Overview
Thanks to dividends from the Elnora Hartman Stickley Investment, grants are awarded annually to support student winners and/or IMTA Board Members attending the MTNA National Conference, held each year in March or April.
All current IMTA Board Members—including Local Association Presidents and Collegiate Chapter Presidents—are eligible to apply. If a member of the Board of Trustees also holds a position on the IMTA Board, they remain eligible for a Stickley Grant but must recuse themselves from any deliberations regarding the grant process.
Student competitors selected to compete in the final round of the national MTNA Competitions are also eligible to apply. This includes:
- MTNA Performance Competition winners or representatives from the East Central Division who must travel to the national conference for the finals.
- MTNA Composition Competition winners who would like to travel to the national conference to present their winning composition and accept their award. (Attendance is not required, but would be supported as able if so desired.)
- Other finalists or winners who would like to travel to the national conference as part of their obligation to MTNA, for example, the MTNA MarySue Harris Studio Fellowship winner. (Attendance is not required, but would be supported as able if so desired.)
The total amount distributed annually may not exceed the current fiscal year budget line amount (full distribution not required). The 2025-2026 budget line amount for the Stickley Travel Grant is $1000.
Applications are due by January 31 each year, ahead of the March/April MTNA Conference. Applications are available on the IMTA website.
Approval and Notification Process
The IMTA Board of Trustees is responsible for approving all grant applications. The process is overseen by the Chair of the Trustees. Applications are submitted directly to the Chair, who then distributes them to the other trustees for review.
(Exception: If a member of the Board of Trustees applies for a grant, that individual must recuse themselves from the selection process. In such cases, the trustees should request that the State President appoint an alternate person to participate in the decision-making process.)
Suggested criteria to consider for selecting recipients.
- Is the applicant in good standing with the organization?
- Is the applicant engaged in more than just attending the event (i.e., presenting, on a panel, or attending a committee or association meeting)?
- Contribution to the IMTA Board, in terms of time and active participation on the board.
- Number of previous applications (and previous grants awarded)
- Need (are there other sources of funding the applicant can draw from?)
- First-time conference attendee (would receive precedence, all else being equal).
Once the grant recipients and amounts have been determined, the Chair of the Trustees notifies all applicants via email regarding the status of their application. Recipients are informed that they will receive their check approximately 30 days before the National Conference. This timing helps ensure that recipients’ plans to attend are confirmed before funds are disbursed.
The Chair also sends an email to the Treasurer–copying the State President–with the following details:
– Names of the recipients
– Email contact of the recipients
– Mailing addresses
– Grant amounts (and a reminder that funds are to be sent approx. one month prior to the Conference)
Unused Funds
If, for any reason, grant recipients are unable to use the funds for the intended event, the grant money must be returned to the Indiana Music Teachers Association (IMTA). An email notification should be sent to the IMTA President, Treasurer, and Chair of the Trustees.
Uncashed checks should be returned to the IMTA Treasurer. If a check has already been cashed, the recipient (individual or association) must return the funds to the IMTA Treasurer via personal check, bank check, or money order, made payable to the Indiana Music Teachers Association.
All of these steps must be completed as soon as possible and postmarked or date-stamped no later than two weeks after the original event’s end date.