The GRAMMY Foundation® Teams Up With Special Partners To Provide Cash Grants To 16 Public High Schools Through The GRAMMY® Signature Schools Community Award Program

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Dec. 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The GRAMMY Foundation^® and its GRAMMY^® Signature Schools Community Award program are partnering with Converse and Journeys to provide 16 public high schools across the United States with $2,000 cash grants to support their music programs. This initiative is one of the Foundation's GRAMMY in the Schools^® offerings, and it is supported in part by Converse and Journeys, as well as the Ford Motor Company Fund.

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"Our GRAMMY Signature Schools Community Award program evolved out of our established GRAMMY Signature Schools program," said Kristen Madsen, Senior Vice President of the GRAMMY Foundation. "The generosity of Converse and Journeys has allowed this initiative — and the music programs of the schools it benefits — to flourish. Since the program's inception, approximately $700,000 in grants has been distributed to close to 350 schools, and the impact we have seen has been profound and lasting."

This fall the following eight schools will receive $2,000 grants:

Baltimore City College High School — Baltimore
Boston Arts Academy — Boston
Chaparral High School — Las Vegas
Cleveland School of the Arts — Cleveland
East Nashville Magnet High School — Nashville, Tenn.
Furr High School — Houston
Jones High School — Orlando, Fla.
Thurgood Marshall High School — San Francisco

The remaining eight schools will be announced in 2014.

Just as the GRAMMY Award recognizes excellence in recording, the GRAMMY Foundation's GRAMMY Signature Schools program recognizes top public high schools across the country for outstanding commitment to their music education programs. Each of the GRAMMY Signature Schools will receive a custom award and a monetary grant to benefit its music program. The top programs are designated Gold recipients. The best of the Gold recipients is designated the National GRAMMY Signature School. For schools that are economically underserved, the GRAMMY Foundation established the Enterprise Award category to recognize the efforts in music education made by these schools. GRAMMY Signature Schools recipients are determined by the Blue Ribbon Committee, a panel of top music educators and professionals.

The GRAMMY Foundation established the GRAMMY Signature Schools Community Award as an extension of the GRAMMY Signature Schools program. Through this alliance, the GRAMMY Foundation identifies deserving public high school music programs to receive a $2,000 grant in partnership with its sponsor partners.

The GRAMMY Foundation was established in 1989 to cultivate the understanding, appreciation and advancement of the contribution of recorded music to American culture. The Foundation accomplishes this mission through programs and activities that engage the music industry and cultural community as well as the general public. The Foundation works in partnership year-round with its founder, The Recording Academy^®, to bring national attention to important issues such as the value and impact of music and arts education and the urgency of preserving our rich cultural heritage. In recognition of the significant role of teachers in shaping their students' musical experiences, the GRAMMY Foundation and The Recording Academy are partnering to present our first Music Educator Award. Open to current U.S. music teachers in kindergarten through college, the Music Educator Award will be given out during GRAMMY Week 2014. For more information on the Music Educator Award please visit grammymusicteacher.com. For more information about the Foundation, please visit www.grammyfoundation.org. For breaking news and exclusive content, please like "GRAMMY in the Schools^®" on Facebook at www.facebook.com/grammyintheschools, follow the GRAMMY Foundation on Twitter @GRAMMYFdn at www.twitter.com/GRAMMYFdn and join us on Instagram @GRAMMYFdn at www.instagram.com/GRAMMYfdn.

Converse Inc., based in N. Andover, Massachusetts, is a wholly owned subsidiary of NIKE, Inc. Established in 1908, the Converse brand has built a reputation as "America's Original Sports Company"™ and has been associated with a rich heritage of legendary shoes such as the Chuck Taylor^® All Star^® shoe, the Jack Purcell^® shoe and the One Star^® shoe. Today, Converse offers a diverse portfolio including lifestyle men's, women's and children's footwear, apparel and accessories. Converse product is sold globally by retailers in over 160 countries and through 79 company-owned retail locations in the U.S. For more information, visit media.converse.com.

Ford Motor Company Fund and Community Services works with community partners to advance driving safety, education and community life. The Ford Motor Company Fund has operated for more than 60 years with ongoing funding from Ford Motor Company. The acclaimed Ford Driving Skills for Life program teaches new drivers through a variety of hands‐on and interactive methods. Innovation in education is encouraged through programs that enhance high school learning and provide college scholarships and university grants. Through the Ford Volunteer Corps, more than 25,000 Ford employees and retirees each year work on projects that better their communities in 30 countries. For more information, visit www.community.ford.com.

Journeys is a leader in the teen specialty retail scene, with more than 800 stores in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Canada. Journeys uses fashion savvy and merchandising science to keep in step with the fast-paced footwear and accessories market for 13- to 22-year-old guys and girls. Journeys offers a wide variety of trendy, relevant brands that cater to teens that seek the hottest, new styles. However, the Journeys store is more than a retail environment — it's an extension of the teen lifestyle. From the plasma TVs playing exclusive content and the latest music videos, to the visual merchandising strategy and promotions, to the employees whose image and style reflect the customers' lifestyle and attitude. In addition, Journeys reaches its customers through www.journeys.com, a mobile website, catalog, national advertising, strategic cross-promotions, social media and grass-roots events like the Noise Tour. Journeys — An Attitude You Can Wear! Journeys is a division of Genesco Inc.

SOURCE The GRAMMY Foundation