Project 440 Inc.

PROJECT 440 TEACHES YOUNG PEOPLE TO USE THEIR INTEREST IN MUSIC TO FORGE NEW PATHWAYS FOR THEMSELVES AND IGNITE CHANGE IN THEIR COMMUNITIES.

Project 440 is a wayfinding community for youth to ignite their creativity, envision their future, and discover the joy of service.

Goal One: Expand our creative youth development programs Doing Good, Instruments for Success, and the Youth Advocacy Council.

Goal Two: Increase professional development opportunities and training for Teaching Artists and provide additional mentorship and workforce development opportunities for the youth that we serve.

Goal Three: Increase staffing to support administrative operations and programmatic growth.

Project 440 provides professional development and training opportunities for its staff and teaching artists. In January 2023, the organization supported our executive director's attendance at the annual Sphinx Connect conference in Detroit. Our Teaching Artists also had the opportunity to participate in workshops and panel discussions. Sphinx is the largest and longest-standing convening dedicated to diversity and inclusion in classical music.

After securing funding, we piloted Doing Good II in February 2022. The program grew out of feedback from Doing Good alumni who said they wanted to develop their entrepreneurial skills and initial community service endeavors to create sustainable service projects. A six-month program, DGII featured a rigorous curriculum taught by a diverse roster of guest speakers who are leaders in their field. Topics included project management, assessing community need, trauma informed practice, evaluating impact, fundraising, and partnerships. All students received a participation stipend and each group earned program funding of $1,500, this was an increase of the funding provided in Doing Good where each group receives $500. Two of the projects were the Center City Chamber Orchestra (CCCO) which seeks to embody and support necessary societal change with innovative programming, performances, leadership, and artistic collaborations, and Generation Music which provides classical music education to underrepresented youth through workshops and lessons—solely taught by young artists. CCCO produced three concerts in spring 2022 and have established a partnership with St. Mary's Episcopal Church in West Philadelphia where they rehearse and have been named ensemble in residence. CCCO has also secured additional sponsorships to support their programs. In July 2022, Generation Music partnered with Artcinia, a community-based organization and presented a series of weekly programs at a West Philadelphia church. They returned in the fall and presented eight weeks of afterschool programming. In June 2022, The Philadelphia Citizen published an in-depth article about the Doing Good program titled “The Other Music Lessons.” Marquise Bradley, who is featured in the article, is the first Project 440 student to become a donor. He said of Doing Good, “I saw my donation as an opportunity to confirm that this is something I believe in. This is how we sustain the good that is in the world.”