Participants in the Heartbeat Music Project, which won a 2022 Accelerator Award from the Lewis Prize for Music. The Heartbeat Music Project provides free music and cross-cultural education to Diné youth on the Navajo Reservation in Crownpoint, New Mexico.
The Lewis Prize for Music, which invests in youth music programs to facilitate positive community change, is currently accepting applications for its fifth annual Accelerator Awards. The Accelerator Awards are open to creative youth development music organizations seeking to influence youth-serving systems to give young people access to learning, creating, and performing experiences that reflect their culture and identity. The Lewis Prize for Music will give multi-year awards of $500,000 to selected organizations in January 2024. By applying for the Accelerator Awards, organizations are also eligible for funding ranging from $15,000 to $500,000. Awards are given through a process of evaluation from diverse leaders in music, education, policy, research, philanthropy, and community organizing; this includes young adult alumni leaders from creative youth-development programs. The deadline to apply is Friday, June 2. Learn more about the application process, guidelines, and past Accelerator Awardees at thelewisprize.org/apply.
