Application Guidelines

Funding is available to support students with creative outreach projects in the greater Houston community. If you are a current Shepherd School student and would like to apply for the next funding cycle, please read these guidelines. All applications are submitted online.

Here are the application questions you will be asked to answer online. Since you are not able to save an online application in progress, we suggest that you save a document version of your completed application for your reference.

What will the fund pay for?

The fund will support production costs for outreach projects such as:

  1. Purchase or rental of music
  2. Piano tuning for performances
  3. Project flyers
  4. Money to cover local transportation costs to and from the concert venue
  5. Equipment rental
  6. Video and audio recording as is appropriate
  7. Meal per diems, when applicable

You will need to research costs and provide accurate quotes to substantiate your budget requests.

Since the Sviatoslav Richter Fund is designed to promote the spirit of volunteerism, this fund will not support, in any way, the payment of musicians’ fees.

How do I apply for funding?

All applications must be submitted online.

If I receive an outreach grant, how do I receive the funds?

  • After all of the applications are reviewed by a faculty panel, you will be notified if you have received a grant by late November.
  • You will receive a combination of advance purchase orders and reimbursements from the Dean’s office to cover the costs associated with your project. It will be necessary for you to save and submit all receipts related to the project, especially for production expenses.
  • You will also be required to write a short report (one-page maximum), detailing the outcome and benefits of your project.

Are there any other guidelines for the outreach fund?

  • We ask that you post several concert flyers and announcements of your project at the Shepherd School, so that our school community will be aware of the service that you are providing to other.
  • We encourage projects that will involve two or more students from the Shepherd School, although solo projects will still be considered.