Omaha Conservatory of Music to Receive Grant from National Endowment for the Arts

Omaha, NE – National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Mary Anne Carter has approved more than $84 million in grants as part of the Arts Endowment’s second major funding announcement for fiscal year 2020. Included in this announcement is an Art Works award of $10,000 to Omaha Conservatory of Music for our String Sprouts program. This is one of 1015 grants nationwide that the agency has approved in this category.

“These awards demonstrate the resilience of the arts in America, showcasing not only the creativity of their arts projects but the organizations’ agility in the face of a national health crisis,” said Mary Anne Carter, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. “We celebrate organizations like Omaha Conservatory of Music for providing opportunities for learning and engagement through the arts in these times.”

“It’s so important for every child to have a music education to build life skills and boost academic outcomes, not to mention the pure joy of making music. We’re so excited the National Endowment for the Arts recognizes the value of String Sprouts and is helping us make that dream a reality for the young people in our community and beyond,” said Ruth Meints, Executive Director of Omaha Conservatory of Music.

The String Sprouts program brings free classes and instruments to 3- and 4-year-olds, at strategically selected areas of Omaha and beyond, who otherwise wouldn’t have access to such opportunities. Ruth has created a unique curriculum that includes delightful new repertoire written by a young, local composer Dryden Meints. Watch them — and others — talk more about this program in a video on our website at http://www.stringsprouts.org/about-sprouts.

For more information on this National Endowment for the Arts grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news