A PMHU Update from Molly and Bridget
Dear Friends,
Like hundreds of arts organizations across the country, Project: Music Heals Us has been impacted by the recent change in funding priorities at the National Endowment for the Arts. On May 2, we were notified that our $35,000 grant award, applied for in February 2024 and awarded in November 2024, has been withdrawn.
We wanted to take this opportunity to tell you – our wonderful community of advocates and supporters! – more about the project this grant was intended to support: Together We Climb.
Together We Climb is part of our Music For The Future program that will use Amanda Gorman’s poem The Hill We Climb as a springboard for creative expression and musical composition for students at three residencies this summer:
- Monday, July 28 – Friday, August 1: residency at Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, CA. CCWF is one of only two women’s facilities in the state of California, and the largest female prison in the world.
- Monday, August 4 – Friday, August 8: residency at The Jericho Project in Brisbane, CA. Jericho is a structured residential treatment program for recovery from substance abuse and criminal behavior.
- Monday, August 11 – Friday, August 15: residency at Home Free in San Francisco, CA. Home Free is a transitional housing program that helps criminalized domestic violence survivors and other women who’ve experienced trauma reenter communities and thrive.
During each residency, our students will collaborate with PMHU artists to create music that is inspired by Ms. Gorman’s poem, and PMHU will then commission a new work for string quintet that draws upon and incorporates the students’ compositions. This new work will be premiered in a concert on February 16, 2026 at The Juilliard School, and will be toured by PMHU’s Arts Leadership Ensemble in the subsequent season.
During each residency, our students will collaborate with PMHU artists to create music that is inspired by Ms. Gorman’s poem, and PMHU will then commission a new work for string quintet that draws upon and incorporates the students’ compositions. This new work will be premiered in a concert on February 16, 2026 at The Juilliard School, and will be toured by PMHU’s Arts Leadership Ensemble in the subsequent season.
The withdrawal of our NEA grant funding for this project is incredibly disheartening, especially given how far along we are in development for this project. However, we remain optimistic that we will be able to find alternative funding to ensure this vital work continues. PMHU exists to support the vulnerable and forgotten communities in our society, and our students at Central California Women’s Facility, The Jericho Project, and Home Free deeply deserve the opportunity to learn, grow, and challenge themselves through music. If you would like to support our efforts, please consider making a contribution to PMHU.
This news regarding termination of NEA grants comes at a time when the current administration is also proposing the elimination of both the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities – agencies that have enriched cultural access and support across our nation for decades. We urge you to take action against these proposed cuts. Please join with us in the following advocacy efforts:
Contact your elected representatives to Congress and tell them that you support public cultural investment in your community.
- Americans for the Arts provides helpful phone scripts and email & letter templates you can use for your outreach.
- The League of American Orchestras also offers talking points and a message form to directly contact your representatives.
Amplify your message on social media. Americans for the Arts offers a social media toolkit with specific guidance for posts to #ProtectTheNEA.
Connect with your state and local arts agencies for resources specific to advocacy in your community.
Our commitment to our work is stronger than ever, and we are steadfast in our belief that the power of music can heal, connect, and uplift communities across the country and around the world. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for your generous support and continued trust in Project: Music Heals Us. Onward!
With gratitude, hope, and resolve,
Molly Carr
PMHU Founder & Artistic Director
Bridget Budish
PMHU Executive Director