Vanessa Carlton and Industry Leaders Announce Grammy Foundation’s Key Change Grant Program Winners

Vanessa Carlton, Entertainment Industry Leaders And Past Grammy Camp Student Announce Winners Of The Grammy Foundation’s And Do Something’s Key Change Grants Program

The GRAMMY Foundation and Do Something announced the winners of the Key Change Grants program,  a unique program was created by students attending the GRAMMY Foundation’s 2008 GRAMMY Camp to encourage young people to create and promote social change through music. Key Change Grants will award a total of $25,000 to young people across North America for grassroots projects in their communities. Twenty finalists will each receive a $500 community action grant to further develop their projects and ideas. Five grand prize winners will take home grants of $3,000 for their projects and be flown to Los Angeles for two nights where they will attend the 51st Annual GRAMMY Awards on Sunday, Feb. 8, 2009 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and walk the red carpet with their idols. The telecast will be broadcast live on the CBS Television Network at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

The grand prize winners were chosen by a panel of music industry professionals that included: Paul Caine, President & Group Publisher of Time Inc.’s Style & Entertainment Group and MusiCares Board Member; multi-GRAMMY nominated singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton; Barry Harris, two-time GRAMMY Camper in the singer/songwriter career track, who worked with other Campers to help create the Key Change Grants program; Jimmy Jam, four time GRAMMY winner, Chair of The Recording Academy, and GRAMMY Foundation and MusiCares Board Member; Debra Lee, Chairman and CEO, BET Networks and GRAMMY Foundation Board Member; and Steve Schnur, Worldwide Executive of Music and Marketing for Electronic Arts, and GRAMMY Foundation Chair Emeritus.

“I feel like I have a personal obligation to help perpetuate musical creativity, particularly with young people,”said Carlton. “I don’t know if I would survive my life if I didn’t have music as an outlet. Music is oxygen and these teenagers used it to transform other people’s lives in their communities which is truly incredible.”

The Key Change Grants program joins the GRAMMY Foundation — a nonprofit institution that influences the lives of young people by opening the windows of opportunity that music can provide — with Do Something — a nonprofit organization that inspires, empowers and celebrates young people to take action in their communities.

“Music has long been a powerful tool of revolutions for change,” said the GRAMMY Foundation’s Sr. Vice President Kristen Madsen. “Key Change Grants encourage young people to use something they love — music — to improve their communities. Do Something is a natural partner for us on this project, given its successful history of working with artists to inspire youth to make a difference. And we are very pleased that our stellar panel of judges, champions of the power of music themselves, will help us select projects that bring this program to life.”

Multi-GRAMMY-nominees Death Cab for Cutie helped launch the program in Nov. 2008. “We know firsthand about music’s power to help transform important issues,” said Death Cab’s bassist Nick Harmer. “When we heard about Key Change Grants, we wanted to be part of this unique partnership that will put the power for change directly in the hands of young people.”

http://www.grammyintheschools.com
http://www.dosomething.org/

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