Apr 29

Exciting New Alliance for MNMP

Dear Friends and Supporters,

We have important news to share with you. Last week MNMP entered into a strategic alliance with Urban Arts Partnership, another innovative arts education organization. In the new structure, MNMP has become a wholly owned subsidiary of Urban Arts Partnership, allowing us to continue to deliver our Everyday Arts for Special Education (EASE) program and other arts residencies more efficiently. As you know, MNMP has been a recipient of a number of research grants from the US Department of Education, the most recent and prestigious being a $4.6 million Investing In Innovation (i3) grant in collaboration with NYC’s special education school district 75 for EASE. Joining forces with Urban Arts Partnership helps to ensure that the experience and knowledge we’ve gained from these projects will continue to serve students and teachers for many years to come.

Philip Courtney, Urban Arts Partnership’s Executive Director, says: “This is a strategic expansion of Urban Arts Partnership into a compelling educational field. We are excited to expand our reach to have a broader impact on students with an even broader array of needs and goals. For fifteen years now Manhattan New Music Project has been leading the way in developing innovative strategies for working with students on the autism spectrum and a range of other cognitive and physical disabilities. The early results of the EASE program have been promising and I am excited to work with the MNMP staff on continuing to develop the program.”

Nancy Kleaver, Executive Director at MNMP added: “After meeting with a number of high quality organizations, it was clear that Urban Arts Partnership would be a great partner. UAP has a proven track record of moving struggling students towards academic success. As one of the most forward-thinking and well-established arts education providers in the city, I am confident that an alliance with UAP will strengthen our ability to deliver services to the kids who need them the most.”

MNMP is proud of having preserved founder Paul Nash’s legacy; supporting the creation and performance of new music since 1991. Thank you, composers, musicians, and performance artists who have been a part of the MNMP community. We hope you will stay engaged in MNMP’s educational mission moving forward, supporting the next generation of musicians and artists.

Both organizations are working on integrating their operations, and the MNMP staff will be moving into UAP’s headquarters by the end of this month. We look forward to keeping you posted. If you would like further information about the UAP-MNMP alliance, contact Nancy Kleaver at [email protected].

Until then, happy autumn!
The MNMP Team