GRAND RAPIDS SYMPHONY Will Receive $15,000 Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts

The Grand Rapids Symphony has been approved for a $15,000 Grants for Arts Projects award from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to support Music for Health. Music for Health is an outreach program where Symphony musicians offer the healing power of music to patients facing health challenges at partner hospitals and rehabilitation centers.

This Grand Rapids Symphony project is among 1,130 projects across the country, totaling more than $31 million, that were selected during this second round of Grants for Arts Projects fiscal year 2023 funding.

“The National Endowment for the Arts is pleased to support a wide range of projects, including The Grand Rapids Symphony’s Music for Health initiative, demonstrating the many ways the arts enrich our lives and contribute to healthy and thriving communities,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “These organizations play an important role in advancing the creative vitality of our nation and helping to ensure that all people can benefit from arts, culture, and design.”

Music for Health Administrator, Diane McElfish Helle, has been a violinist with the Grand Rapids Symphony for more than 40 years. McElfish Helle commented, “We are thrilled and honored that the NEA has recognized the value of our Music for Health program and offered this support. This grant will enable us to extend our service further as we provide live music for music therapy sessions with patients recovering from brain injury, cancer, and other challenges.” 

Music for Health sends musicians into local health care settings such as Corewell Health’s Lemmen-Holton Cancer Pavilion, Rehabilitation and Nursing Center and Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital; Grand Rapids Home for Veterans, and Mary Free Bed, to provide music that targets specific medical goals and creates supportive physical, emotional, and spiritual experiences for patients, their families, and providers caring for them. Music for Health provides a powerfully therapeutic service for patients during a time that is rife with anxiety and uncertainty.

For more information on other projects included in the NEA grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.