The Guitar Center Music Foundation awards musical instruments and equipment in-kind to public schools and music programs in need. We do not offer cash grants. Instrument grants range from up to $1,000 to $5,000 based upon need.
We accept grant applications quarterly October – December, January – March, and April – June. Applications are CLOSED July – September. Once you’re sure you meet our eligibility requirements, we’ve made applying for a grant as seamless as possible. Please only apply if eligible.
***WE DO NOT FUND CASH SPONSORSHIPS, but if you are looking for a donation of a guitar for your raffle or silent auction, please email us at info@guitarcenterfoundation.org
WE’RE HERE TO HELP
The Guitar Center Music Foundation awards musical instruments and equipment in-kind to public schools and music programs in need. We do not offer cash grants. Instrument grants range from up to $1,000 to $5,000 based upon need. We accept grant applications quarterly October – December, January – March, and April – June. APPLICATIONS ARE CLOSED JULY – SEPTEMBER. Once you’re sure you meet our eligibility requirements, we’ve made applying for a grant as seamless as possible. Please only apply if eligible.
STEP 1
MAKE SURE YOUR
PROGRAM QUALIFIES
Organizations can only apply and are awarded one time per year. Grants are for instruments and gear only.
Only music instruction programs that are part of 501c3 nonprofit organizations or public schools in the United States can apply.
To qualify as a music instruction program, participants must be learning how to actively make music. Participants can be of any age.
Music appreciation or entertainment programs do not qualify, and the participants cannot be professional or career musicians.
A qualified program must fit into one of these four categories:
- In-school music classes in which the students make music
- After-school music programs that are not run by the school
- Community music programs which offer music instruction to the community
- Music therapy programs in which the participants actively make music
STEP 2
MEET THESE 5 CRITERIA
- Students are not denied participation based on their musical abilities.
- If the participants pay to participate, the fee is considerably less than the fair market value.
- The program has been functioning for at least one year.
- Each program participant receives music instruction at least once a week for at least eight months per year (camps and workshops are not eligible).
- With or without a grant from Guitar Center Foundation, the organization is confident that the program will exist for the foreseeable future.
STEP 3
CREATE A PROFILE & APPLY
In kind grants range from $1,000 to $5,000 based upon instruments needed – please be as specific as possible in your application. All grant applications run through our grants management platform, Wizehive.
Create your profile by clicking on the “APPLY NOW” button. You will complete and submit your application through the portal. If you need to come back to your profile, click on “SIGN IN.”
If you are looking for a donation of a guitar for your raffle or silent auction, DO NOT APPLY HERE, please email us at info@guitarcenterfoundation.org
STEP 4
AWAIT A RESPONSE
There is no deadline to apply, but applications are reviewed by our grants committee on a quarterly basis during October – June. Applications are CLOSED July – September.
Applications submitted January 1 – March 31 will be reviewed by staff in April. Finalists will advance to the grants committee for review. Grant awards will be announced in May.
Applications submitted April 1 – June 30 will be reviewed by staff in July. Finalists will advance to the grants committee for review. Grant awards will be announced in August.
Applications are NOT ACCEPTED July 1 – September 30.
Applications submitted October 1 – December 31 will be reviewed by staff in January. Finalists will advance to the grants committee for review. Grant awards will be announced in February.
Already have a profile?
Already have a profile?
“We don’t have the resources to purchase or replace the instruments we have. These materials will give my students the chance to explore music and express their creativity in completely new ways. I am so excited to have some extra ukuleles so that students will not have to share.”
– GCMF Grantee
MAKE A
DONATION
Our impact is made possible thanks to the generous support of people like you. Donations remain one of the most effective ways for us to expand our efforts.
BECOME A
VOLUNTEER
We welcome volunteers who are passionate about contributing their time and talent to helping secure and expand access to the music community.
SPREAD
THE WORD
Connecting and cultivating a diverse community of difference makers amplifies our ability to reach schools and in-need music education programs.
