The Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award
The Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award supports young classical musicians with financial need, funding pre-collegiate music study and related expenses to reduce barriers to serious musical pursuits.
Funder: Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
Due Dates: September 14, 2026 (Extended deadline) | November 9, 2026 (Final deadline for 2027 seniors) | May 1, 2027 (Deadline)
Funding Amounts: Up to $10,000, one-time and non-renewable; approximately 20 awards annually
Summary: Need-based support helps young classical musicians meet the costs of high-level, pre-collegiate musical study.
Key Information: Recipients must fully participate in From the Top’s Learning and Media Lab Fellowship, including a radio performance.
Description
Funded by the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation and administered by From the Top, this award supports driven, committed young classical musicians whose families cannot meet the costs of advanced musical study. It helps pay for instruments, instruction, summer music programs, audition travel, and other pre-collegiate music needs, reducing financial barriers to serious musical pursuits.
The award combines financial assistance with From the Top’s Learning and Media Lab Fellowship and an appearance on NPR’s From the Top. The program emphasizes musical ability and commitment, learning and creativity inside and outside the classroom, and character demonstrated through initiative, maturity, leadership, and community service. One application covers both the award and the fellowship.
