With students returned to local schools, they will see some new equipment in their band and music departments. This summer, the Electric Forest Charitable Fund awarded $20,000 in grants, including another $10,000 earmarked for their Music in Schools program. Continuing their commitment to uplifting local communities, Electric Forest also provided four grants to support community, arts, music and preservation.
The Music in Schools Program, now in its seventh year, supports music in Oceana County public schools. Its goal is to make music education accessible for area students and that impact continues to expand. Inspired by Electric Forest’s seed grant of $10,000, nine more Foundation funders contributed matching funds that have quadrupled this year for a $40,000 investment in music education. These contributors included: Little Point Sable Arts Fund, David P Markiewicz Memorial Fund, Carnes Family Fund for Music Arts Camp, Patrick "Rick" Aerts Band & Music Therapy Fund, Happy Farmers Art of Living Fund, Malcolm "Pete" Wood Memorial Fund, Randall and Linda Wagner Family Fund, Edward & Evelyn Kolbe Family Fund and the JT Sackett Memorial Fund.
Grants were distributed throughout Oceana County public schools. This year the program fully supported all submitted requests from Hart Band, Hesperia Band/Choir/Music, Montague Band/Choir/Music, Shelby Band and Walkerville Band/Music programs.
This generous financial support is making a lasting difference—providing schools with new instruments, sound systems, recording equipment and more. At Walkerville Public Schools, this has paved the way to relaunch the middle school band for the 2025–26 school year and continue growing the elementary music program, which returned in January 2024 after a five-year hiatus. The revival of music and band is more than a program restart—it’s a powerful investment in creativity, learning and student engagement.
The Electric Forest Charitable Fund also places strong emphasis on preserving and promoting the arts and natural environment in area communities. The fund awarded $8,000 through the Foundation’s Community Grant Round to support projects that creatively blend art and nature—including a mural in the Village of Hesperia, beach restoration in Pentwater Township and the removal of invasive species at the Walkerville Women & Girls Camp.
And finally, a Community Support Grant was awarded to the Oceana Community Foundation to help sustain daily operations and expand its impact across the region.
