PHOENIX (September 1, 2021) – The Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) was recently awarded a $137,500 grant by Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust to support COVID-19 relief efforts and general operations. As one of 22 recent arts and culture grantees, MIM was commended by Piper Trust for providing invaluable, essential access to the arts, helping to improve our quality of life in a time when both are needed.

In 2020, MIM launched virtual versions of popular on-site educational programs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching more than 1 million children, families, and educators nationally and internationally. From virtual field trips for K–12 students to video collections addressing the needs of seniors with memory loss, MIM provides a variety of programs to make music from around the world accessible to all.

In-person programs and events have been a staple of MIM’s mission to share music since opening in 2010. The integration of virtual programming within MIM’s larger repertoire of on-site activities allows the unmatched in-person experience to be felt beyond the museum walls. MIM has recognized that virtual programs meet the needs of the often-underserved population of seniors unable to travel outside of their homes, children outside of the Phoenix, Arizona area, and educators looking to extend MIM’s on-site experience to their classrooms.

The Trust’s grant will support continuous rebuilding efforts to grow attendance and welcome more than 350,000 guests to the museum annually. This will also include the reintroduction of on-site programs, such as field trips, professional development sessions for educators, and classes focused on early childhood development.

“The trustees at Piper Trust have made a world of difference in our community, across all sectors, but certainly in support of arts and culture. We are extremely grateful for their generous grant to support MIM’s operations that will allow us to continue providing meaningful experiences both virtually and in-person,” says April A. Salomon, MIM’s executive director.

Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust has supported MIM over the past ten years, funding various efforts including the expansion of the popular, hands-on Experience Gallery that offers developmentally appropriate instruments and activities for prekindergarten through second-grade field trip participants.

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About Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust
Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust supports organizations that enrich health, well-being, and opportunity for the people of Maricopa County, Arizona. Since it began awarding grants in 2000, Piper Trust has invested more than $517 million in local nonprofits and programs. Piper Trust’s grantmaking areas are healthcare and medical research, children, older adults, arts and culture, education, and religious organizations. For more information, visit www.pipertrust.org.

About MIM
The Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) enriches our world by collecting, preserving, and making accessible an astonishing variety of musical instruments and performance videos from every country in the world. MIM offers guests a welcoming and fun experience, incomparable interactive technology, dynamic programming, and exceptional musical performances. MIM fosters appreciation of the world’s diverse cultures by showing how we innovate, adapt, and learn from each other to create music—the language of the soul.

The Musical Instrument Museum is located at 4725 E. Mayo Boulevard in Phoenix (corner of Tatum and Mayo Boulevards, just south of Loop 101). For general museum information and a full schedule of events, visit MIM.org or call 480.478.6000.

Find MIM on Facebook: Facebook.com/MIMphx
Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube: @MIMphx

Media Contact
Johann Warnholtz
Media Relations Specialist
Johann.Warnholtz@MIM.org
480.245.6953

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