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Nature of <br />Organization <br />Arts Organization <br />Organization <br />Description <br />Musical Empowerment (ME) is an innovative and growing 501 (c) (3) <br />nonprofit based in the Triangle. W e provide free, one-on-one music <br />lessons, instruments, and mentoring to almost 300 children across our 9 <br />college chapters, children who would not otherwise be able to afford private <br />music lessons. Children enrolled in the program are paired with college <br />students who volunteer to teach them weekly, with music as common <br />thread that unites everyone. Music knows no boundaries or borders. It is a <br />language that all cultures share, and it manages to transcend cultural <br />conflict. Music builds self-confidence and self-value, and ME creates a <br />space in which people from diverse backgrounds can help and learn from <br />each other. <br />Musical Empowerment aims to serve local historically under-resourced <br />youth in terms of opportunities, while allowing college students to give back <br />to the community in a personal and engaging way. The one-to-one <br />mentoring relationships our students and teachers develop through music <br />are mutually beneficial. Kids learn how to play an instrument, read music, <br />and perform, through which they learn the value of becoming a contributing <br />member of their local community and develop discipline, responsibility, <br />patience and confidence. College volunteer mentors learn how to develop <br />and follow a curriculum for effective music lessons, how to communicate <br />with children and parents, how to be encouraging and supportive mentors, <br />how to actively enable their students to succeed, and the importance of <br />volunteering in the local community. Musical Empowerment is mutual <br />empowerment. <br />ME is administered by two paid staff members, an Executive Director and <br />Program Coordinator. The staff oversees the vision and growth of the <br />organization, supports and guides chapter leaders, establishes policies and <br />procedures to ensure safe and effective implementation of the programs, <br />evaluates programs effectiveness, develops trainings, resources and <br />curriculum for ME mentors, seeks new chapters and opportunities for <br />growth, and fundraises for the organization. Further, our National Board of <br />Directors and Board of Advisors, including professional private music <br />teachers and business professionals, offer guidance to staff. <br />Each of our 6 North Carolina chapters (UNC-Chapel Hill, NC State, W ake <br />Forest University, East Carolina University, North Carolina Central <br />University, and Duke) is led by a core leadership team of undergraduate <br />student volunteers who run the day-to-day operations of ME. The student <br />leaders receive support, guidance, training, and mentoring from ME staff. <br />In 2024, 115 Chapel Hill-Carrboro K-12 students were enrolled in ME’s <br />program, each paired with an individual mentor, preserving the one-to-one <br />ratio that we find best supports the musical development of each student. <br />75% of our students come from families that identify as low-income and/or <br />qualify for free-and-reduced lunch. 63% of our students identify as people <br />of color, with 16% African American, 8% Asian American, 32% <br />Hispanic/Latino, 7% Multiracial, >1% Indigenous, and 24% Caucasian. The <br />Docusign Envelope ID: A088DBE6-D660-4E65-9431-68A51B6BCD38