The “ Negro Spiritual ” Scholarship Foundation Project GRADY-RAYAM
Management Director Dr . Damon H . Dandridge
The “ Negro Spiritual ” Scholarship Foundation is a Central Florida nonprofit established in 1996 . We are staffed out of an Orlando office by two full-time employees – Damon Dandridge ( Management Director ) and Rudolph Cleare ( Development Director ). The network of programs and services through which we impact the public is known as Project GRADY-RAYAM . Our agency ’ s threefold mission is to preserve America ’ s Negro spiritual songs from the slave era as part of the nation ’ s cultural heritage , provide training , development and scholastic assistance grants for young artists , and inspire the American public to embrace spirituals as a shared cultural legacy .
Board Chairwoman Lyndell Mims
Florida Musicians and Recipients of Scholastic-Assistance Awards Project GRADY-RAYAM 2019 Competition Winners
Over a span of twenty years our organization has worked directly with more than 60,000 clients including senior high school students , collegians , parents , educators and music professionals . We collaborate with churches , performing arts groups , and cultural or civic organizations to extend the rich legacy of the Negro spiritual through outreach in the form of workshops , lectures and recitals . Our agency produces an annual season of music concerts that stimulate and inspire the wider community . We commission scholars and musicians to produce new works , hire professional singers and instrumentalists in support of the American cultural community , and share our resources and expertise with others nationwide .