A Message From Our Founder
Support the Never Say No Initiative today!
Make a gift to help Forte reach more underserved youth.
About The Initiative
At Forte Community Music Project, we are on a mission to unite the world—one voice at a time. Through our Community Music Project, we leverage the transformative power of the arts to inspire youth to reach their fullest potential. The main obstacle standing in our way is financial resources.
This past fall, Forte had an incredible opportunity to launch three new programs at two different schools on Chicago’s south and north sides. Unfortunately, we had to delay the launch of these programs because the schools couldn’t afford the initial startup costs of launching a new program and Forte didn’t have enough money to subsidize the program fully. That is why we need your support to fulfill our commitment to making high-quality music education accessible for everyone, regardless of their prior experience or financial ability. We are excited to announce the Never Say No Initiative—an annual fundraiser and awareness campaign to support Forte’s singer scholarship fund.
Bringing the Transformative Power of Music to More Youth
It was a devastating decision to postpone our in-person programs this fall. Both schools had secured funding from outside sources to bring Forte’s unique music education programs to their students; however, their funding fell through just before the launch of each program. Forte is committed to making our programs as accessible and affordable as possible for our singers and partner schools; therefore, we fundraise to provide scholarships to help subsidize the cost of our programs. This is where you come in.
Please consider making a donation to the Never Say No Initiative. A gift of any size goes a long way in assuring Forte will have the financial resources to say yes to more students in 2023. We are seeking to raise $50,000 to grow Forte’s singer scholarship fund – $25,000 to fund the initial costs of launching the three delayed programs in the 2022 Winter Term and an additional $25,000 to build Forte’s surplus of scholarship dollars so that we never have to turn down a school again in 2023. Our vision is to never have to turn a student or partner school away again because of their financial ability. Meeting this goal will mean that we can serve up to 75 new singers across Chicagoland this year.
Forte needs your help to fulfill our commitment to Never Say No again. Join us today by making a contribution online. Visit our website, www.fortecmp.org/NeverNo, for more information.
Please don’t hesitate to email us at mpope@fortecmp.org if you have any questions or would like to discuss the campaign further.
About Forte
Forte Community Music Project was founded in 2017 with one goal in mind—uniting the world one voice at a time. Forte is a local, black-led, community-oriented, Chicago-based, 501 (c)(3) non-profit community music school dedicated to leveraging our community and the transformative power of the arts to change lives through music.
Forte strives to never build a building, but instead take high-quality music education to places that are already serving the community—after-school programs, schools, churches, community centers, etc. We provide one-on-one and group voice lessons for singers ages 12 and up who would otherwise not have access. We primarily serve youth on Chicago’s south and west sides, but thanks to our Virtual Voice Lesson Program, we now serve youth and adults nationwide.