SCV Foundation grants put more music in area schools

Posted 1/10/23

HUDSON –The St. Croix Valley Foundation (SCVF) has awarded over $47,000 to 22 schools throughout the St. Croix Valley region – in Wisconsin and Minnesota – through its Music Education …

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SCV Foundation grants put more music in area schools

Posted

HUDSON –The St. Croix Valley Foundation (SCVF) has awarded over $47,000 to 22 schools throughout the St. Croix Valley region – in Wisconsin and Minnesota – through its Music Education competitive grant program.

Music Education grants are awarded each December from the SCVF’s Music Education Field of Interest Fund. This endowed fund was established by a retired teacher who wished to give the gift of music to students of all ages – from pre-school through high school – in perpetuity. This year, seven additional grants were funded by an anonymous donor from their SCVF Donor Advised Fund.

“Music has a positive impact on student learning, self-discipline, thinking skills and creative abilities,” remarked Kris Tjornehoj, chair of SCVF’s Music Education grant panel. “And there is a pressing need to provide resources that sustain and enhance music programs in our schools – whether to repair and replace aging instruments pieced together with wire and duct-tape, give students exposure to world class musicians, or extend loaner instruments to students when their family’s financial resources are limited.”

Music Fund Education grants awarded in January 2023 included:

• $1,000 to Plum City School District, Glow Up Project

• $1,645 to Greenwood Elementary in River Falls, The Looping Project

• $2,450 to St. Bridget Parish School in River Falls, fourth grade “Angels” Orff Ensemble Establishing or giving to Field of Interest Funds is one way the St. Croix Valley Foundation provides donors with an opportunity to support causes closest to their hearts. Field of Interest Funds address a variety of causes including music education but also the arts, health and wellness, the environment, and animal welfare. The focus area of Field of Interest Funds never changes, yet the funds remain current and flexible. The St. Croix Valley Foundation cannot guess tomorrow’s issues or know which organizations will best address those issues at the time, but through Field of Interest Funds, the St. Croix Valley Foundation can place grant dollars in the most capable hands at the right time, forever.

SCVF Donor Advised Funds (like the fund that granted seven additional requests) provide donors with tax-advantages and flexibility; once established, advisors to the fund can recommend grants to any eligible charity. The SCVF can accept many forms of contributions including cash, stocks, real estate, bequests, charitable remainder trusts, etc.

“The St. Croix Valley continues to benefit from generous donors who want to give back to improve their communities,” commented SCVF Board Member Matt Thueson. “It is an honor to see our donors’ wishes spring to life each year through these grants.”

Submitted by St. Croix Valley Foundation