AGEHR Endowment Fund Application/Approval Process
The AGEHR Mission: The American Guild of English Handbell Ringers Inc. (AGEHR) is dedicated to advancing the musical art of handbell/handchime ringing through education, community, and communication.
The AGEHR Endowment: AGEHR supports the use of handbells in traditional ways and settings. It also promotes the development of new styles, uses, and circumstances. The primary purpose of AGEHR is to educate handbell directors and ringers, and to help them realize their full musical potential.
The AGEHR Endowment Fund is the organization's charitable branch. Its funds are distributed to qualifying applicants to encourage and support creative projects. Grants are made to individuals, organizations, and AGEHR subgroups for projects that support the mission of AGEHR.
Applying to the AGEHR Endowment
Applicants to the AGEHR Endowment Fund must be members of AGEHR. Projects to be supported must meet the following requirements:
1) serve the mission and ideals of AGEHR
2) demonstrate that other sources of funds have been secured
Please note that AGEHR Endowment does not award funding for attendance for traditional conferences/seminars/workshops. (Please contact the AGEHR office about one of our scholarship funds for this purpose.) In addition, applicants should apply for support in one or more of the following program areas.
Research and Education: The project must promote research or education of new handbell/handchime technique or styles. The research must be scientifically defensible and sufficiently developed to be eligible for publication.
Handbells for the Musically Underserved: The project must benefit and/or support an organization(s) without access to handbells/handchimes. Eligibility may include a musically underserved population not part of a formal ongoing music program.
Formal Education: The project must promote and stimulate the use of handbells/handchimes in formal education. To be eligible, the instruments must be used in appropriate classes and may be used as a performance instrument.
Handbells for Special Groups: The project must promote and stimulate the use of handbells/handchimes with special groups. To be eligible the program must be supervised by a qualified music teacher/therapist and involve a musically underserved population.