Micro-Grant and Fellowship Program 2025-26

Micro-Grant and Fellowship Program

SLS's 2025-26 Foci

Since our inception three years ago, SLS has hosted annual forums which bring together community voices, researchers and organizations to explore various topics in music and community. Building on the momentum of these forums, we are excited to share a second year of our Micro-grant and Fellowship program. This program was designed to support organizations and individuals whose work aligns with SLS’s areas of focus, sharing resources to deepen exploration and capacity.

This year, we welcomed fellowship projects interested in exploring three areas of research connected to our previous three forums listed below, starting in 2023. To read more about our past forums, please see our forums website.

Hover over the images below to read more about SoundLife's last three forums:

Mapping Music Pathways (2023)

Mapping Music Pathways recognizes that barriers to accessing music opportunities have been well documented and asks: what actions are we taking to remove these barriers?

In considering music-making across our lifespan and sectors, our goals are to celebrate existing successes, identify barriers and actions towards their removal, and create accessible pathways for all who wish to participate in making, studying and enjoying music.

Mapping Music Pathways 2: Industry & Technology (2024)

In our second forum we asked, “How do musicians thrive in today’s world?” How do universities, colleges, and communities empower the next generation for the ever-changing music industry? Technology plays a vital role, shaping and changing how music is made and enjoyed, and opening up new career paths. We are interested in the current ways musicians create, sustain and grow their careers in Scarborough, the GTA, and beyond. We are both excited and cautious around music technologies and platforms, we invited prospective research in these areas as well.

Forum 3 – Music and Youth Mental Health (2025 & 2026)

As educators and musicians, we observe daily the impacts of strained and poor mental health on students’ lives and schooling. As researchers, we have had conversations with colleagues in health studies and psychology regarding intersections between our fields in the area of youth mental health. Our overall goal is to gather scholars, researchers, and practitioners from the fields of music and health; community organizations; educators; and postsecondary and secondary school students from across the Eastern GTA for critical reflection on music and youth mental health in order to build relationships between these constituencies and spur future projects

Learn more about our 2025-26 Micro-Grant and Fellowship Projects:

The SoundLife Scarborough Micro-Grants and Fellowship Program supports community organizations and artists, and students at the undergraduate and graduate levels at the University of Toronto. It supports music programming and/or research development with Youth Mental Health & Wellness at its core, and corresponds with one or more of SLS’s values of community, access, reciprocity, and flexible music-making. Micro-Grant applicants may propose a stand-alone project or dovetail with larger community and/or academic initiatives.

Community Stream

The Community Stream is aimed to support community organizations and artists in their music programming, creative practice, and/or research development. Read more about our successful 2025-26 Community Stream winners:

Sistema Toronto

The Spirit of Friendship

The Spirit of Friendship is a community-building and social-emotional learning initiative at Sistema Toronto’s Scarborough location that uses choral singing as a vehicle for expression, reflection, and connection. Commissioned by Sistema Toronto, this original choral work was composed by Kathryn Knowles—former Scarborough Centre Director and long-time Sistema educator—in memory of beloved teaching artist Delicia Reveenthrarajan.

R.I.S.E. Arts and Community Services

RISE Open Mics

RISE Open Mics is a monthly event series that provides racialized youth with healthy pathways to process their experiences of marginalization. By creatively expressing themselves in a supportive atmosphere, youth use the arts to build their confidence, self-definition, and communities.

Holistic Vibrancy

Uplift the Youth

This two-day interactive workshop introduces youth and community participants to fundamentals of Djembe drumming and its powerful connection to African-Caribbean history, culture, and wellness. Led by professional African drummer/educator Negus Medhin of

Holistic Vibrancy, the workshop will combine hands-on instruction with discussions about historical and cultural significances of Djembe (talking) drums.

The HOOK & Company

2025 Sync Music Production Accelerator Bursary

Sustainable Creative Living’s Sync Music Production Accelerator (SMPA) is an intensive, hands-on training program designed to bridge the gap between music creators and the world of film, television, advertising, and visual media. Built for artists, producers, and songwriters who are ready to expand their careers into sync licensing, the program provides both creative and business-focused education that empowers participants to build sustainable income streams through music placement opportunities.

Community Music Schools of Toronto

CMST KUNÉ Percussion Program

The CMST KUNÉ Percussion Project, piloted in 2024, is an exciting collaboration with KUNÉ Orchestra members, where Community Music Schools of Toronto percussion students gain meaningful exposure to new instruments and traditions. Students are introduced to flexible musical styles in a welcoming space that encourages creativity and provides mentorship from KUNÉ musicians. This year the program will be expanded to integrate Kune’s artistry into regular lesson plans in other music classes, enriching the learning environment with culturally diverse material. The program culminates in high-quality performances uniting students and KUNÉ artists on stage and strengthening their sense of belonging and community.

Undergraduate Stream

The Undergraduate Stream is aimed to support UofT undergraduate students in their music programming and research development. Read more about our successful 2025-26 Undergraduate Stream winners:

Sounding Survival: Autoethnographic Research on Music, Neurodivergence, and Black Women's Mental Health

Anya Nicola Henry

An autoethnographic research project which explores how Black neurodivergent women utilize music for mental health and survival. More details to come…

Emerging Scholar Stream

The Emerging Scholar Stream is aimed to support rising researchers who have, or are pursuing, a graduate degree. Read more about our successful 2025-26 Emerging Scholar Stream winner:

Songs for the Living World: A Nature-inspired Choral Suite for Children

Stephen Tu

Songs for the Living World commissions a suite of nature-inspired choral works for children (grades K–6) that celebrate the living world while supporting accessible, inclusive pathways into music-making. The songs will be designed for performance by school choirs and adaptable for varying vocal ranges, resources, and abilities. Each piece will foreground musical, emotional, and thematic accessibility, ensuring that all children, regardless of musical background, can participate and find joy in collective sound-making.

See our 2024-25 Projects and Fellowship Projects here!