About Reading Musical Foundation
Proudly advancing and advocating for music education and appreciation in Berks County since 1926.
Focus Areas
Music educationMusic scholarshipsMusic advocacyMusic appreciationInstrument access/recycling
Who They Fund
school-age youth (after-school program participants)summer camp attendees (youth)early childhood participantsemerging musicians/aspiring music industry studentslocal community audiences and outreach participants
Funding Style
restricted/project-specific support
About Reading Musical Foundation
Reading Musical Foundation has been supporting music education and appreciation in Berks County since 1926, and its recent grantmaking shows a steady pattern of underwriting the local music ecosystem rather than isolated projects. The largest grants on file go to the Reading Symphony Orchestra for concert, education, outreach, and concert-program expenses, including $128,630 in 2024 and $126,620 in 2025. Other large awards support community-based instruction and performance, such as $49,850 to Olivet Boys & Girls Club for summer music and weekly music classes and $28,000 to Ringgold Band for concert and education expenses. The foundation also funds ensembles and presenters that shape the county’s concert calendar, including Reading Choral Society, Reading Pops Orchestra, Berks Sinfonietta, Friends of Chamber Music, and Vox Philia. Its work is tightly centered on Berks County, with grants directed to organizations that combine performance, education, outreach, and youth participation. The portfolio reflects restricted support for specific programs and expenses, not broad unrestricted operating support.
What Reading Musical Foundation Funds
Music education appears across multiple age groups in the grant list. The foundation awarded $49,850 to Olivet Boys & Girls Club for summer music and weekly music classes, and $11,000 to Yocum Institute for Arts Education for early childhood music theater and jazz programs. It also supports student participation through $7,000 to Berks Youth Chorus for scholarship and summer sing expenses. Performance is another clear theme. Reading Choral Society received $21,500 in 2024 for concert, education and concert program expenses, while Reading Pops Orchestra received $10,000 in 2024 for concert, education and concert program expenses. The foundation also backs jazz and music-industry training: Berks Arts received $13,700 in 2025 for Get Jazzed, Summer Jazz Camp, and MEC Festivals, and Goggleworks Center for the Arts received $15,000 for its Sound Studio Intensive/music industry program.
How Reading Musical Foundation Gives
Typical grants cluster in a relatively tight band: the 25th percentile is $7,575, the median is $11,000, and the 75th percentile is $20,000. Recent awards range from smaller program grants to larger six-figure support for major local institutions. The same grantees appear across multiple years, including the Reading Symphony Orchestra, Olivet Boys & Girls Club, Ringgold Band, Reading Choral Society, Reading Pops Orchestra, Berks Arts, Berks Sinfonietta, Friends of Chamber Music, and Yocum Institute for Arts Education. The foundation’s structure includes designated funds such as the David L. Kline Family Mountain Folk Fund, and its active programs include merit awards, need-sensitive scholarships, and project-specific support. Several programs accept unsolicited applications, including merit scholarships, summer music camp awards, private study and instrument upgrades, and special project funding.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$266K
Total Assets
$23.6M
Total Revenue
$1.5M
Total Expenses
$1.1M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $8K and $20K, with a median of $11K.
25th Percentile
$8K
Median
$11K
75th Percentile
$20K
Geographic Reach
Local1 state funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
KERI SHULTZ
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