Giving Voice Rural Initiative 

Funding Opportunity: Launch a New Dementia-Friendly Choir
Across rural Minnesota and Wisconsin, communities are creating dementia-friendly choirs that bring together people living with memory loss, their care partners, and community members through singing. The Giving Voice Rural Initiative helps expand these opportunities by providing seed funding, training, and technical support to rural communities launching new local choirs.

Organizations in rural Minnesota and rural Wisconsin are invited to apply for up to $5,000 in seed funding to launch a new dementia-friendly choir. Funded choir sessions include 10–12 weeks of rehearsals and a community performance.
 

Most choirs begin with three key roles: a music director, a program lead who coordinates logistics, and community partners who help recruit singers, volunteers, and care partners.
 

Arts organizations, music programs, senior centers, faith communities, and other nonprofit organizations are encouraged to apply.

Who Can Apply
Applicants must:

• be located in rural Minnesota or rural Wisconsin

• be launching a new dementia-friendly choir

• have an identified music director

• have a rehearsal space identified or available

• identify a person who will coordinate logistics

• be a nonprofit organization or work with a fiscal sponsor

What Funded Communities Receive

• up to $5,000 in seed funding

• technical assistance from Giving Voice staff

• peer learning sessions with other rural communities

• repertoire consultation and music director support

Key Dates

• RFA Released: March 27, 2026

• Information Session #1: April 8, 2026, 10:00–11:00 AM [PDF]

• Information Session #2:  April 30, 2026, 10:00-11:00 AM
  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87316795760?pwd=rYxpIPCms8YJEjjqH4e0ai6Eya9hGW.1
  Meeting ID: 873 1679 5760 Passcode: 899795

• Application Deadline: May 20, 2026

Application Materials
Download Request for Funding Announcement
Download Application Form
View Community Partnership Resource
View Music Director Position Description

View Example Budget

Questions
Eyleen Braaten
Executive Director, Giving Voice Initiative
eyleen@givingvoicechorus.org
(612) 440-9660
 

Active Rural Initiative Choruses

Through the Giving Voice Rural Initiative, communities across rural Minnesota and Wisconsin are launching dementia-friendly choruses. The communities below represent current Rural Initiative sites.
The following communities were selected through the Rural Initiative in 2025 and are preparing to launch rehearsals and performances in 2026:

• Brainerd, MN — Still We Sing

• Ely, MN — The Unforgettables

• Northfield, MN — Lifting Voices

• Red Wing, MN — Choir name TBD

• Superior, WI — Voices of Lake Superior

These communities launched choirs through the Rural Initiative in 2025 and are actively offering dementia-friendly choirs:

• Ashland, WI — Melody Lane Singers

• Black River Falls, WI — The Forget-Me-Nots

• Menomonie, WI — Vibrant Voices

• Shell Lake, WI — Northern Lights Choir

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Together, the nine choirs will create welcoming spaces where people living with dementia, their care partners and members of the community can come together to sing, laugh, and build community. Singing together not only brings joy but also helps reduce isolation and strengthen connections for everyone involved.

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Celebrating Our Choirs: Stories, Articles, and Videos

Melody Lane Singers – Ashland, WI

• Bottom Line News & Views feature introducing the Melody Lane Singers and their community vision (Sept 2025).

• Ashland Daily Press article covering the choir’s first public performance (Nov 2025).

• Fall 2025 Concert Video: Experience the Melody Lane Singers’ inaugural performance and see how a dementia-friendly choir brings joy and connection to the Chequamegon Bay community.

• Wisconsin Public Radio Interview: Explore how memory choirs create community, belonging, and joy through singing together. The conversation highlights the choir’s inclusive approach and the power of music for people living with dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s (Dec 2025).

 

Lifting Voices – Northfield, MN

KYMN Radio interview featuring choir leaders Kristin Kivell and Gail Alman, highlighting the launch of Lifting Voices and how a dementia-friendly choir fosters connection, joy, and belonging through singing together (Dec 2025).
 

Northern Lights Choir – Shell Lake, WI

• Spooner Advocate story exploring the origins of the Northern Lights Choir and the personal story behind it (Sept 2025).

Vibrant Voices – Menomonie, WI

• Menomonie News Net profile highlighting the launch of Vibrant Voices (Sept 2025).

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