Scholarships and Grants
FOFA's primary mission is helping students discover and cultivate their passion for fine arts. We will post the application here for the scholarships in early spring 2020.
Following are select excerpts from thank-you notes received from various FOFA scholarship winners:
"I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your generous grant. Your kindness is allowing me to pursue my passions. The fact that I own my own supplies enables me to put my heart and soul into my work whenever I can -- not having to wait until art class or rely on the generosity of my teachers when it comes to loaning supplies. Organization like this (in the least cliche way possible) make students' dreams come true; thank you for helping me reach mine."
"Thank you for awarding me with the summer study grant. It allowed me to attend Blue Lake Fine Arts camp this summer, where I studied choir and vocal jazz. It was refreshing to be around students who shared the same passion for music and singing as I do, and I am grateful for the experience."
Following are select excerpts from thank-you notes received from various FOFA scholarship winners:
"I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your generous grant. Your kindness is allowing me to pursue my passions. The fact that I own my own supplies enables me to put my heart and soul into my work whenever I can -- not having to wait until art class or rely on the generosity of my teachers when it comes to loaning supplies. Organization like this (in the least cliche way possible) make students' dreams come true; thank you for helping me reach mine."
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"Thank you for awarding me with the summer study grant. It allowed me to attend Blue Lake Fine Arts camp this summer, where I studied choir and vocal jazz. It was refreshing to be around students who shared the same passion for music and singing as I do, and I am grateful for the experience."
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"Thank you very much for awarding me a scholarship to be used towards the purchase of a viola. I was at a point where my rental was no longer cutting it; I needed a quality instrument to better meet my needs, and to help me meet my musical goals. With the new instrument the resonance is greater, the tone is better, and it will definitely take me through college, where I plan to study music. Again, thank you very much!"
"Thank you very much for my grant to attend Blue Lake. I really like Blue Lake because it is an opportunity to be in an environment and community that is so passionate and knowledgeable about music. I really appreciate the opportunity to go again as I have been there two times before. The experience just keeps getting better, and I have greatly improved as a musician."
"I would like to thank you for making it possible for me to attend Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp this summer. It has been a musically-enriching experience to spend time in the presence of many who share my passion for music. It is comforting to know that even in economically difficult times, there will always be organizations with the student musician's best interest at heart. Music is a very large part of my life and it will continue to be as I move on to college next year, in part due to the great teachers at Downers Grove South and your generous contribution to my music education."
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"Thank you very much for my grant to attend Blue Lake. I really like Blue Lake because it is an opportunity to be in an environment and community that is so passionate and knowledgeable about music. I really appreciate the opportunity to go again as I have been there two times before. The experience just keeps getting better, and I have greatly improved as a musician."
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"I would like to thank you for making it possible for me to attend Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp this summer. It has been a musically-enriching experience to spend time in the presence of many who share my passion for music. It is comforting to know that even in economically difficult times, there will always be organizations with the student musician's best interest at heart. Music is a very large part of my life and it will continue to be as I move on to college next year, in part due to the great teachers at Downers Grove South and your generous contribution to my music education."
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"I cannot express how lucky and happy I was to receive the summer grant. It took a lot of financial stress off my family. At the Illinois Wesleyan University Summer Composition Institute, my eyes were literally FORCED OPEN to see many different aspects of composition I never knew of. I learned a lot of musical theory and even some atonal music. The professors and students were so eager to teach/learn. I will never forget this enriching and fun experience, and I am so glad you all helped me, and will continue helping others experience music in a way where we learn so much! Thank you!"
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"Thanks to your scholarship, I have been able to buy an entry level DSLR camera, a Nikon D3000. I have already taken almost a thousand pictures and love being able to express my artistic creativity through photography. With the new camera, I hope to explore photography and hopefully take advanced photography classes. Once again, thank you for not only providing me with a means to get a new camera, but opening a door for me and inspiring me to keep art in my life."
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"Receiving a grant towards attending a session at Blue Lakes Fine Arts Camp was greatly appreciated. This was my second time, and that opportunity would not have been possible withouth the generous support that FOFA has provided. I learned a great deal at Blue Lake and believe I will play even better this year as a result. I also know for a fact that I am able to play better at faster tempos as a result of attending Blue Lake. Once again, I thank you for allowing me the opportunity to learn so much this past summer, as well as the summer before."
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"I sincerely thank you for how much money you granted me for this year. It was very much appreciated. I used the money to go to an art camp at University of Wisconsin Green Bay in Computer Animation. The overall experience was so much fun! I met quite a few people who shared my interests, the campus was quite nice, and I got to have a little experience in what it takes to be an animator. Thank you for this great privilege to express my style in a different way."
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"Thank you so very much for providing me with a generous sum of money for my summer musical theatre endeavor. I was thrilled to be part of Stage Door Fine Arts production of "Hair." All in all, the show was a life-changing experience. I've never been much of a history buff, but after thoroughly characterizing and learning about the show, I've become more aware of the harsh reality of war, as well as those who support it and those who protest it. Musically speaking, I was able to develop new skills every day at rehearsal. The musical theatre singer's voice can be broken into two parts: head voice, and belt voice. Being a classically trained singer, I began my studies learning in my head voice, but during my time in "Hair" I have developed a better belt voice, something that comes in handy for future musicals. As you can see, I've grown a lot through my music endeavor this summer and it was made possible by the generous scholarship you allotted me."