Delaware Valley Opera Company

Delaware Valley Opera Company & Dido and Aeneas

Photos from Dido and Aeneas, courtesy of Delaware Valley Opera Company. By Jeremy Jefferson, Graduate Music Fellow Hello! My name is Jeremy Jefferson, and I’m the 2025-26 Graduate Music Fellow at the Presser Foundation. I graduated with my master’s degree in Viola Performance from Lynn University this past spring, and I recently started studying for…

Presser Scholar Aaliyah Ragland

Undergraduate Scholar Award Spotlight: Aaliyah Ragland Creates Inclusive Music Spaces

Photo: Presser Scholar Aaliyah Ragland at the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Show earlier this year.   The Undergraduate Scholar Award was established by The Presser Foundation to celebrate undergraduate music students who have achieved a high level of musical and academic excellence, demonstrated leadership and service, and contributed to an inclusive community. Each year, one…

PA CultureCheck 2025

PA CultureCheck – Annual Research Update

The Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance (GPCA) and PA Humanities shared insights from the latest PA CultureCheck during Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia’s Arts Funders meeting. These organizations collaborate on research and advocacy to bolster the arts and culture sector. Together, they produce the CultureCheck, an annual initiative that highlights Pennsylvania’s cultural sector’s experiences, strengths, and concerns.…

strategic agility

Next Movement: Developing Strategic Agility

By Abby Rolland The past five years have profoundly disrupted the nonprofit sector, making the phrase “we’re in unprecedented times” a familiar refrain since 2020. Events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, racial justice protests after George Floyd’s murder, January 6th, and recent government funding cuts have triggered a series of transformative moments that keep fueling…

Graduate Fellows Erica Breitbarth and Jeremy Jefferson

Introducing the 2025-26 Presser Foundation Graduate Fellows

The Presser Foundation is eager to share that we’ve welcomed two Graduate Fellows – a Graduate Research Fellow and a Graduate Music Fellow – to our staff this academic year! In a year where the Foundation will begin implementing its strategic plan, these Graduate Fellows will help the staff and Board carry out essential efforts…

Summer interns Jennah Bolden and Nathalie Borden

Intern Reflections: Our summers at The Presser Foundation

This summer, The Presser Foundation hosted two interns, Nathalie Borden and Jennah Bolden. In these video clips, they introduce themselves, the projects they worked, and how they hope to use their intern experience in their future careers and communities.   Please introduce yourselves. https://presserfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Introduce-Yourselves.mp4   What projects have you worked on during your internship? https://presserfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Projects-Combined.mp4…

music notes representing a year in review for The Presser Foundation

The Presser Foundation 2024-25 Fiscal Year Review

The 2024-25 fiscal year marked a year of significant growth and impact for The Presser Foundation. With music remaining at the center of our mission, our Board, Committees, and staff have successfully executed grant cycles, maintained meaningful relationships with grantees through multiple communication channels, conducted site visits and attended performances, facilitated virtual Next Movement Idea…

Rowan University's capital project

Capital Projects Snapshot

Rowan University’s new risers, supported in part through a Capital Support grant.    Since 2020-21, The Presser Foundation’s Capital Support grant program has funded building, renovation, and other capital needs such as equipment, technology, hardware, and software. Over the past several years, staff have observed that many private foundations are reluctant to fund capital projects.…