Four Shoreline schools win grants for music programs

Photo by Veronica on Unsplash

Four area schools, including three elementary schools and a high school, have just been awarded grants to support their music programs. 

Lake Forest Park, Syre and Meridian Park Elementary Schools, and Shorecrest High School all won music grants in late October.

The grants, made by the Women’s University Club Foundation of Seattle, support struggling public school music programs through the Foundation’s Music Counts! Program. 

Some of these are in King County school districts allocating as little as $100-200 annually for children’s music.

Schools like these then use the Music Counts! funds for basic classroom needs such as sheet music, instrument repairs and accessories, educational materials, coaching, and purchasing new instruments.

More than 25 music grant applications were received for the first round of funding, which ended in mid-October. Another group of applications from still other schools will be submitted for the second round of applications; those are due on January 11, 2027.

Additionally, for the first time, five much larger music grants of $5,000 each are available to support K-12 public school music programs throughout King County.

According to Susan Norton, Chair of the 2026 Music Counts! Program which offers the music grants,

”These larger grants will support durable and significant improvements or expansions of public school music programs.”

“We’ve particularly hoping to see applications that focus on schools with significant challenges,” said Norton.

“For example, these could include schools with a highly diversified student body, schools where large percentages of students receive free or reduced lunch programs, or schools with a lot of homeless students.”

Norton said that requirements for both grant applications can be found online at Women's University Club Grants to K– 12 Music Programs.

The five-page $5,000 music grant applications are due January 11, 2027. Awardees will be notified by February 1, 2027. Grant funds will then be expended within 18 months (or mid-2028).