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Organizational Goals Can you imagine life without music—a powerful communicator, healer, and <br />catalyst for social change? In North Carolina, where 25% of students live <br />in poverty without access to music education, we are driven by the <br />transformative potential of music. At Musical Empowerment, we provide <br />free music lessons and mentorship to underserved children because every <br />child deserves personalized music education and the life-changing benefits <br />of mentor relationships. Studies show that low-income students engaged in <br />the arts are five times more likely to graduate high school and twice as <br />likely to graduate college. Music not only fosters social, emotional, and <br />academic growth but also opens doors to greater opportunities later in life. <br />Through music education, we aim to empower students and their mentors, <br />nurturing their confidence and resilience. <br />Our goal is to instill a lifelong appreciation for music in Musical <br />Empowerment students, empowering them to graduate high school, pursue <br />higher education, and become mentors themselves. Mentorship <br />significantly enhances upward mobility and positive outcomes for children <br />in underserved communities. According to mentor.org, youth with mentors <br />are more likely than their peers to graduate high school, attend college, and <br />give back as mentors later in life. The average cost per youth served by <br />mentorship programs nationwide is $1,695 annually. In contrast, Musical <br />Empowerment achieves these impactful results for less than half that <br />amount, at $711 per student in 2024. W ith a $5,000 grant, we could <br />support seven more student/mentor pairs in Orange County for the entire <br />year, offering them the same life-changing opportunities through music <br />education and mentorship. <br />How will you <br />evaluate whether or <br />not your goals have <br />been met? <br />Musical Empowerment measures success and effectiveness through <br />quantitative data (number of children enrolled, survey results), qualitative <br />data (testimonials), and patterns noted using our program software system <br />(participation, retention). <br />- Parents, students, and mentors complete evaluation surveys at the end of <br />each semester. These evaluations track the child’s musical growth, <br />progress of the mentor/mentee relationships, academic improvement, self <br />confidence, and communication skills, among others. Our most recent <br />survey (Spring 2025) was completed by over 180 parents, students, and <br />college mentors. <br />- Testimonials reflect the anecdotal experiences from all parties involved <br />and help troubleshoot and/or highlight methods others can adopt. The <br />responses help to track student progress over time and inform changes to <br />the curriculum and mentoring for future semesters. <br />- A Historical Study was conducted in 2021 and showed that most <br />participants reported a positive overall experience (students 100%, <br />mentors 98%, parents 97%). ME is preparing to conduct another Historical <br />Study of our alumni base within the next year. <br />Musical Empowerment has experience evaluating the impact of key funders <br />in special projects and has frequently prepared timely impact reports for <br />major partners, including The Kenan Charitable Trust Foundation, Mary <br />Duke Biddle Foundation, the Oak Foundation, United W ay of the Greater <br />Triangle, Triangle Community Foundation, and more. <br />Docusign Envelope ID: A088DBE6-D660-4E65-9431-68A51B6BCD38