LATIN GRAMMY CULTURAL FOUNDATION® AND FORD FUND KICK-OFF PROGRAM TO FOSTER THE NEXT GENERATION OF WOMEN IN MUSIC

AMTV MIAMI — The Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation® continues its five-year collaboration with Ford Motor Company Fund — the philanthropic arm of Ford —with a pilot program to promote women in music by helping forge the next generation of music makers and paving their road to success. The Emerging Latina Music Recognition Program is aimed at young women in their senior year of high school who have demonstrated musical talent and a desire to pursue a higher education in music.

Two-time Latin GRAMMY winner and GRAMMY nominee, Kany García, currently nominated in the categories of Song Of The Year, Best Singer-Songwriter Album, and Best Short Form Music Video for the 20th Annual Latin GRAMMYs™, joins the program as a mentor.

“We’re happy to continue growing our partnership with Ford Fund to further drive the importance of music education,” said Manolo Díaz, Senior Vice President of the Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation. “Through the generosity of this partnership and Kany García’s involvement, we’ll help talented young women pursue their dreams.”

During an intimate event at John A. Ferguson Senior High School, three young women were celebrated by Kany García, the Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation and Ford Fund’s leadership as the first class of recipients of the Emerging Latina Music Recognition Program.

The top awardee, Melanie Fernández, plays the drum set and percussion and attends John A. Ferguson Senior High School in Miami. She will receive a new musical instrument, an all-paid summer music camp, the cost of books for her first year of college, and a master class with Kany García, in addition to a personal computer. Fernández hopes to attend Florida International University.

Additional awardees, Breanna Michel and Daniela Suarez will receive a new musical instrument, the cost of books for their first year of college, and a master class with García. Michel is a student at Hialeah Senior High School, plays the alto saxophone and plans to pursue a degree in musical theater at the University of Miami. Suarez plays the clarinet at Miami Senior High School, with an interest in studying music education at the University of North Texas.

“Students who receive these types of resources are more capable of succeeding later in life,” said Joe Ávila, community development manager, U.S., and Latin America, Ford Motor Company Fund. “It’s the music student who found the inspiration from a teacher, a mentor or an organization who believed in him or her and who got the right educational resources, who will be best prepared to succeed in such a competitive industry.”

The Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation and Ford Fund partnership is dedicated to music education, providing schools across the country, as well as international institutions, with more than $400,000 worth of musical instrument donations since the start of the partnership in 2014. In its first year, the Emerging Latina Music Recognition program has been established in select Miami high schools, which have previously benefited from the Latin GRAMMY® In The Schools program. To be considered, the students are nominated by their school’s music program director, band director or music teacher and submit an online application.