New York, NY, 10018
The Lewis Prize for Music is now accepting 2023 Accelerator Awards applications. Accelerator Awards are open to Creative Youth Development (CYD) music organizations seeking to influence youth-serving systems so all young people have access to learning, creating, and performing experiences that reflect their culture and identity.
Multi-year awards of $500,000 each will be awarded in January 2023. By applying for the Accelerator Awards, organizations are also eligible for funding ranging from $15,000 to $50,000.
Applications are open from March 25-June 3, 2022, at 5 pm PST.
The mission of The Lewis Prize is to partner with leaders who create positive change by investing in young people through music. Our vision is for every young person, regardless of who they are or where they live, to have the opportunity to access music programs from a young age. We believe this can only be achieved through equitable systems change. Read our definition here to learn more about our understanding of systems change.
We recognize that systems change happens through a dynamic intersection of catalysts, including philanthropy. We invest in and partner with creative youth development leaders to fill gaps where systems fail and imagine new systems for young people to thrive and lead the way for future generations. We also understand that to be an effective partner in disrupting inequitable systems; we must do so from the inside out, as actors in systems ourselves. This is why the Lewis Prize strives to center racial equity in our internal practices and our funding and external relationship so that we reflect the values and change that we seek.
Creative Youth Development (CYD) organizations that are working toward systemic change are eligible to apply.
Additional requirements are:
The program/work:
Leaders* of the Organization:
*We define “leader” as someone who reports to and is solely supervised by the Board of Directors. For organizations that have more than one person reporting directly to the Board of Directors, the Leader Eligibility Requirements may be interchangeable between those leaders. Please contact TLPM for further clarification.
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