Omaha Conservatory of Music’s String Sprouts Program to Receive $15,000 Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts

Omaha, NE — Omaha Conservatory of Music has been approved for a $15,000 Grants for Arts Projects award to support String Sprouts. Omaha Conservatory of Music’s program is among the more than 1,100 projects across America totaling nearly $27 million that were selected during this second round of Grants for Arts Projects fiscal year 2021 funding.

“As the country and the arts sector begin to imagine returning to a post-pandemic world, the National Endowment for the Arts is proud to announce funding that will help arts organizations such as Omaha Conservatory of Music re-engage fully with partners and audiences,” said NEA Acting Chairman Ann Eilers. “Although the arts have sustained many during the pandemic, the chance to gather with one another and share arts experiences is its own necessity and pleasure.”

“The Conservatory’s vision is to create access to musical excellence for anyone. The String Sprouts program brings this vision into reality by enrolling over a thousand students each year in underserved areas in the Omaha area and western Nebraska. We are grateful to the National Endowment for the Arts for their partnership in making quality music education available to so many children across the state of Nebraska.” said Ruth Meints, Executive Director of Omaha Conservatory of Music.

String Sprouts, created by Ruth Meints, is a groundbreaking early-education program designed to: (1) close the learning gap for underserved children, (2) enable underserved children to break the cycle of poverty, and (3) equip caregivers of these children with resources to enable successful study habits, which promotes kindergarten readiness and sets children on a trajectory of academic success and employment. The program offers free violin, viola, cello, and bass lessons (including materials and instruments) to underserved children aged 3 to 9 years old for five years. Watch Ruth — 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