In celebration of Phish’s upcoming shows at the new Las Vegas Sphere (April 18, 19, 20, and 20), the all-volunteer and fan-run Mockingbird Foundation has announced that it is sending unsolicited $1,000 Tour Grants to two nearby music education programs, both in Las Vegas, NV:
- Bonanza High School Marching Band (via Bonanza Band) of Las Vegas, NV, for to fund a trip to Carson City to march in the Nevada Days Parade
- Las Vegas Academy of the Arts to support concerts their wind ensemble will perform next year with Nois.
This is the 27th round of unsolicited Tour Grants, an effort that now totals over $268,000, which is 11% of all disbursements made by the foundation. These grants are part of a long-standing effort to help support music education in the local communities that Phish touches. They follow Mockingbird’s largest competitive grant round ever, and a total of 66 grants this past summer alone!
The Mockingbird Foundation is an all-volunteer, fan-founded and -managed 501(c)3 nonprofit organization supporting music education for children. A leading grantmaker in music education for children, the Foundation has now made 664 grants in all 50 states, totaling more than $2.3M. Funds for grants are generated through donations from a loyal base of fans, as well as through books, recordings, artwork, merchandise, and special events. Mockingbird is the leading provider of historical information about Phish and its music, having cultivated intellectual property through phish.net (and three associated books, so far) since 1994. The Foundation has been operated entirely by volunteer fans of the band, without any salaries or paid staff, since its inception in 1996.