Supporting the IUP Community Music School

The IUP Community Music (IUPCMS) has access to first-class facilities with Cogswell Hall and a wonderful partnership with the IUP Music Department as they provide qualified and talented instructors. It’s a great match!

What we don’t have and are always looking for—typically as grants and gifts—is hard dollars for operating support. The IUPCMS receives zero dollars as a yearly budget from the university, so the reality is that if the program did not receive external underwriting support from grants and gifts, the amount we would have to charge would simply be too expensive for anyone in our region to participate and the school would close.

Over the years, we have been awarded various grants that provided the majority of the cost, as well as periodic donations from companies and generous individuals in the community. The IUPCMS would not exist without their generosity, and we are always very grateful for their support. It has kept the IUPCMS doors open and allowed the school to grow and thrive.

In order to help individuals interested in supporting the IUPCMS, we have two ways to make a tax-deductible donation—check and credit/debit card—and you can specify whether you’d like to directly support a specific IUPCMS ensemble or simply provide general operating support (the greatest need). Whether giving by either check or credit/debit card, you will receive a letter from the Foundation for IUP acknowledging your tax-deductible gift.

Methods of Payment

1. Payment by Check

• Make out to: Foundation for IUP, put “Account 4796” in the Memo line
• Mail to: Sutton Hall, Suite 419, 1011 South Drive, Indiana, PA 15705

2. Payment by Credit/Debit Card

• To support either an ensemble or general operating by credit/debit card, click on the following button to go directly to the Online Gift Form page for the Foundation for IUP:

Give to the IUPCMS

 Giving a Gift

1. Giving to A Specific Ensemble
   • The three ensemble options to give to are Crimson Youth Choir, Indiana Community Choir, and IUP University Band.
   • If paying by check, ADD to “Account 4796” in the memo line the name of the ensemble you wish to support (e.g., “Account 4796 / Indiana Community Choir”).
   • If paying by credit/debit card, indicate the desired ensemble in the Additional Comments field at the bottom of the online form.
2. Giving to General Operating
   • If paying by check, only put “Account 4796” in the Memo line.
   • If paying by credit/debit card, either leave the Additional Comments field at the bottom of the form blank, or you can put “General Operating” in it.

Giving Levels

The following are the various levels of giving:

• Virtuoso - $100.00 and above
• Maestro - $75.00–$99.99
• Conductor - $50.00–$74.99
• Patron - $25.00–$49.99
• Muse - up to $24.99

Our Valued Donors

Our donor list begins in 2020.

Businesses

If you are a business or corporation that would like to provide ongoing and regular support, please contact University Advancement. They have a number of personnel who will be glad to assist you in setting up your gift.

Grants

Over the years, the IUP Community Music School has been supported through a variety of grants. For the 2024–25 academic year, grant support was received from the following:

• Pennsylvania Council on the Arts

The IUP Community Music School is being supported in part by a Creative Sector Flex Fund grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency, through its Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts program stream partner for our region, The United Way of Clarion County. The PCA is funded by the citizens of Pennsylvania through an annual legislative appropriation and is additionally supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.

With only one rate increase in 10 years, we are committed to keeping our costs as low and affordable as possible for those in our rural area. And while we are currently able to offer scholarships to some high school age students to participate in ensembles, we would very much like to see a growing scholarship fund that also assists deserving students with private lessons.

But to be able to do so, the school must be able to consistently meet its operating expenses, which will require continued support from those individuals and businesses that want to see music continue to flourish in our region.

As always, we thank you for your support, and we look forward to generations of students making music a part of their lives.

Jeff Wacker, director
IUP Community Music School