Our Story

Partnering with leaders who create positive change by investing in young people through music.

The Lewis Prize for Music, a $20 million 5-year philanthropic initiative from 2019 to 2024, partnered with leaders who create positive change by investing in young people through the Creative Youth Development (CYD) music field. At the core, we believe every young person deserves equitable access to music and the arts as part of their development. We sought to fill gaps where systems failed and reimagine new pathways for young people to thrive, lead, and shape the future.

Through awards, grants, research, and collaborative projects, we worked with over 80 organizations across the United States to support youth development, foster community impact, and amplify the transformative power of music. Over 80% of CYD organizations advancing in our awards selection process offered youth a combination of mental health support, social connection programs, workforce training, and entrepreneurship opportunities. These programs continue to provide young people with the tools to thrive and become leaders in their communities.

We celebrate the incredible CYD programs shaping future leaders and creating lasting change. While The Lewis Prize for Music has completed its active funding, we remain committed and inspired by the growth and expansion of the CYD field, confident that its impact will continue to resonate for future generations.

Our Final Year Message

Board of Directors

Daniel Lewis, Co-founder and Chairman

Mr. Lewis has devoted the last 19 years to philanthropic activities, with his greatest focus being on social and musical arts investing. He initiated the Cleveland Orchestra’s multi-week residency in Miami as founding chairman of Miami Music Association, the support organization created in 2006 to produce 3-4 weeks of Cleveland Orchestra concerts and educational activities in Miami-Dade County each season. He was the board chair of the Festival of North American Orchestras, the sponsoring organization for Spring for Music at Carnegie Hall. Spring for Music's format is now part of the Kennedy Center, renamed the Shift Festival. He also served on the executive committee of The Cleveland Orchestra and the board of the League of American Orchestras.

Mr. Lewis recently founded and chairs M:X (Miami Experimental), to pursue making music education accessible and affordable to all Miami-Dade County children. The Lewis Prize for Music, his most recent start-up, is another ambitious effort to drive social change through musical arts. Mr. Lewis is also chairman of The Management Center, which provides management training and consulting to socially and politically progressive organizations, and on the board of Third Way, a centrist progressive think tank.

He graduated from Miami University with an accounting degree, taught three years at Cleveland's Glenville High School, was a real estate developer in Phoenix, and retired from Progressive Corporation having had general management, control, claims, product management, and board membership responsibilities.

María López De León

Rebecca Fishman Lipsey

Stefon Harris

Board Director Emerita

Valerie Dillon

Past Board Members

Aisha Fukushima

David Horvitz

Omari Rush

Staff

The Lewis Prize for Music was comprised of people who share a belief in music’s power to strengthen individuals and communities for the benefit of all. We are committed to collaborating with others who share this belief and aspire to see it come to life across the United States.

Dalouge Smith, CEODalouge is a champion for bringing people together and strengthening communities through music. He joined The Lewis Prize for Music as its first CEO in August 2018. Prior to his role at The Lewis Prize, he led San Diego Youth Symph…

Dalouge Smith, Co-founder and CEO

Dalouge is a champion for bringing people together and strengthening communities through music. He joined The Lewis Prize for Music as its first CEO in August 2018. Prior to his role at The Lewis Prize, he led San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory for 13 years and transformed it into a community instigator for restoring and strengthening music education in schools. SDYS' partner, the Chula Vista Elementary School District (California’s largest K-6 district) restored music and arts education to all 30,000 of its students as a result. Dalouge grew up singing folk songs with family and performing in professional theatre productions. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in World Arts and Cultures from UCLA and studied Gandhi’s non-violent movement for a year in India. He is married to Sue Ann and the father of Wright.