Music Freq Fund for Kids

Seven Los Angeles–based organizations chosen for maximum youth music and arts impact.

 

The Music Frequency Fund

The Freq Fund for Kids is dedicated to expanding access to music education across Los Angeles. We believe every child deserves the chance to explore sound, rhythm, creativity, and self-expression — regardless of background or financial ability. In music, “frequency” is the tone and resonance of a note; for young people, it’s the vibe, energy, and confidence they discover when they create. Our mission is to help kids find that frequency — and amplify it.

The Fund supports:

  • music lessons and mentorship
  • access to instruments and equipment
  • creative workshops and after-school programs
  • partnerships with schools, teachers, and local arts organizations
  • inspiration-based events that introduce children to the joy of music

How Your G7 Hoodie Helps

Every purchase of the official G7 hoodie contributes $10 directly to the Fund. These contributions help launch and sustain programs that bring music into children’s lives, opening doors to confidence, emotional health, academic support, and artistic growth.

Together, we amplify the next generation of creators.

The Seven Chosen Organizations

These seven nonprofits were selected for their proven impact, long-term commitment to underserved youth, and their ability to provide 100% free, high-quality music and arts education to children who otherwise would not have access.

Each represents a different entry point into the creative world — orchestral performance, songwriting, therapy, mentorship, or interdisciplinary art — ensuring that every student in Los Angeles can find a path that fits their personality and potential.

1. Harmony Project

Focus

Long-term music education, ensembles, mentorship

Founded

2001

Service Area

South LA, Mid-City, Hollywood, Inglewood, Koreatown

Who They Serve

Students from low-income, high-risk communities, K–12

Why We Selected Them

Harmony Project is widely regarded as the gold standard of equitable youth music education. Their program is fully free and deeply long-term — students can stay in the program for 10+ years, creating life-long skill and stability. Their “music as prevention” model has documented reductions in dropout rates, gang involvement, and academic disengagement.

Website

https://harmony-project.org

Impact Highlights
  • 95% graduation rate among students
  • 100% free instruments and instruction
  • 400+ hours of instruction per year per student
  • Multi-level orchestras, choirs, and peer mentorship

2. Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA – LA Phil)

Focus

Orchestral instruction, full-year music education, performance

Founded

2007

Service Area

Inglewood, East LA, South LA, Westlake, and the Beckmen YOLA Center

Who They Serve

Elementary–high school students from historically marginalized neighborhoods

Why We Selected Them

YOLA is Los Angeles’ most visible and ambitious free orchestra program, inspired by Venezuela’s “El Sistema.” Backed by the LA Philharmonic, YOLA offers world-class teaching, performance opportunities on iconic stages, and structural pathways into college music programs.

Website

https://www.laphil.com/education/yola

Impact Highlights
  • Tuition-free, instrument-free for every student
  • 12+ hours/week of ensemble rehearsals and sectionals
  • Students perform at Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl
  • Strong college guidance for both arts and non-arts majors

3. Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA)

Focus

Multi-disciplinary arts, music instruction, tutoring, wraparound support

Founded

1989

Service Area

Westlake, Rampart, downtown LA

Who They Serve

Students ages 6–24 from low-income, immigrant, refugee, and foster backgrounds

Why We Selected Them

HOLA combines serious music instruction with an ecosystem of academic support, wellness services, and after-school care. It provides stability for kids who need more than just music — they need a safe community space and long-term relationships with mentors.

Website

https://www.heartofla.org

Impact Highlights
  • 100% free programming
  • 10+ ensembles (choir, jazz, strings, band)
  • Full arts conservatory: music, visual art, digital production
  • Students receive college/career support and personal mentoring

4. Education Through Music – Los Angeles (ETM-LA)

Focus

In-school music education for underserved public schools

Founded

2006

Service Area

Title I elementary schools across LAUSD

Who They Serve

K–6 students who otherwise have no music program

Why We Selected Them

ETM-LA brings credentialed music teachers directly into schools that have no music at all. It is one of the highest-leverage, system-change organizations because each partnership transforms an entire school — not just the kids who sign up voluntarily.

Website

https://etmla.org

Impact Highlights
  • Serves 21,000+ students annually
  • Increases attendance, literacy, and social-emotional development
  • Provides instruments, curriculum, and teacher training
  • Fully free to students; schools are subsidized by philanthropy

5. Create Now

Focus

Creative mentoring, songwriting, arts therapy for at-risk and homeless youth

Founded

1996

Service Area

Homeless shelters, group homes, juvenile facilities across Los Angeles

Who They Serve

Youth ages 3–24 experiencing trauma, foster care, homelessness, and incarceration

Why We Selected Them

Create Now reaches the kids who usually fall through the cracks — youth in crisis settings. Their programs use songwriting, music production, dance, and art therapy to help young people process trauma and reconnect with their identity and sense of possibility.

Website

https://createnow.org

Impact Highlights
  • 100% free programs
  • Mobile programs brought directly into high-risk environments
  • 250,000+ youth served since founding
  • Specialized trauma-informed curriculum and mentoring

6. The Art of Elysium

Focus

Arts therapy, creative healing, hospital-based programs

Founded

1997

Service Area

Children’s hospitals, care facilities, and recovery centers (LA-based)

Who They Serve

Hospitalized children and youth in long-term medical care

Why We Selected Them

The Art of Elysium brings music and creativity to the kids who physically can’t access programs in the community. Their artist volunteers — musicians, performers, visual creators — deliver one-on-one and small-group creative sessions that reduce isolation and bring joy into clinical settings.

Website

https://theartofelysium.org

Impact Highlights
  • Sessions occur bedside or in recovery units
  • Focus on emotional relief, expression, and connection
  • Free for families and children
  • Collaborations with professional musicians and creators

7. Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (ICYOLA)

Focus

Orchestral training, leadership, college pathways

Founded

2009

Service Area

South LA, Crenshaw, Baldwin Hills, Inglewood

Who They Serve

Predominantly Black and Latino youth ages 9–23

Why We Selected Them

ICYOLA is the largest majority-Black youth orchestra in the country. They combine high-level music education with leadership development and cultural representation — giving students a sense of ownership and pride in a space that has historically lacked diversity and inclusion.

Website

https://icyola.org

Impact Highlights
  • Entirely tuition-free
  • Students perform at Disney Concert Hall, MLK celebrations, and citywide festivals
  • Strong mentorship for college applications and scholarships
  • Alumni frequently enter top universities and conservatories

Why These Seven

Together, these programs form a complete ecosystem:

  • Skill mastery (Harmony Project, YOLA, ICYOLA)
  • Holistic support and arts (HOLA)
  • System-wide school reform (ETM-LA)
  • Trauma-informed creative care (Create Now, Art of Elysium)

They cover the full spectrum of need — from a child in a Title I school with no music program to a youth recovering in a hospital bed who needs creative healing.

This is why they were chosen.
This is why Group 7 stands behind them.
This is where every donation moves directly into impact.