IBMA Foundation Project Grant Recipients

Jul 11, 2020 | News

The IBMA Foundation has proudly supported the following programs with Project Grants:

2025: 

  • Arthurdale Heritage, grant to start a new J.A.M. (Junior Appalachian Musicians) program for students in Preston County, West Virginia. (Arthurdale, WV)

  •  Chamber of Commerce, grant to support a J.A.M. program in Hancock county for four 12-week sessions, benefitting more than 30 students. (Hancock and Sneedville, TN)

  •  Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center, grant to suppor the J.A.M. program for students in the Smoky Mountain National Park region of east Tennessee. (Townsend, TN)

  •  Junior Appalachian Musicians (J.A.M.), grant to support the national J.A.M. Teacher Certification training program and donation of two banjos to be used by students with financial need. (Independence, VA)

  •  Monongalia Arts Center, grant to support a J.A.M. afterschool program for  4th and 5th graders held at the Monongalia Arts Center. An estimated 40 students in grades 4-8 will participate in the 14-week program planned for spring 2025 and fall 2026. (Morganton, WV)

  •  Museum & Cultural Center at 5ive Points, Junior Appalachian Musicians – Ocoee Region, grant to support a local J.A.M. chapter that plans to increase participation to 40 students for the next school year. (Cleveland, TN)

  •  The European Bluegrass Music Association, grant to support the European Bluegrass Summit 2025, featuring three days of workshops, panel discussions, and concerts. (Prague, Czech Republic)

  •  Jam Pak Blues and Bluegrass; grant to support training student participants in simple maintenance and repair by professional luthiers and musicians. (Chandler, AZ)

  •  Louisville Folk School, Youth Bluegrass Summer Camp, grant to support three weeks of youth summer camps. Each week-long camp will serve 20 children, age 5-12, who will learn to play traditional bluegrass instruments. (Louisville, KY)

  •  Queen Bee Music Association, grant to support a bluegrass music education program which introduces young people to bluegrass music through music camps, jams, concerts, and outreach. (Santa Fe, NM)

  •  Savannah Music Festival, “Hazel Dickens at 100: Della Mae, featuring special guests Laurie Lewis and Alice Gerrard, grant to support a one-day concert celebrating the life and impact of Hazel Dickens in April, 2025. (Savannah, GA)

  •  ScreenDoor Songwriter Alliance, “Helene: My Story, My Song:  Using Songwriting to Reduce Traumatic Distress and Promote Personal Well-being and Community Healing After Hurricane Helene,” grant to support songwriting workshops and performances at three high schools where students are determined to be at risk for, or exhibiting PTSD-like symptomology, as a consequence of Hurricane Helene. The team, directed by Louisa Branscomb, Ph.D., includes accomplished bluegrass musicians who also possess specific training or experience in the areas of mental health/counseling/crisis service. (Asheville, NC)

  •  Eric Shi; Educational videos for Chinese bluegrass students, grant to help fund production and travel for the creation of YouTube educational song videos with other Chinese musicians using traditional bluegrass and traditional Chinese instruments. Shi also hopes to further interest and participation in bluegrass music in China. (Yunnan Province, China)

  •  Kevin Slick; Free Strings, grant to help fund implementation of the Free Strings program in 50 schools. (Winchester, VA)

  •  West Virginia Academy, high school bluegrass band, donation of one banjo and case to help establish a course of study that will include learning to play and perform bluegrass music. (Morgantown, WV)

2024: 

  • Arts & Enrichment Academy, A songwriting workshop with a bluegrass emphasis for special needs high school students. (Lakewood, CA)
  • Ashokan Center (Olivebridge, New York), Tiered pricing to full scholarships for the 7th annual Bluegrass Camp, directed by Kimber Ludiker. (Olivebridge, NY)
  • Bluegrass Ambassadors, The Celebrating Czech Bluegrass program will provide three days of English language instruction with bluegrass music at two Czech schools taught by the Henhouse Prowlers. (Chicago, IL)
  • Chamber Dance Project: Ramblin’ Suite and Book of Stones, with the Red Clay Ramblers.  This project will bring together contemporary ballet, old-time string band, and bluegrass music. (Washington, DC)
  • Kentucky Museum at Western Kentucky University, A new exhibit at the Kentucky Museum on the WKU campus will include bluegrass songs and artists influenced by the region. (Bowling Green, KY)
  • Middle Tennessee State University, The String Band Summit 2024 is an academic conference focused on string band music of various types, including bluegrass and old-time music. Included are academic research presentations, panel discussions, live music, and a focus in 2024 on collaboration among bluegrass, old-time, and Asian music. (Murphreesboro, TN)
  • Reeves Downtown School of Music, The Tunes and Trails Camp Bluegrass Day and Community Concert is a camp hosted by the local JAM (Junior Appalachian Musicians) program. (Elkin, NC)
  • Savannah Music Festival, Two public performances will honor the 100th birthday year of Bluegrass Hall of Famers Earl Scruggs and Doc Watson with stories and songs. (Savannah, GA)
  • Earl Scruggs Center, “Born of the Broad River: The Life and Career of Earl Scruggs in his own words, 1924-1945” is a new exhibit that celebrates the 100th birthday of Earl Scruggs. (Shelby, NC)
  • Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center, The Stecoah JAM (Junior Appalachian Musicians) program will host a weekend of workshops for students in western North Carolina and beyond, led by professional musicians at the 10-acre art center campus. (Robbinsville, NC)
  • Tellico Plains JAM, The afterschool Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM) programs teach traditional Appalachian and bluegrass music to 4th – 12th graders.  (Tellico Plains, TN & Madisonville, TN)
  • Peter Ward, A project grant will help with travel expenses from the U.K. to Murfreesboro, TN, where Dr. Ward will host a “Bluegrass in Britain and Ireland” workshop for U.S.-based academics and researchers at the String Band Summit to be hosted at Middle Tennessee State University. Ward (Durham University – U.K.) will collaborate with Dr. Mat Ord (Newcastle University – U.K.) and Dr. Lee Bidgood (East Tennessee State University) on a larger project to research and document the history of bluegrass in the U.K. (Palace Green Durham, United Kingdom)
  • Westport Folk & Bluegrass Festival Universities, A partnership and collaboration of three academic institutions (two from the U.S. and one from Ireland) to research, explore, and promote the deep-rooted cultural connections between bluegrass, old-time, and Irish traditional music, will take place during the weekend of the Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival. (Westport, County Mayo, Ireland).
  • Wintergrass Music Festival, The “Pay what you can” program will help with participation expenses for JAMz 1 (pre-school), JAMz 2 (elementary and middle school), JAMz3 (high school and college), and Youth Orchestra (high school) programs for young musicians at Wintergrass, 2024. (Bellevue, WA)

2023: 

  • Appalachian Fiddle and Bluegrass Association, a historic mural preservation and exhibit (Wind Gap, PA)
  • ArtsQuest, an educational bluegrass event for the public (Bethlehem, PA)
  • Asheville Symphony Society, Asheville Amadeus Festival, with artist in residence Bela Fleck working with youth orchestra and JAM groups (Asheville, NC)
  • Birthplace of Country Music Museum, “I’ve Endured”: Women in Old-Time Music exhibit (Bristol, TN/ Bristol, VA)
  • California Bluegrass Association, Bluegrass Bridge program which brings bluegrass music to incarcerated individuals at Avenal State Prison and beyond, through live performances, workshop and donated instruments (San Francisco, CA)
  • East Tennessee State University, String Band Summit (Johnson City, TN)
  • Junior Appalachian Musicians, promotion and recruitment for JAM bluegrass programs at schools in five-state region (Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and South Carolina)
  • Louisville Folk Music School, youth bluegrass summer camp (Louisville, KY)
  • Miraleste Intermediate School, school bluegrass club with supplemental fiddle and banjo instructors (Huntington Beach, CA –
  • Queen Bee Music Association, Queen Bee’s Kids Bluegrass Camp (Crested Butte, CO, and Santa Fe, NM)
  • RVA Bluegrass Jam, Marathon Jam April 22, 2023, featuring free educational concerts from local and regional bands with proceeds to benefit veterans through the Fisher House and Liberation Veterans Services (Richmond, VA)
  • Tryon Fine Arts Center, Pathways: Sustaining Junior Appalachian Musician involvement at Earl Scruggs Music Festival (Tryon, NC)
  • Wintergrass Music Festival, Eclectic Styles Youth Orchestra (Bellevue, WA)

2022: 

  • Ashe County Arts Council, Ola Belle Reed Songwriter’s Retreat (West Jefferson, NC)
  • Ballard Performing Arts Booster Club, Ballard High School Fiddlers (Seattle, WA)
  • Bluegrass Battles Hunger, Artist in Residency (St. Joseph, MO)
  • Cabell County Schools, Developing a New Appreciation for Bluegrass Music through Artists in Schools (Huntington, WV)
  • Carrizozo Elementary School, American Roots Guitar with Bill Evans (Carrizozo, NM)
  • East Tennessee State University, 2022 String Band Summit (Johnson City, TN)
  • Monroe Mandolin Camp, 9th Annual Monroe Mandolin Camp (Abingdon, VA)
  • Annie Savage, Free Strings: Join the Jam Bluegrass Module (North Liberty, IA)
  • The Earl Scruggs Center, Roots and Strings: The Foundations of Bluegrass (Shelby, NC)
  • Sisters Folk Festival, Bluegrass Jam Camp (Sisters, OR)
  • Tellico Plains Junior Appalachian Musicians (Tellico Plains & Madisonville, TN)

2021:

  • The Archbold Music Commision; Industrial Strength Bluegrass: An Evening with Joe Mullins & the Radio Ramblers (Archbold, OH)
  • Birthplace of Country Music, Pick Along! Summer Camps (Bristol, VA/TN)
  • Bluegrass Hall of Fame and Museum, Virtual Bluegrass in the Schools & Assembly (Owenboro, KY)
  • Ferrum College, Appalachian Instrument Library (Ferrum, VA)
  • Georgia Elementary and Middle School, Bluegrass Intensive Middle School Unit (Georgia , VT)
  • Minnesota Bluegrass & Old-Time Music Association, Grass Seeds at Fall Jam and Winter Weekend (Minneapolis, MN)
  • Queen Bee Music Association, Queen Bee’s Kids Bluegrass Camp (Santa Fe, NM)
  • Wintergrass Music Festival, Pocketgrass Youth Academy Club with “Mr. Joe” and the  Youth Orchestra (Bellevue, WA)

2020:

  • Acoustic Music Seminar, Savannah Music Festival (Savannah, GA)
  • Ballard High School Fiddlers (Seattle, WA)
  • Bluegrass Day Camp for Kids, Lake Superior Big Top Chautauqua (Washburn, WI)
  • IBMA Leadership Bluegrass program (Nashville, TN)
  • Mateřská škola Bludovice, Kindergarten Bludovice:  Bluegrass to Kindergartens (Nový Jičín, Czech Republic)
  • Showtimers Community Theater, A Life of Sorrow: The Life & Times of Carter Stanley (Roanoke, VA)
  • Stokes Junior Mountain Music and 3rd Saturday Grass (Danbury, NC)
  • Yadkin Junior Appalachian Musicians (Yadkinville, NC)

2019:

  • Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum, Bluegrass Music Educational Tours (Owensboro, KY)
  • The Bradford House Historical Association, Exploring the Roots of Bluegrass at the Whiskey Rebellion Festival (Washington, PA)
  • California Bluegrass Association Father’s Day Festival, Fostering Closer Ties with Japanese Pickers and Fans (Grass Valley, CA)
  • City of Morganton, NC Parks & Recreation, Junior Appalachian Musicians “JAM” Program (Morganton, NC)
  • Durango Bluegrass Meltdown, Bluegrass in the Schools Program (Durango, CO)
  • The Hindman Settlement School, Pick & Bow After-School Music Program (Hindman, KY)
  • The Kanack School of Musical Artistry, Bluegrass Program (Rochester, NY)
  • The Monroe Mandolin Camp, youth scholarships (Nashville, TN)
  • San Diego Bluegrass Music Society, Summergrass Kids Camp (San Diego, CA)
  • The Wintergrass Youth Orchestra (Bellevue, WA)

2018:

  • Black Swamp Arts Council, Tri State Youth Bluegrass Initiative (Archbold, OH)
  • Bluegrass Ambassadors with the Hanna Miners, Silver Sound Foundation (Carbon County, WY)
  • Coda Mountain Academy Summer Music Festival (Fayetteville, WV)
  • The Crooked Road: Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail, Professional Development Seminar for Musicians (Abingdon, VA)
  • Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival (Fairbanks, AK)
  • Grey Fox Educational Fund, Grey Fox Bluegrass Academy for Kids (Oak Hill, NY)
  • Makers Guild of Maine, Vacationland Bluegrass Camp (Searsport, ME)
  • Nashville School of Traditional Country Music (Nashville, TN)
  • San Diego Folk Heritage, Julian Family Fiddle Camp (San Diego, CA)

2017:

  • Acoustic Sound, Wintergrass Youth Education Program—Youth Academy and Orchestra, Pintgrass, Youth Academy Teacher Training, Rhapsody Songsters (Bellevue, WA)
  • Coda Mountain Academy, Inc., two-week residential music camp focusing on bluegrass and classical music (Fayetteville, WV)
  • The Greater Ozarks Bluegrass Society, John Wynn College Scholarship (Springfield, MO)
  • Madison County Arts Council, Junior Appalachian Music program, PA system for Madison county schools (Asheville, NC)
  • McCall Folklore Society, Kids Mountain Music Camp at Ponderosa State Park (McCall, ID)
  • Podunk Bluegrass Music Festival, The Mosaic Project on bluegrass instrumentation, songwriting and personal artistry (Hebron, CT)

2016:

  • Burris Laboratory School, The Beginning Bluegrass Program: Let’s get Jamming—12 weekends of lessons (Muncie, IN)
  • Northern California Bluegrass Society, Walker Creek Music CampYouth Scholarship Fund (West Marin County, CA)
  • POSAM—extended after-school program, five-day camp, 13 after-school and home schools plus a camp for 300 children aged 8-14  (three counties in SC)
  • Screen Door Songwriting Alliance, Listen Up Brunswick County—Songwriting in the Schools program twice a month (counties of coastal North Carolina)

2014:

  • Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM), 28+ traditional youth after-school music programs (VA, NC, SC and TN)
  • Toe River Arts Council, Inc., Bringing Bluegrass Back Home—school presentations and after-school program at seven schools (Mitchell and Yancy, NC)
  • West Virginia University Foundation. WVU College of Creative Arts, School of Music West Virginia University; Bluegrass and Old-Time Instruction—intermediate-level instruments and PA system (Morgantown, WV)
  • Wheeling Park High School Bluegrass Bands—after-school program and PA system (Wheeling, WV)

2013:

  • Cowan Community Action Group, Inc., Expansion of Passing the Pick and Bow—after-school program in five schools (Letcher County)
  • The Folk School, 88.1 KDHX-FM, bluegrass classes, jams and workshops (St. Louis, MO)
  • Fractured Atlas Last of the Breed, The Dave Evans Story—film documentary (Buffalo, WV)
  • Hazard Community and Technical College, Bluegrass Music in the Mountains—bluegrass presentations by staff for local elementary and high schools (Hazard County, KY)
  • North Carolina Museum of History Foundation, North Carolina Bluegrass: The Golden Years—exhibit on the role of NC on the creation and popularization of bluegrass music during 1950s – ‘80s (Raleigh, NC)

2012:

  • Berklee Society for the Preservation of Traditional Music, dba Freight and Salvage Coffeehouse; 48 Bluegrass Jamming 1, Bluegrass Ensemble, and Introductory Banjo & Guitar classes and workshops (San Francisco, CA)
  • The Crooked Road: Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail, The Crooked Road’s Artist Roster & School Performance Program—school presentations and after school programs (19 counties of Southwest VA)
  • Durango Bluegrass Meltdown; Kid’s Program, Bluegrass in the Schools & Kid’s Bluegrass Workshops & Jam Sessions—school presentations, jams and workshops (Southwest CO)
  • Guitars in the Classroom, Reviving Music with Bluegrass Traditions in Clay County Schools (Clay County, WV)

2011:

  • Common Ground on the Hill Bluegrass Youth Scholarship, Traditions Week II (Westminster, MD)
  • Look & Listen, Inc. (Twang Box Productions), True Songs: An Online Archive & History Project—aired on 500 NPR radio stations (Brooklyn, NY)
  • Munich Bluegrass Friends, fund to teach students bluegrass beginning at age five (Munich, Germany)
  • Molly Tuttle, scholarship to study bluegrass & songwriting at Berklee College of Music (Boston, MA)