The Music Man Foundation 2025 National Grant Opportunity (Meredith Willson Awards)

The Music Man Foundation 2025 National Grant Opportunity (Meredith Willson Awards) is sponsored by The Music Man Foundation. This opportunity supports mission-aligned projects and measurable outcomes.

General Operating Grants — The Music Man Foundation Significant, multi-year, general operating support to vibrant organizations using music to achieve systemic change. No Longer Accepting Leadership Letters The Meredith Willson Awards will provide significant, multi-year, general operating support to vibrant organizations using music to achieve systemic change.

The Music Man Foundation anticipates awarding grants to 5 to 10 organizations in 2026. Grants between $50,000 – $500,000 will be paid over a two-year period to support general operating expenses. Grant funds awarded must be utilized by December 31, 2028.

The selection process begins with a Leadership Letter (due January 28, 2026). After review of Leadership Letters, select organizations will be invited to submit a full application (due April 22, 2026).

Successful submissions will clearly identify the primary system the organization is impacting, articulate how and why music plays a key role in advancing this system change, and demonstrate why the organization is well-positioned to take on this system change. Grants will not be awarded to organizations whose applications focus on developing new programs.

Grant decisions and amounts will take into consideration: The Leadership Letter, application, organization’s capacity for systems change as observed during the site visit/organizational interview, and application assessments provided by an advisory panel of external reviewers; and Alignment with the Foundation’s Selection Criteria, published below.

Eligible organizations will be based in and primarily serving one or more of 6 Southern California counties (Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and Ventura). Any organization that meets the eligibility requirements is encouraged to submit a Leadership Letter no later than Wednesday, January 28, 2026.

The Music Man Foundation interprets systems change as shifting the underlying conditions that make service delivery necessary. The Meredith Willson Awards grant process seeks to understand an organization’s strategic approach to making a lasting impact at the systemic level. The Foundation recognizes that systems change is a long-term effort that requires collaboration.

45-minute information sessions will take place on December 16, 2025 at 11:30am PT and January 15, 2026 at 9:30am PT. To attend the December 16, 2025 Information Session, please register here . To attend the January 15, 2026 Information Session, please register here .

20-minute office hour meetings are offered on Zoom on the following dates: January 8, 16, and 20, 2026. Please utilize these office hour meetings if you have questions about your organization’s eligibility, need assistance with the grant portal, or require clarification regarding the Leadership Letter’s submission components.

The Leadership Letter will introduce the Foundation to your organization and should include a thoughtful description of how the organization’s work intends to achieve systemic change. The letter may come from the organization’s Executive Director, Board Chair, or Program Director depending on your organization’s leadership structure. The Leadership Letter should include the signature of its author.

The Leadership Letter should be addressed to The Music Man Foundation, and the salutation can read, “Dear board and staff of The Music Man Foundation. ” Compelling Leadership Letters will clearly and concisely articulate the system the organization aims to impact, demonstrating thoughtful insight into how music programs are strategic efforts to drive systemic change. Provide a brief summary of why your organization exists.

Share how music is central to the organization’s mission. Clearly and concisely address what system your organization is impacting using music and why your organization is well-positioned to do so. Share about your leadership role at the organization, and briefly include any noteworthy organizational accomplishments during your tenure, especially as they may have advanced the systemic change the organization seeks to achieve.

Discuss how your organization acts as a leader and key collaborator in this systems change. Articulate why and how music plays a key role in advancing this change, and how the organization’s programs serve as strategic efforts to drive systemic change. Discuss your longer-term goals for the organization and their projected impact on systems change.

In conjunction with the Leadership Letter, we request every submission include a one-page document about the organization’s primary programs, as well as two board-approved organizational budgets that include revenue and expenses: one for the current fiscal year and one for the most recently completed fiscal year which reflects budget and actual figures. The Leadership Letter should not include a specific grant request amount.

An incomplete submission or a submission that does not follow instructions may result in your organization’s Leadership Letter being deemed ineligible. Organizations that do not meet the eligibility requirements will not be considered. Leadership Letters are evaluated using the “Systems Change” and “Organizational Vibrance” criteria.

Applications are evaluated using all the criteria listed below. Organizational leadership identifies the system it seeks to shift, demonstrates a thorough understanding of the system it aims to impact and why it is well-positioned to drive this change.

Organizational leadership articulates how music programs are central to the mission and all programming; a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion across the organization is evident; and all materials, including the financial requirements, are submitted in line with Leadership Letter instructions.

Collaborations and Partnerships The organization’s partnerships reflect intentional efforts to be a leader in influencing system dynamics and demonstrate that the organization understands the complexities around the system through its partnership selection. The organization has achievements that have impacted the system, understands the next steps needed to continue making progress, and has the capacity to collect relevant data.

Intentionality in program design and participant selection must be evident. Select organizations will be invited to submit an application. The application will include the following components (please note this is not the application): Executive summary that includes an overview of the organization’s goals and programs that serve as strategies toward achieving systemic impact.

Narrative portion that includes greater detail about programs and their participants, how the organization is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion practices, what activities are planned for 2027 and 2028, and how the organization’s mission-aligned goals are tracked. Financial section that includes the budgets for the current fiscal year and the most recent fiscal year.

Also, audited financial statements and/or balance sheet for the most recent fiscal year. Leadership section that describes the staff structure and board governance. Organizations will not have the opportunity to request a specific grant amount.

Organizations whose work aligns with the goals of the Meredith Willson Award should get in touch via email: inquiries@musicmanfoundation. org . Instructions for Using the Foundation’s Grant Portal For details about setting up your organization’s account and for additional tips on how to successfully submit an application to the Foundation, please find instructions here .

In order to be considered for funding, an organization must: Be a non-profit organization with IRS-determined 501 (c)(3) status since January 2023 or before. Have been conducting programming utilizing music since January 2023 or before. Have its primary service location in at least one of the following counties in Southern California: Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, or Ventura.

Have had at least one paid employee dedicated to music programming (part-time or full-time) since January 1, 2025 or before. Contractors may not fulfill the employee eligibility requirement. For organizations that have previously received a grant from The Music Man Foundation, the organization must be in good standing with the Foundation.

Not have a structural deficit. Fiscally sponsored organizations are eligible to apply. If your organization currently has a grant from The Music Man Foundation, the grant timeline must end on or before December 31, 2026 in order to be eligible to apply.

Organizations not based in Southern California with programming in Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, or Ventura counties, including touring productions, do not fulfill the geographic eligibility requirement. Musical experiences, such as field trips, masterclasses, concerts, and one-time participant experiences are not eligible.

December 16, 2025 and January 15, 2026: Information sessions on Zoom January 8, 16, and 20, 2026: Optional office hours with Foundation staff on Zoom January 28, 2026 at 5pm PT: Leadership Letters due March 27, 2026: Select organizations invited to submit full application and schedule site visit/organizational interview April 22, 2026: Applications due April – June 2026: Site visits and/or organizational interviews conducted November 2026: Awards announced 2025 National Meredith Willson Awardees: Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation National Council for the Traditional Arts 2024 Southern California Meredith Willson Awardees: Arts for Healing and Justice Network Education Through Music - Los Angeles