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updated 08/14/2023

Save The Music loves school bands! As an organization dedicated to the vision of every student in every school making music as part of their school day, bands are our life.

That being said, Save The Music doesn’t make grants to or raise money or funds for individual school bands. We work at the school district level, jump starting new school music programs by providing musical instruments, technology and teacher professional development. Learn more about our grants for music education.

Not surprisingly though, we get questions all day every day about band fundraisers including high school band fundraising ideas, marching band fundraising ideas, band boosters fundraising ideas, and music themed fundraising ideas. We’ve compiled three categories below of the most effective and easy music fundraising ideas and links for further research and where to start.

1. Sales Partnerships

We’ve seen them all and bought them all especially for marching band fundraisers and events– from wrapping paper to citrus fruit to chocolate bars to Harry & David baskets to gift cards to Vienna sausages. Check out the following fundraising ideas, examples of great products to sell and best tips and practices for successful marching band fundraisers and beyond!

59 Fundraising Ideas for your Music Booster Group by the National Association of Music Parents (AMP). Side note: definitely be sure to get your family members and team involved for help!

Top School Fundraiser Companies and How to Choose

100+ School Fundraising Ideas

53 Proven School Fundraising Ideas by category: elementary school, middle school, high school, and college

2. Funder Platforms and Wishlists

Donors Choose, Amazon Wishlist and Adopt A Classroom are all tried and true online ways to create lists of supplies you need for your classroom. Donors Choose in particular does an excellent job of walking your donors through the donation process and connecting them to the on-the-ground impact of their contribution. They also have a powerful group of music teachers on the platform who can dedicate the time to be strong advocates for your project beyond your own networks.

3. Applying for Small Grants

Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation donates musical instruments to schools nationwide with a focus on low-income communities. Here are their grant guidelines.

Give A Note Foundation was created to strengthen music education opportunities for all students. You can request bell covers and masks here. They also provide year-round grant awards for public school teachers.

– The Conn-Selmer Division of Education is the industry leader providing exemplary programs, services, and advocacy tailored to the positive growth and development of music education worldwide. As they did in 2020, they will continue to partner with local music communities with their USA Made Stimulus program that launched on Feb. 12, 2021. This program has an additional 1 million dollars of funding to aid schools interested in purchasing any of our over 3,000 USA manufactured products. To learn more about their 2021 USA Made Stimulus Program visit this link.

– The KHS America Academic Alliance is designed to facilitate and strengthen the important symbiotic relationships with the music education community. They award grants to help pay for clinics.

Gibson Gives provides the necessary instruments and inspiration to fuel the next generation with the gift of music. If you feel your program would make a good partnership or you have a cause that you feel they should consider for support, please visit this link.

– The Guitar Center Music Foundation awards instruments and equipment to eligible music instruction programs. Learn more about their application process and apply for a grant.

Ableton in Education helps institutions across the globe engage and inspire young people through music. Thousands of Push 1 owners traded in their units to be refurbished and given to educational projects and institutions. If you’re interested in any other future education initiatives of theirs, you can sign up here.

Classics for Kids Foundation empowers young people to shape positive futures through music, build sustainable stringed instrument music programs, and provide grants for high-quality instruments. You can apply for a grant here.

Music Rising donates instruments to communities affected by natural disasters. You can get in contact with them here.

Peter R. Marsh Foundation’s Middle School Music Grant provides funds directly to music teachers for the enhancement of their classroom music education program. See www.prmfoundation.org for complete details, guidelines, and conditions.

– Lastly, the Title IV-A under Every Student Succeeds Act is federal funding to support a well-rounded education. Learn more and take action.

BONUS IDEA!

A powerful boost for your band fundraiser efforts (and definitely one of the more creative band fundraiser ideas) is to apply for one of the national awards your band program might be eligible for. These often include monetary prizes to be used for your music program and are always an effective advocacy tool. For example, one of our grantee teachers has won the GRAMMY Music Educator Award and the Global Teacher Prize. In addition, several of our schools and districts consistently rank on The NAMM Foundation’s Best Communities for Music Education. Though this doesn’t include any compensation, the distinction of your music program can help bolster support.

Have any more ideas for band fundraisers? Email them to us at [email protected] so we can share with others!