The ACMP Foundation

1123 Broadway, Suite 904, New York, NY 10010-2007 USA
Phone: 212-645-7424 | Fax: 212-741-2678

WHO WE ARE

ACMP Foundation was formed in 1993 to support the aims and purposes of Amateur Chamber Music Players (ACMP), an international organization that fosters the playing and singing of chamber music for people of all ages and skill levels. The Foundation was established and funded through a generous bequest from Clinton B. Ford, an avid amateur violist and a member of the Advisory Council of ACMP.

Since 1994, the Foundation has awarded 1,377 grants totaling over $2.1 million for programs and projects that promote participatory chamber music.

PROGRAMS

ACMP Foundation grants are typically small, generally ranging from $1,000-$3,500. Because our mission is especially focused, awards are very program directed, yielding results disproportionately large in relation to their dollar amounts. Recipients include both well-established and fledgling institutions, regional and national associations, recognized nonprofit organizations as well as individuals able to create and implement suitable projects. The Foundation takes a lively interest in recipients' activities, on occasion providing technical and logistical assistance, and arranging for site visits to complement written reports.

The Foundation currently makes awards in four program areas:

1. Community music. Grants for schools, youth orchestras, and other institutions, including selected public schools, for programs that encourage and create opportunities for chamber music activity. This is the largest of the Foundation's programs, absorbing approximately one-third of the grant budget. Awards averaging $2,000 are generally in support of scholarship aid and to underwrite program staff salaries. A large part of this funding makes it possible for students to experience small ensemble playing for the first time. The Foundation has as a long range objective the inclusion of chamber music activity as an integral, required component of the music school curriculum.

Because the community music program functions on an academic year schedule, applications — usually received in response to a Foundation initiated request for proposals (PDF) — must be received by 7 December 2007. Decisions are announced in January. First-time applicants are encouraged to contact the Foundation in advance of submitting.

2007/08 Application Form
(169k, Microsoft Word format)

* * *

2. Weekend workshops. One- and two-day workshops for adult amateurs continue to grow in popularity, complementing the more extensive summer programs that have long attracted musicians on holiday. In just four years, the budget in this area has almost doubled, an increase that directly reflects the Foundation's active encouragement to individuals and organizations to mount events for which there is an obvious need. Grants are awarded to subsidize coaches' salaries, to reduce registration fees, or to allow for scholarships.

Guidelines for this program may be found below. Deadlines for receiving applications are the last day of April, August, and December. Notification is usually by the end of the succeeding month.

3. Special initiatives. Projects that further the aims of ACMP but do not fall within the above programs will be considered on an individual basis. Examples include scholarship funds to allow youngsters from the Baltic countries to attend chamber music seminars in Sweden; artist fees to support masterclasses by touring musicians; coaching staff salaries at chamber music festivals; support for a major project to annotate and grade chamber music literature.

Guidelines for this program may be found below. Applicants are advised to contact the Foundation in advance of submitting requests. Deadline for submission is 15 September with notification usually within sixty days.

4. Home Coaching. This program is intended to encourage amateur musicians who meet regularly to engage professional coaches in order to improve their rehearsal techniques and thereby derive increased satisfaction from playing. In the four years since inception, over 600 individuals have participated, instructed by some 260 coaches. $33,188 has been distributed.

Application forms are available from the Foundation and at the Home Coaching page of this website. The program is ongoing: there are no deadlines, but implementation must take place by 30 June of the year. (Note that the applicant must be a member of ACMP, though other participants in the member's ensemble need not be.)

While the Foundation encourages proposals conceived with applicants' needs in mind, certain types of projects will not be considered, among them individual or group lessons in instrumental technique, choral and orchestral programs, and exposure activities intended for audience development. Additionally, the Foundation does not provide funds for general administration.

Applications should be mailed, using a standardized cover sheet available here (PDF format, requires Adobe Reader), though faxed forms will be accommodated. Submission via E-mail, however, will not be accepted.

A list of ACMP Foundation institutional grants awarded recently will be found below. Grants for prior years appear in the annual IRS 990 forms.

Board of Directors
Officers	Members-at-Large
Richard Weinert Chair Lucy Miller Murray Secretary John Reed Wilcox Treasurer Roland Wilk Assistant Treasurer	Peter A. Benoliel Nancy O'Neill Breth Anthony L. Finley Mark E. Furth Ronald Goldman William T. Horne Franz Marcus	Doris Preucil Linda Rosenthal Jennifer Stirling Gwendoline A. Thornblade Jan Mattson Timbers Emil Torick

Staff Daniel Nimetz Executive Director

GUIDELINES

Weekend Workshops for Amateur Chamber Music Players
Requests are accepted on a quarterly basis, with deadlines on the last day of April, August, and December. Applicants are usually notified by end of the succeeding month. (Special cases outside this schedule may be considered after telephone consultation.) The following information* should be included in the request, which may be in the form of a letter:

Dates and location of the event
How the event will be publicized
Coaching staff, including number of coaches and their qualifications
Registration fee per player
Room and board arrangements, if any
Schedule of activities, including number of hours of coaching per group
Budget (a statement of anticipated income and expenses, including the amount requested from the Foundation)

Applicants with prior experience in presenting chamber music workshops may wish to include descriptive materials of past events.

Workshop grants are intended to enable organizers to operate without incurring financial loss, it being the Foundation's policy to underwrite a potential deficit. Consequently, it is not expected that profits will be realized as a result of Foundation support, and awards may actually be less than announced if higher enrollment yields greater income, or if expenses are less than projected. For this reason it is critical that budgets be prepared with care.

The Foundation expects that grant recipients will submit a report on the event, including a financial statement indicating how its funds were used. Awards are generally disbursed on receipt of such a detailed account.

Suggestions on how the Workshop Program can be made more effective in promoting amateur chamber music activities are always welcome.

* * * Informal guidelines on organizing a weekend chamber music workshop for amateurs as well as a sample participant evaluation form are available for the asking from the Foundation office. Please call or write for a copy.

*Please include standardized cover sheet available here (PDF format, requires Adobe Reader) and please do not staple sheets together. The Foundation prefers submission by mail; applications via E-mail will not be accepted.

Support for Special Initiatives

Requests for Special Initiative grants are considered in the Fall, with a submission deadline of 15 September. Applicants are usually notified by end of the succeeding month. (Special cases outside this schedule may be considered after telephone consultation.) The following information* should be included in the request, which may be in the form of a letter:

Dates and location
How the event will be publicized
Names and qualifications of personnel
Schedule of activities; if coaching, indicate number of hours per group
Budget (a statement of anticipated income and expenses, including the amount requested from the Foundation)
Additional information as appropriate

Applicants with prior experience in presenting similar events may wish to include descriptive materials of past sessions.

Special initiative grants are intended to enable organizers to operate without incurring financial loss, it being the Foundation's policy to underwrite a potential deficit. Consequently, it is not expected that profits will be realized as a result of Foundation support, and awards may actually be less than announced if there is greater income, or if expenses are less than projected. For this reason it is critical that budgets be prepared with care.

For special projects—distinct from events—applicants should address the following:

Purpose and need for the project, who will benefit, why the applicant is best suited for its realization
Timeline for implementation
Methods of evaluation

The Foundation expects that grant recipients will submit a report on the event, including a financial statement indicating how its funds were used. Awards are generally disbursed on receipt of such a detailed account.

*Please include standardized cover sheet available here (PDF format, requires Adobe Reader) and please do not staple sheets together. The Foundation prefers submission by mail; applications via E-mail will not be accepted.

ACMP Foundation Grants to Organizations for FY 2006/07

Community Program: Schools	Location		$Award
92nd Street Y	New York	NY	1,500
Academy of Music	Norfolk	VA	1,000
Ann Arbor School for the Performing Arts	Ann Arbor	MI	800
Austin Chamber Music Center	Austin	TX	2,000
Bloomingdale School of Music	New York	NY	2,000
Cascade Community School of Music	Bend	OR	2,500
Chamber Music Connection	Worthington	OH	2,000
Cleveland Institute of Music	Cleveland	OH	1,000
Colburn School of Performing Arts	Los Angeles	CA	1,500
Community Conservatory of Music	Doylestown	PA	2,500
Community Music Center	San Francisco	CA	1,500
Community Music School of Collegeville	Trappe	PA	1,600
Community Music School of Springfield	Springfield	MA	3,000
Community MusicWorks	Providence	RI	3,000
Computer School Parents' Association	New York	NY	2,500
Concord Community Music School	Concord	NH	3,000
Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico	San Juan	PR	3,000
Dakota Academy of Performing Arts	Sioux Falls	SD	1,200
East Anchorage High School	Anchorage	AK	3,000
Harper College Community Music Center	Palatine	IL	1,500
Hartt School Community Division - University of Hartford	Hartford	CT	2,000
Hoff-Barthelson Music School	Scarsdale	NY	2,000
Holy Names Music Center at Fort Wright	Spokane	WA	2,000
Langley Community Music School	Langley	BC	1,000
Levine School of Music	Washington	DC	2,000
Longy School of Music	Cambridge	MA	2,500
Lucy Moses School for Music and Dance	New York	NY	3,500
Mack McCray Foundation	San Francisco	CA	500
MacPhail Center for Music	Minneapolis	MN	2,000
Manchester Community Music School	Manchester	NH	1,500
Merit School of Music	Chicago	IL	2,500
Midwest Young Artists	Highwood	IL	2,000
Mitchellville Community School of the Arts	Mitchellville	MD	1,000
Mountain Top Music Center	North Conway	NH	500
Music at Kohl Mansion	Burlingame	CA	1,500
Music Conservatory of Westchester	White Plains	NY	1,500
Music Institute of Chicago	Winnetka	IL	1,000
Music Makers	Cincinnati	OH	1,600
Musicopia	Philadelphia	PA	2,000
Neighborhood Music School	New Haven	CT	2,500
NIU Community School of the Arts	DeKalb	IL	1,750
Northampton Community Music Center	Northampton	MA	1,800
Northeast Iowa School of Music	Dubuque	IA	1,000
Pasadena Conservatory of Music	Pasadena	CA	2,000
Pennsylvania Academy of Music	Lancaster	PA	1,500
Preucil School of Music	Iowa City	IA	3,000
Renaissance Performing Arts Association	Mansfield	OH	1,000
Salon Concerts	Austin	TX	3,000
Settlement Music School	Philadelphia	PA	2,500
Shenandoah Conservatory Arts Academy	Winchester	VA	2,370
State Street Academy of Music	Harrisburg	PA	1,500
Stirling Duo	Maplewood	NJ	1,500
Sullivan County BOCES	Liberty	NY	3,000
Summer Sinfonia	Ghent	NY	1,200
Suzuki School of Newton	Auburndale	MA	1,000
Tanner Chamber Ensemble	Yokohama, Japan		1,500
Temple University Music Preparatory Division	Philadelphia	PA	1,500
Third Street Music School Settlement	New York	NY	3,000
Timberlane Regional Music Department	Plaistow	NH	2,500
University Settlement Music & Arts School	Toronto	ON	3,000
Upper Valley Music Center	Lebanon	NH	1,500
Valley City State University Community School of the Arts	Valley City	ND	2,100
VanderCook College of Music - Community Music Academy	Chicago	IL	1,800
Wausau Conservatory of Music	Wausau	WI	2,000
Winchester Community Music School	Winchester	MA	1,800

Community Program: Youth Orchestras	Location		$Award
Albuquerque Youth Symphony Program	Albuquerque	NM	1,500
Chattanooga Symphony and Opera Youth Orchestras	Chattanooga	TN	1,000
Children's Orchestra Society	Manhasset	NY	1,000
Colorado Youth Symphony Orchestras	Denver	CO	1,750
Denver Young Artists Orchestra	Denver	CO	1,000
Four Seasons Youth Orchestra	Rancho Santa Margarita	CA	2,000
Golden Gate Philharmonic	San Francisco	CA	2,000
Greater Akron Musical Association	Akron	OH	1,000
Greater Miami Youth Symphony of Dade County Florida	Miami	FL	2,000
Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies	Minneapolis	MN	1,500
Greensboro Symphony Orchestra	Greensboro	NC	1,000
Homer Youth Orchestra	Homer	AK	1,000
InterSchool Orchestras of New York	New York	NY	2,500
Lakes Region Youth Orchestra	Rutland	VT	1,200
Lubbock Youth Symphony Orchestra	Lubbock	TX	1,000
Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra	Milwaukee	WI	1,500
Mount Baker Youth Symphony	Sedro Woolley	WA	2,500
Music School of the Rhode Island Philharmonic	East Providence	RI	3,000
New Jersey Youth Symphony	Murray Hill	NJ	1,500
Northshore Youth Symphony Orchestra	Topsfield	MA	1,500
Peninsula Youth Orchestra	San Carlos	CA	2,000
Sacramento Youth Symphony & Academy of Music	Sacramento	CA	2,000
Saratoga Springs Youth Orchestra	Saratoga Springs	NY	1,500
Student Orchestras of Greater Olympia	Olympia	WA	2,500
Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center	Tampa	FL	2,000
West Virginia Youth Symphony	Charleston	WV	2,000
Williamsburg Youth Orchestras	Williamsburg	VA	2,000
Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras	Madison	WI	3,000
Youth Orchestras of Essex County	Maplewood	NJ	2,000

Special Initiatives	Location		$Award
AlpenKammermusik Festival	Liesing, Austria		5,522
Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp	Twin Lake	MI	1,500
Colorado State University	Fort Collins	CO	1,000
Colorado Suzuki Institute	Denver	CO	2,400
Credo Chamber Music	Oberlin	OH	2,600
Eastman School of Music	Rochester	NY	5,000
Fischoff Chamber Music Association	Notre Dame	IN	3,000
Greater Manchester Adult Chamber Music Workshop	Manchester	VT	1,000
High School District 211	Hoffman Estates	IL	1,000
Illinois Wesleyan University	Bloomington	IL	1,000
Intermezzo Chamber Music Sessions	Denver	CO	1,700
Lake Placid Institute	Lake Placid	NY	2,000
Music for the Love of It	Berkeley	CA	6,820
Oak Ridge Civic Music Association	Oak Ridge	TN	250
Philadelphia Chamber Music Society	Philadelphia	PA	2,000
Quiring Chamber Music Camp	Coquitlam	BC	3,000
San Francisco Friends of Chamber Music	San Francisco	CA	2,000
Sibley Music Library, Eastman School of Music	Rochester	NY	5,000
String Quartet Program of Northern Colorado	Greeley	CO	2,000
Tiberius Week Chamber Music Festival	Tg Mures, Romania		1,000
Troy Public Library	Troy	MI	2,000
Verbier Festival & Academy	Vevy, Switzerland		1,000
Virginia Arts Festival	Norfolk	VA	500
Young Musicians Foundation	Beverly Hills	CA	1,000

Workshops	Location		$Award
ABChamberMusic	Tokyo, Japan		3,527
Alhambra Music	Coconut Grove	FL	200
Amherst Chamber Ensembles	Buffalo	NY	1,150
Artaria String Quartet	Saint Paul	MN	1,000
Associazione Culturale Key Largo	Pozzuoli, Italy		1,500
Boston Chamber Music Society	Cambridge	MA	1,600
CAMMAC	Harrington	QC	1,500
Cellobration of Sarasota/Bradenton	Bradenton	FL	350
Chamber Music Connection	Worthington	OH	1,900
Chamber Music for Fun	Stow	OH	700
Chamber Music Society of Saint Cloud	Saint Cloud	MN	400
Chamber Music Society of Santa Barbara	Santa Barbara	CA	1,320
Chamber Music Society of the North Shore	Lake Forest	IL	500
Chamber Musicians of Northern California	Pacifica	CA	7,500
Danish Association for Chamber Music	2880 Bagsvaerd		3,000
Del Sol Performing Arts Organization	San Francisco	CA	500
Diller-Quaile School of Music	New York	NY	2,500
Garth Newel Music Center	Warm Springs	VA	1,000
I Cambristi	Brussels, Belgium		1,695
Israel Amateur Orchestral and Chamber Music Workshop	Rehovot, Israel		1,307
Israel Association of Wind Players	Ramat Hasharon, Israel		2,818
Israeli Chamber Music Club	Ramat Hasharon, Israel		2,473
Levine School of Music	Washington	DC	1,750
Lighthouse Chamber Players	New York	NY	1,000
Main Line Chamber Music Seminar	Philadelphia	PA	3,455
Music Etc.	New York	NY	1,200
Northampton Community Music Center	Northampton	MA	3,200
Play Week West	Woodside	NY	500
Princeton Chamber Music Play Week	Woodside	NY	1,000
QX String Quartet	Worcester	MA	680
Raleigh Chamber Music Guild	Raleigh	NC	1,750
Southampton Chamber Music Festival	New York	NY	700
Suzuki School of Newton	Auburndale	MA	550
World Fellowship Center - Early Music Week	Conway	NH	800