Ways to Give

There are many ways to support NMS

Your contributions help underwrite almost everything we do and enable us to pursue our mission of providing the highest quality music instruction and making it accessible to all.

Cash. Checks should be made payable to Neighborhood Music School and sent to NMS at: NMS Development Office, 100 Audubon Street, New Haven, CT 06510-1206.

Credit. You may also make contributions by credit card.  Neighborhood Music School has partnered with Network for Good to securely process online donations. To donate online, simply click here:

Gifts of Stock or other securities.  By transferring stock to NMS, rather than selling it, you can avoid paying some or all capital gains taxes and reduce your taxable income.

Matching Gifts. Many workplaces will honor employee philanthropy by matching individual charitable donations made by their employees.  It is a great way to increase your support.

Planned Gifts. Leaving a legacy is an invaluable way of supporting the school. Planned gifts can include bequests through a will, charitable remainder trusts and other estate transfers. 

Named Scholarship Fund.  Gifts of $25,000 or more can establish a named scholarship award for one or more students.  You will receive the name of the student(s) supported by your gift as well as updates from the student(s) about progress with their studies at NMS.

Faculty appreciation.  These contributions recognize the exceptional talent and dedication of individual faculty members.  Funds go to support professional development, enrichment and benefits.

Program support.  Gifts of $5000 or more can be made for the support of specific programming and/or the development of new offerings.

In Kind Gifts.  NMS will gratefully accept donations of instruments in working order and sheet music and office supplies on a case by case basis. For questions regarding tax deductions for In Kind gifts, please see IRS publication 1771 (pdf), which shows both your rights and responsibilities as donor, as well as NMS' guidelines for acknowledging such gifts.  Please note that if you require a valuation for your donation, you should seek an official appraisal prior to contacting NMS, as we are prohibited from providing a valuation as a party to the transaction.

For questions related to charitable giving, contact Alice-Anne Harwood, Director of Development, at 203.624.5189, ext 19 or aharwood@neighborhoodmusicschool.org