A brighter future. You can do more than just wish for it.

N E I G H B O R H O O D M U S I C S C H O O L T E A C H E R ’ S B E Q U E S T P R O V I D E S
L A S T I N G S U P P O R T F O R N E W H A V E N I N S T I T U T I O N . S C H O O L
F O L L O W S H E R L E A D W I T H C R E A T I O N O F O R G A N I Z A T I O N E N D O W M E N T
In 2011, the Neighborhood Music School (NMS) will celebrate 100 years of inspiring students of all ages
through the art of music, drama and dance.
And while it’s hard to imagine a Greater New Haven landscape without the school, there was a
time in the 1940s when the school’s future was uncertain. One report called for its dissolution unless
means could be found to carry out specific recommendations and organizational changes.
Fortunately, devoted music lovers like Katharine Dana English fought to preserve the valuable
institution. Mrs. English’s relationship to NMS began just out of college when she took a teaching job
at the school in the early 1920s. The cellist would later serve 5 years as the organization’s president.
Together with a host of other supporters, Mrs. English created a strong foundation which today supports
the largest independent non-profit community arts school in Connecticut and one of the 10 largest
community arts schools in the nation.
Ensuring that there will be
more musicians for years to come
In keeping with her actions in life, Mrs. English showed her support for NMS even after
her death in 1986 when she established a designated fund by bequest. The Katharine Dana English
Fund now generates thousands of dollars annually to NMS—providing financial aid and scholarships to
its students.
Two years after the English Fund was created, NMS established an organization endowment at
The Foundation through a transfer of assets. The Fund is another way to ensure additional revenue for
the organization in perpetuity and helps the school provide music education within the New Haven area.
In total, 11 funds at The Foundation distributed tens of thousands of dollars to NMS last year.
Including a gift in your will is easy, and an endowed fund insures that a gift of
even a small percentage of your estate will have meaningful impact forever.
Ask us for more information.