Neutral Zone Receives Lewis Prize for Music Award of $500K
Thank you, Lewis Prize! We are overjoyed and deeply grateful to share this amazing news. Neutral Zone is a 2024 recipient of The Lewis Prize for Music’s $500K Accelerator Awards! Over $3 million will go to 11 Creative Youth Development organizations across the country. Our deepest thanks to all of the NZ staff, teens, alumni and community members who helped by participating in the application process.
We are excited to have more resources to connect youth with more community artists, host youth-driven creative projects, and build more partnerships for greater accessibility and community connections. These funds provide a sustained commitment to do the work that we know has an impact on youth in our community.
The funding also will go toward expanding Future Corps, which supports youth aged 14-24 by providing creative youth spaces and critical support in employment and education. Further, the funds will serve to build Neutral Zone’s capacity to grow our training, coaching, and consulting work to support and encourage local schools and youth-serving organizations to be more youth-driven.
We are tremendously grateful for the award and for all of the support our community has shown for NZ's mission for the past 25 years. We truly would not be here without all of the donors, staff, volunteers, leaders and advocates who have invested in and stood behind our community's youth.
About the Lewis Prize
The Lewis Prize for Music, a philanthropic music arts organization advancing systems change through Creative Youth Development, has announced its 2024 Awards distributing over $3 million. 11 Creative Youth Development (CYD) organizations nationwide have been selected for awards ranging from $150,000 to $500,000. 15 Semifinalists are receiving grants of $15,000 in recognition of their impact.
Since launching the first Accelerator Awards in 2020, The Lewis Prize has fulfilled its 5-year commitment of $20 million invested in CYD through awards, grants, and research. The foundation is excited to deepen philanthropic activity by forming new partnerships and collaborations that will advance the CYD field. Their recent partnership with Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies has increased distributed funds in the 2024 Awards!
The Lewis Prize is using its knowledge and experience to expand advocacy and support of young people in communities across the country.
Learn more about the 2024 Awardees: www.thelewisprize.org
NZ in the News
Click below to read feature articles from Ann Arbor News and Concentrate Media
Ann Arbor News MLive.com article posted January 9, 2024
Concentrate Secondwavemedia.com article posted January 20, 2024