Community Foundation Invests $54,000 in Music Education Through 2026 Neel Family Fund Grant Awards

​Joe K. Neel, Jr. believed that music changes young lives, and through the Community Foundation of Grand Forks, East Grand Forks & Region, his legacy is showing up in classrooms, rehearsal halls, and concert stages across the region. 

Recently, the Community Foundation awarded $54,000 through the Neel Family Fund Grant Program to four organizations supporting music education initiatives that will provide meaningful learning, performance, and artistic enrichment opportunities for hundreds of youth across Grand Forks County. 

“Joe understood something that research has long confirmed - that music education shapes not just musicians, but confident, creative, engaged young people." said Becca Baumbach, President & CEO of the Community Foundation. "These grants are a reflection of that belief, and we're proud to help carry it forward."

The 2026 Neel Family Fund Grant recipients include:

• Manvel Public Schools – Band, Choir, and Elementary Concept Project: Strengthening music education for preschool through 8th-grade students through concerts, musical theatre, and expanded access to instruments and performance resources.
• Grand Cities Children’s Choir – More Than Music: Supporting the purchase of a Yamaha Clavinova piano, chromatic hand chimes, and part-time instrumental instruction to expand hands-on music learning for nearly 250 singers.
• Northern Valley Youth Orchestras – Supporting Symphonic Readiness: Expanding chamber music instruction, mentoring, and preparatory ensemble opportunities for young musicians.
• Greater Grand Forks Symphony Orchestra – Young Audiences Concert: Partnering with Carnegie Hall’s Link Up program to provide 4th and 5th grade students with classroom music instruction and the opportunity to perform alongside GGFSO musicians.

These projects reflect the continued impact of the Neel Family Fund Grant Program in expanding access to music education and helping young people across the region build creativity, confidence, and a lifelong appreciation for the arts. 

The Neel Family Fund was established by Joe K. Neel at the Community Foundation of Grand Forks, East Grand Forks & Region to support and strengthen music education opportunities for children and youth ages 18 and younger throughout Grand Forks County. A lifelong lover of music, Neel recognized the important role music plays in youth development and education. 
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Through annual grant awards, the fund helps school music programs, youth bands, choirs and orchestras, summer music opportunities, the purchase of instruments and music, and educational experiences with guest conductors and clinicians. The fund is intended to enhance and expand music education resources rather than replace existing support, ensuring young people throughout the region have access to meaningful musical experiences for generations to come.