Asbury Park Music Foundation wins Levitt Foundation grant
AMP music concert series to be held this summer in Springwood Park
Asbury Park Music Foundation [APMF] is among 15 nonprofits awarded a national Mortimer and Mimi Levitt Foundation grant Tuesday.
“We are so thrilled,” Executive Director Matthew Hockenjos said. “We are so happy to finally get word of this grant and we can’t thank the public enough because they really got us there with their votes.”
The Asbury Park Musical Heritage Foundation works to to preserve, exhibit and promote Asbury Park’s rich musical heritage – past, present and future.
As a part of the Levitt Amp $375,000 grant awards distributed, APMF will receive $25,000 to hold a 10-week concert series in Springwood Park, now under construction.
APMF also applied for a Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit grant via Interfaith Neighbors, Hockenjos said. If awarded the $25,000 grant, the nonprofit will use the total $50,000 to pair the concert series with collaborative initiatives, such as an art exhibit on the history of music on the west side, Hokenjos said.
“This is the first time in over 50 years that there will be live music on the west side and the first time we’ll have a public park on the west side,” Hockenjos said. “I think it’s pretty significant. It’s really an amazing opportunity and quite unique chance to allow us to celebrate the history of the music that was once present on the west side.”
APMF fist applied for the Levitt Foundation grant in October. According to the Levitt Foundation news release, applicants had to show three goals: “Amplify community pride and the city’s unique character; enrich lives through the power of free, live Music; and illustrate the importance of vibrant public Places.”
The public was given 4-weeks in November to cast online votes. The top 25 vote getters became finalists and were vetted for the final prize.
“We’re incredibly excited by this year’s Levitt AMP winners, and would like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who voted during the online competition to choose the finalists,” said Sharon Yazowski, Executive Director of the Levitt Foundation. “Each of the winning proposals made a compelling case for how the Levitt AMP Music Series will breathe new life into a public space and strengthen the social and economic fibers of their communities.”
The 15 Levitt AMP winners were: Asbury Park; North Adams, Mass.; Cleveland, Miss.; Middlesboro, Ky.; Midvale, Utah; Jacksonville, Ill.; New Albany, Miss.; and Denison, Texas; Greensboro, N.C.; Trenton, N.J.; Carson City, Nev.; Sheboygan, Wis.; Charlottesville, Va.; Utica, N.Y.; and Frederick, Md.
Each winner will present 10 free concerts featuring a diverse lineup of high caliber entertainment in 2016 as part of the Levitt AMP Music Series, according to the news statement.
APMF is currently in transition as it awaits a move into new space in the Lakehouse building, currently under construction. A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to help fund that move.
“It’s really going to be an office venue downtown for some of the local bands,” Hockenjos said.
For more information, visit their GoFundMe page.
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