The MusiCounts Community Music Program provides not-for-profit organizations with grants of up to $15,000 in instruments, equipment, and resources to support music education programs at the community level.

• The MusiCounts Community Music Program celebrates diversity in music education. Funds from this program may be used to support any approach to music education and purchase any kind of musical instruments.
• No music program? No problem. Any community organization in Canada is welcome to apply to support an existing music program, or a music program that doesn’t exist yet.
• Instructors, administrators, or anyone else affiliated with the organization may prepare a grant application.
• Applications are now open.

Apply for a MusiCounts Community Music Program grant of up to $15,000 for musical instruments, equipment, and resources for your not-for-profit or community centre youth music program.

This program exists because music education is not confined to schools and classrooms. There are thousands of incredible organizations in Canada that offer inclusive and accessible music programs for youth at the community level. This program exists to support these organizations by equipping them with the instruments and gear they need to make music education possible for kids in their communities.

This grant program is open to all not-for-profit community organizations in Canada. In particular, this program is geared towards supporting organizations that do not have the instruments, equipment, and resources needed to offer an inclusive and sustainable music program for their participants. The MusiCounts Community Music Program aims to ensure that the most in-need youth in Canada have access to the benefits of music education.

Each February, organizations may apply to the MusiCounts Community Music Program. Applicants are asked to provide information about their organization and community, the instruments they hope to purchase should their application be successful, and why these requested materials are needed.

Once all applications are received, our team of adjudicators review all submitted materials very carefully. Adjudicators are asked to identify the organizations that:

• are in most urgent need of new musical equipment
• serve high-needs/under-represented student communities
• have strong plans in place to utilize the requested materials

The number of applications we’re able to support and the amount of funds we have available to allocate varies from year to year. In 2022, MusiCounts allocated $320,000 to 24 community organizations across Canada.

MusiCounts is proud to support all music education practices and teachings in Canada. In MusiCounts’ 25 year history of investing in music education, however, the majority of our resources have been allocated to music programs that reflect a Western colonial music education tradition.

In an effort to promote equal access to music education, and to foster a more diverse and inclusive music education landscape in Canada, MusiCounts is committed to investing in music education programs that empower young people to celebrate their cultural identity, as well as music programs that support BIPOC youth and other underrepresented communities.

Please reach out to Evelyn at applications@musicounts.ca with any questions that haven't been answered within the program guidelines.