The Bridge Music Project is a finalist for lucrative national music award

The Bridge Music Project in Thurston County and its leader Bobby Williams are among the 10 finalists for the lucrative 2023 Accelerator Awards from the national Lewis Prize for Music.

Founded in 2018 by philanthropist Daniel R. Lewis, the Lewis Prize for Music will award three $500,000 Accelerator Awards. It received 249 applications from organizations in 47 U.S. states and territories this year.

The awards go to organizations that combine positive youth development with artistic development “in settings that center racial equity, youth voice, and collective action,” a news release announcing the finalists says.

The Bridge Music Project is a nonprofit that teaches youth how music and songwriting can be used as a tool to deal with life’s challenges. “Their vision is to create a world where every youth is free to be their true, uncompromising self; a world where, through music and self-understanding, young people can overcome any trauma to be future leaders... ,” according to the Lewis Prize news release.

The organization began as a project for youth in foster care in 2014 while Williams served as a case aid in the foster care system. Currently, The Bridge Music Project serves about 250 youth annually and has served about 2,000 in total. Its programs are free of charge.

This story was originally published November 14, 2022 at 12:43 PM.