programs, and provide grants for high-quality instruments. “Supporting String Programs through Matching Instrument Grants and Program Creation with Community Partnerships“ OUR VISION We believe that learning a stringed instrument provides important life benefits to a child: - The joy and pride of doing something well - Better discipline - Better coordination - Increased communication skills - Higher performance on standardized tests - Immersion in the great world of classical music. School music programs, and particularly strings programs, have been a primary target for budget cuts over the past two decades. Classics for Kids Foundation was founded in 1997 in response to this crisis in education. CFKF strengthens strings programs through our matching grants, which encourage partnership with local philanthropy. Students with beautiful new instruments are more engaged, tend to practice more, and participate longer in their strings programs. Through our grant programs, young people across the United States are carrying these benefits into their other educational and life experience. OUR HISTORY Classics for Kids Foundation (CFKF) was formed in 1998 in response to the decline of music performance education programs for young people. Our mission is to support young people and the programs that serve them by offering matching grants for fine stringed instruments. Our focus is on at-risk and rural youth, with the premise that learning a complex musical instrument brings with it a host of lifelong benefits including better self-discipline and academic performance, the confidence that comes from doing something well, better coordination, positive peer groups, and immersion in the beauty of music. CFKF has a grant-making presence in all 50 states of America; at this writing, we’ve supported well over 300 string programs with over $2 million in beautiful new stringed instruments that inspire young people to participate and remain in their programs. We’ve received support from such major Foundations as Hewlett, Packard, Rockefeller and Fidelity, and our private base of support continues to grow with special benefit events highlighted by CFKF co-founder Condoleezza Rice and Muir Quartet and CFKF co-founder and Director Michael Reynolds. We have recently embarked on an effort to build endowment in order to secure our future support for young people and their musical and life experience. At this writing, we’ve secured nearly $1 million in planned gifts and pledges; we welcome your support so that kids everywhere can experience the joy and life benefits that musical study can provide.