Community Music School – Lehigh Valley & Berks (CMS) has been awarded a $15,000 capacity-building grant through the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation’s CORE Fellowship to support the 2025–2026 Allentown School District Community Music Scholarship Program.
The grant will make it possible for eligible Allentown School District students to enroll in free group music classes at CMS. Current offerings include Modern Band, Kindermusik, Intro to Piano, and Intro to Music Production. The initiative aims to increase access to music education for local students while fostering creativity, collaboration, and confidence.
To qualify, students must be 18 or younger (or completing their senior year of high school), attend a K–12 school in the Allentown School District, not currently be enrolled at CMS, and come from a low-to-moderate-income family that qualifies for CMS financial aid. Eligible families can learn more and apply at cmslv.org/asd-community-music-scholarship-program.
The CORE Fellowship is a two-year capacity-building program created to help nonprofit leaders and organizations across the Lehigh Valley center equity in their missions and operations. The program combines peer learning, leadership coaching, and consultant-guided equity discovery with financial support for equity-focused organizational growth.
CMS Executive Director Jeff Reed and former Assistant Director of Operations & People Laura Burcaw represented the school as Fellows in the program, joining other nonprofit leaders from organizations such as ArtsQuest, Fine Feather Foundation, and Valley Youth House.
“We’re deeply grateful to the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation for investing in our students and in our mission to make quality music education accessible to everyone,” said Reed. “This support helps us continue breaking down barriers and creating new opportunities for Allentown youth to explore the power of music.”
The grant was made possible through the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation and the generosity of its fund holders who contribute to foundation-directed grantmaking.
Photo Caption: Through support from LVCF’s CORE Fellowship Fund, CMS now offers free group music classes for eligible Allentown School District students, including Modern Band, Kindermusik, Intro to Piano, and Intro to Music Production. Learn more at cmslv.org.
Advertisement
Email your news release to info@lehighvalleywithlovemedia.com
