A nonprofit run by Phish fan volunteers has mailed $11,000 in unsolicited grants to help restore music education at schools affected by storm disasters in recent months. The grants are part of a package – including partner grants, matching grants, and corporate support – totaling $25,000 for eleven disaster-impacted music programs in seven states.

The nucleus for the package involves $1,000 each for Joplin High School and Irving Elementary School in Joplin, MO, which will balloon to $16,000 through matches of cash and credit. Music programs in Joplin were decimated May 22^nd when the single most destructive tornado since 1947 killed 134 people and wiped out 30% of the town, including 7,000 homes, the hospital, the high school’s auditorium and music room, and all of Irving Elementary. Those two donations, from the Mockingbird Foundation, will be matched in three ways. First, the Mimi Fishman Foundation, with whom Mockingbird has partnered on several occasions, has already sent $2,000 to the Joplin Relief Fund, to be directed to the same two schools Mockingbird is supporting. Second, both the Mockingbird and Mimi Fishman donations will be doubled through generous local matching offers; the Mockingbird donation will be doubled by the Oasis Foundation, as will any donation you make during the month of September. Third, Jupiter Band Instruments will be matching that doubled amount with an additional $8,000 contribution to music programs in Joplin, MO, in the form of discounted instruments and equipment – as well as the possibility of demos and extra inventory, in addition to the credit match.

To boot, the Mockingbird Foundation has made nine additional grants of $1,000 each for the repair and/or replacement of instruments, equipment, sheet music, and related materials at additional schools affected by recent disasters:

• North Ridgeville Middle School in Ridgeville, OH, where the worst damage from flooding February 28^th hit the music room, destroying instruments.
• Tushka Elementary School in Tushka, OK, where a twister April 14^th destroyed all  of the schools in town, including the elementary school’s keyboarding program.
• Page Middle School in Gloucester, VA, which lost instruments when the band room was destroyed by an April 16^th tornado that also destroyed homes and killed three residents.
• Alberta Elementary School and University Place Elementary School in Tuscaloosa, AL, destroyed by tornados April 27^th
• Ringgold High School in Ringgold, GA, where an April 27^th tornado destroyed the high school, whose band equipment is not covered by insurance.
• Tiger Creek Elementary School in Tunnel Hill, GA, where, after state cuts for the arts, the music program had been run by volunteers organized by former principal  and 86-year-old Marine Rhea McClanahan, who was killed when his house, like much of Tiger Creek, was destroyed in the April 27^th storms.
• Additionally, the Foundation is working to identify two music programs in Vermont that were impacted last week by Hurricane Irene. (It takes some time to assess damages and identify needs; so far, the music programs at all schools contacted have survived unscathed.)

The Mockingbird grants come from an Emergency Fund created in May 2006, whereby 3% of the Foundation’s gross revenues are designated for music education programs affected by disasters. “While disaster relief generally is outside our primary mission,” explained Executive Director Ellis Godard, “we can provide some immediate assistance towards restoring music programs. And we know that music, and education generally, can help provide the hope and relief which are particularly valuable at times such as this.”

Though smaller than the Foundation’s competitive grants maximum ($5,000) and far from sufficient to resolve the problems they target, these “emergency grants” are intended to help bring attention to their recipients’ unique needs and to remind potential donors about the importance of music education in the lives of underage disaster victims. “The children affected by these disasters need music now more than ever,” added Mockingbird President Marco Walsh. “We look forward to students in each of these communities learning and playing music again, as soon as possible.”

The Mockingbird Foundation, Inc. was incorporated in 1997 by fans of the band Phish  to raise funds for music education. With no salaries, staff, office, or endowment, it exists almost exclusively online, using the Internet for publicity, fundraising, all internal communications, and even to develop, produce, and distribute intellectual property. The Foundation is the leading provider of historical information about Phish and its music, having cultivated intellectual property through www.phish.net since 1994. The Foundation is able to disburse more than 98% of the funds raised to important and innovative programs serving diverse populations. The Foundation’s two-tiered application process (which does not include emergency grants) remains one of the most competitive in the nation, due to high demand and because of the niches it serves. Please consider making a fully tax-deductible donation through the Foundation’s website at www.mbird.org.

Phish is a rock band that started in 1983 and grew to become one of the highest-grossing live acts in the nation. The band donates a portion of proceeds from digital download sales at LivePhish.com to the Mockingbird Foundation, but has no formal or informal role in the Foundation’s management or operations. Phish will perform a special show on September 14^th benefitting Vermont victims of Irene, through the Waterwheel Foundation and the Vermont Community Foundation. For more information about Phish, please visit phish.net and phish.com.

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The Mockingbird Foundation today announced a special emergency grant in the amount of $500 to Self Help Graphics and Art, to help offset difficulties faced as a result of earthquakes, flooding, and related damage. While this nominal amount will make only a small dent in off-setting the challenges faced by this important cultural institution, the intent of the grant is to help bring attention to the center’s important programs and financial needs.

Self Help Graphics and Art is a nonprofit founded in 1973, which the Los Angeles Times has called “the acclaimed bastion of art in East L.A.” and which describes itself as “the leading visual arts center serving the Los Angeles community for the past thirty years.” The center’s three-part mission is to “foster and encourage the empowerment of local Latino/Chicano artists; present Latino/Chicano art to all audiences through its programs and services; and promote the rich cultural heritage and contribution of Latino/Chicano art and artists to the contemporary American experience.” Leading programs of the center include Galeria Otra Vez, an annual Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) Celebration, and a series of community and youth art programs. For more information regarding their needs, see www.calendarlive.com/cl-et-selfhelp15jan15,0,4492844.story [requires a free registration]. For information about the center itself, see www.selfhelpgraphics.com/.

The Mockingbird Emergency Grants program was started in February of 2004, and is funded by a three-percent (3%) set-aside from the Foundation’s gross income. Disbursements are made to help call attention to the needs of music education programs which have been impaired by environmental damage (such as fires, floods, and hurricanes) or moral outrage (such as vandalism, political oppression, or war). Awards are made by election of the board, outside of the normal two-tiered competitive application process used by the Foundation for general grants. For more information on this program, please see www.mbird.org/press/emergency.html.

The Mockingbird Foundation is the leading provider of historical information about the band Phish and its music. The Foundation has been operated entirely by volunteer fans of the band, without any salaries or paid staff, since its inception in 1996. It fundraises for music education for children by celebrating the music of Phish, through comprehensive books, innovative recordings,
creative donation premiums,
and special events for the Phish fan community. The second edition of The Phish Companion – the Foundation’s 928-page authoritative encyclopedia – is available from major book outlets as well as through www.mbird.org.

Phish was a rock band that started in 1983 and performed its “final” show in August 2004. For more information about Phish, see http://www.phish.com.

The Mockingbird Foundation announced today that it has established a set-aside fund for music education emergencies. The Emergency Fund is drawn from three percent (3%) of the Foundation’s gross proceeds and has provided two grants of $300 each to date. Recent additions to the Foundation’s proceeds, particularly initial net proceeds donated by Phish from LivePhish.com purchases, have expanded this fund and will allow additional emergency grants, if and when such needs arise.

The fund was established in February, without fanfare, due to the nature of the effort: Grants from the fund are made on the basis of nomination rather than application, and nominations are neither solicited nor accepted on any regular basis, but made at the discretion of the Foundation’s Board of Directors. Additionally, the need must be identified to the Board by someone not part of or affiliated with the entity in need, and the demonstrable total need must far exceed the maximum grant size in the Foundation’s competitive applications process ($5,000), although the emergency grant itself cannot exceed five hundred dollars.

“The purpose of these grants is not to resolve an emergency,” said Executive Director Ellis Godard. “The purpose is to make a small contribution as a means of bringing the need to the attention of tens of thousands of Foundation supporters, some of whom might then contribute – whether to our fund, directly to the group in need, or to other institutional donors.”

While the emergency addressed does not have to be catastrophic, the source of the need must be an act of nature (flood, fire, earthquake, tornado, etc.) or moral indignation (theft, vandalism, despotism, terrorism, or war). Greater attention will be given to emergencies which have already received press coverage, as one means of confirming the need, and so that the Foundation’s resources can add to existing momentum.

The vast majority of the Foundation’s funds are dispersed through a two-tiered competitive grants program. (Details may be found at www.mbird.org/funding.) Individuals aware of an organization that fits the Foundation’s general funding guidelines and which has recently been impacted by an emergency situation, should send details (including press coverage) to any of the Foundation’s email or postal addresses. Due to the volume of inquiries through its regular application process, the Foundation cannot guarantee a response to every inquiry.

The Mockingbird Foundation is a leading provider of historical information about the band Phish and its music. Founded in 1997, and operated entirely by volunteers, without any salaries or paid staff, the Foundation fundraises by celebrating the music of Phish, in support of music education for children. To date, the Foundation has disbursed more than forty grants totaling nearly $200,000.

The Mockingbird Foundation has announced a grant of three hundred dollars ($300) to the Detroit High School for the Fine and Performing Arts to help in the recovery from vandalism.

During the weekend prior to February 3rd, 2004, five persons entered the old Wilbur Wright trade school on Rosa Parks Boulevard and vandalized both personal and public property. They damaged or destroyed sixty items in the facility, including nine student-owned instruments, 32 school-owned instruments, and more than twenty drum heads. They also entered student lockers, damaging books, CDs, and more. It was the fourth time since last summer that the music room was vandalized. According to the Detroit Free Press, “Officials estimated the damage from earlier vandalism at $200,000. The [recent] weekend damage could be at least that much.”

The grant from the Mockingbird Foundation is an admittedly small piece of the total recovery. However, the Foundation hopes to maximize the impact of its contribution by inviting other Phish fans to support the recovery. They may do so by donating directly to the school (mailed to 4333 Rosa Parks Blvd. Detroit, MI 48208), by making a targeted donation to the Foundation to be relayed to the school, or by supporting the various Foundation fundraising efforts which have provided the funds for this grant.

The Mockingbird Foundation was incorporated by fans of the band Phish in 1997. Funds are raised through a book, album, direct donations, benefit events, and premiums such as water bottles. Later this year, the Foundation will release the second edition of The Phish Companion, a 900-page book about the band and its music written entirely by volunteers.

The High School for Fine and Performing Arts (DSA), one of Detroit’s schools of choice, is the dream of its founding principal, Dr. Denise Darcel Davis-Cotton. She envisioned a smaller public high school open to the entire city that emphasized academics and arts. In early 1992, her proposal for such a school was accepted, and that fall the doors opened to a 9th grade class of approximately 90 ninth graders. DSA now has an enrollment of about 520 students in grades nine through twelve and is considered one of Detroit’s finest schools.

For more on the fire, see these Detroit Free Press articles:

• Vandalism Aftermath: Destruction is a cruel refrain
• A tally of the vandalism
• Vandals’ acts hit a low note in frustration

The Mockingbird Foundation has made a $300 donation to help a rural music program recover from a brutal fire (see photos).

Early on January 6, 2004, a fire broke out in the auditorium of the Williams Township School, a pre-k through 8th-grade “school of distinction” in the small community of Whiteville, NC. The fire destroyed the main building of the campus, which also housed administration offices, twenty-five classrooms,   a computer lab, and the band room. Insurance will replace the building, furniture, and textbooks, but not the teachers’ resource books, teaching units, lesson plans, and similar materials representing the entire teaching careers of the faculty, some of whom had taught for more than 30 years.

The Mockingbird Foundation’s donation is earmarked for recovery of the band room and replacement of instruments and related materials which had been housed there. Additional contributions may be sent (and made payable) to Williams Township School Recovery, RBC Centura Bank, 203 Washington Street, Whiteville, NC 28472. General contributions should be made to the attention of Debbie McPherson. Contributions intended to restore and advance the school’s music program should be made to the attention of “Instrument/Band Room Recovery”.

Williams Township School, built in 1936, is located in a small, close-knit community in rural, Eastern N.C. Its web site at http://www.columbus.k12.nc.us/wts/index.htm shows the school as it had been prior to the fire. The recovery effort is being led by C. Lovett, M. Rowell, C. Scott, and C. Barkley, identified in Whiteville’s local newspaper as The Phoenix Committee.

The Mockingbird Foundation was incorporated in 1997 by fans of the band Phish. Operating on an entirely volunteer basis, with no offices or paid staff, the Foundation has raised and distributed nearly $200,000 to support music education programs nationwide. Further information about the Foundation and its other funding efforts is available online at www.mbird.org/funding.