Sallie Mae, the nation’s saving, planning, and paying for college company, awarded $40,000 in grants to Delaware-based organizations to support high-quality arts education for children. The Music School of Delaware and Cab Calloway School of the Arts each received $20,000 from The Sallie Mae Fund, the company’s charitable arm, to provide scholarships to economically disadvantaged students.

“The Sallie Mae Fund has had a significant impact on the Music School’s ability to fulfill its mission,” said Kate M. Ransom, President, and CEO, The Music School of Delaware. “Research continues to prove that the study of and participation in music making has a positive impact on child development, including increased cognitive development and improved communication skills. With the support of Sallie Mae, we are able to bring more music to more people in more places.”

Founded in 1924, The Music School of Delaware is the only statewide, accredited, community music school in the nation. With support from The Sallie Mae Fund, more than 100 families received full or partial scholarships to attend classes and programs offered at the school.

Sallie Mae also partnered with the Cab Calloway School of the Arts to provide scholarships for the school’s SMArtSummer program. The program helps children explore the arts and sciences while enhancing their academic learning and discipline.

“Cab Calloway’s outreach to students in schools is a critical part of our mission to expose students from all backgrounds to the creative and performing arts, ultimately strengthening the diversity and richness of our community,” said Julie Rumschlag, Cab Calloway Dean. “This year, our outreach included 140 scholarships to students, many of whom were in earlier grades than we’d previously served, and half of which were made possible by Sallie Mae’s commitment and partnership.”

“Supporting education programs and funding scholarships are inherent to our mission at Sallie Mae. We also believe in giving back in the communities where our employees live and work,” said Bonnie Rumbold, president, The Sallie Mae Fund. “We are thrilled to support these important programs, which are critical in fostering the growth of our local students and our community.”

Sallie Mae has more than 950 employees between its corporate headquarters in Newark and second location in Christiana. For more information, visit www.salliemae.com.

Sallie Mae (Nasdaq: SLM) is the nation’s saving, planning, and paying for college company. Whether college is a long way off or just around the corner, Sallie Mae offers products that promote responsible personal finance, including private education loans, free scholarship search tools, free college financial planning tools, and online retail banking. Learn more at SallieMae.com. Commonly known as Sallie Mae, SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America.