Several Southern California foundations give steadily to music organizations, including the Thomas C. Ackerman Foundation and Rancho Bernardo Community Foundation. However, few in the region are more music-focused than the Colburn Foundation. This grantmaker is solely dedicated to classical music. Its founder, Richard D. Colburn, firmly wished for his philanthropy to support the performance, education and preservation of classical music composed from the 17th to early 20th century.
Here’s a closer look at this niche funder and how Southern California groups can connect with the Colburn Foundation.
Typical grant funding
Richard D. Colburn was a businessman who ran Consolidated Electrical Distributors, an electric equipment company. But he dreamed of being a professional musician and was committed to music and music education around where he lived in Beverly Hills. Colburn was an amateur viola player and a significant contributor to the Colburn School of Performing Arts in downtown Los Angeles. He was a lifetime director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, a co-founder of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and a supporter of the Los Angeles Opera. He lent instruments he collected to new musicians and hosted musicians at his Beverly Hills home to play music.
To carry on this passion for music, the Colburn Foundation continues to fund the music causes Colburn loved. It supports organizations, but not individual artists, engaged in the performance or presentation of classical music, the training of classical musicians or classical music education. The Colburn Foundation does not support grantees working in jazz, world, modern or contemporary music.
A Los Angeles focus
The Colburn Foundation is located on San Vincente Boulevard in Los Angeles, and almost all grantees are based in and operate in the Los Angeles area. At the local level, it is known for awarding multiyear grants and general operating support. However, it often provides scholarship support to educational institutions and may restrict funding to a specific program if an organization works in areas beyond classical music. Recent grantees include the Baroque Music Festival in Corona Del Mar, the American Youth Symphony in El Segundo and the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia.
The application process
This is only a somewhat accessible foundation for music organizations in Southern California. It discourages grantseekers from submitting unsolicited requests and has its own process by which it invites returning applicants and a limited number of new applicants to apply for funding. Yet the Colburn Foundation will consider new ideas, so it’s worth emailing the grants administrator, Carol Rinn, to introduce a new organization or music program and assess how receptive the foundation may be.
The Colburn Foundation considers grant applications on a rolling basis and has a board meeting four times yearly to discuss new requests. Learn more about this funder in IP’s complete profile of the Colburn Foundation, which is part of our Los Angeles & Southern California grantmaking guide.
