Frank and Lydia Bergen Foundation
OVERVIEW: The Frank and Lydia Bergen Foundation supports programs that involve musical entertainment, concerts, and recitals “appropriate for the education and instruction of the public in the musical arts.”
IP TAKE: The Bergen Foundation prioritizes grants to organizations in the New York and New Jersey areas and those that deal with classical music forms. This funder is accessible, but lacks transparency about grantmaking strategies and grantee lists. It will be difficult to get on this funder’s radar.
PROFILE: Created in 1983, the Bergen Foundation honors the legacy of conductor Charlotte Bergen. The foundation seeks to “perpetuate Miss Bergen’s love of classical music and support of musical education by providing grants for musical performing arts and musical education.” There are no geographic limitations, but grants go primarily to organizations and individuals in New York and New Jersey.
Grants for Music
All of the Bergen Foundation’s grants are administered through Wells Fargo Philanthropic Services and applications can be completed online. Applications are accepted year-round and there are no set deadlines; however, they must be submitted by mid-July in order to be reviewed at the September grant meeting. All organizations submitting an application must be recognized as a 501(c)(3) organization. The foundation also requires that all grantees submit a progress report within six months after receiving funds.
Special consideration is given to traditional classical music programs and educational programs that aid organizations in their efforts to present classical music to the public.
Important Grant Details:
Bergen distributes around 26 grants annually, and most individual grants average between $10,000 and $50,000.
Past grant recipients include the Newark Boys Chorus School, which received $30,000, the Atlantic Coast Opera Festival, which received $11,000, the All Season’s Chamber Players, which received $5,000, and the Discovery Orchestra, which was awarded $20,000. Occasionally, under special circumstances, amounts can go as high as $70,000.
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