Grantee portal 
A new fund at the Community Foundation Tyne & Wear and Northumberland has made its first grants. Established with a £560,000 legacy left to the Community Foundation by Cynthia Hoare, the Cynthia Hoare Fund will support a broad range of charitable purposes but with a particular focus on music.
The first four grants have been made to Hexham Abbey Festival of Music and Arts in Northumberland, Fortissimo in Sunderland, the Spanish City Rollers in North Tyneside and Pudding Chare Music Festival in Newcastle.
Jo Cundall, Senior Advisor, Culture, at the Community Foundation said:
“We were so pleased that Cynthia Hoare thought of us in her will. This fund has enabled us to make grants to organisations that use music as a way to bring people together, inspire the next generation of musicians and enjoy quality performances in our region. This first round of grants exemplifies the transformative power that music, and music making, can have on individual lives and communities.”
Hexham Abbey Festival of Music and Arts will receive £2,450 toward the overall costs of their annual celebration of music. As well as a high quality and inspiring programme of professional work, the organisation also works hard to enable people to have access to high quality music in a rural location, with a surrounding schools project and community outreach work.
Fortissimo is a community choir founded in 2023 with the principle aim of growing a fun, inclusive choir and to provide a creative outlet for the community. They are based in Springwell, Sunderland. They will receive £1,500 to support the purchase of new equipment, sheet music and uniforms as they seek to grow their membership.
The Spanish City Rollers, based in Whitley Bay, were successful in an application for £2,167 towards the ongoing running costs of hiring a professional musical director. They fulfil a need for a local organisation that is open to musicians of any standard and for rehearsals which take place in a supportive and relaxed atmosphere. This means less experienced musicians are able to participate without feeling under pressure.
And finally, a brand new organisation; Pudding Chare Music Festival will receive £1,510 to enable them to establish a new annual chamber music festival at the Lit and Phil in Newcastle. This will showcase and celebrate young professional classical musicians, many originally from the North East, who are studying at music colleges around the country. All the performers are 25 or under and the festival will celebrate the musical heritage of the North East, by programming work from local composers.