TWO PHAN GROUPS RAISE OVER $500,000!
[Saratoga Springs, NY; and Maryland Heights, MO] – Two groups of Phish fans have raised more than a half million dollars for charity, according to a joint statement issued today from the Mimi Fishman Foundation and the Mockingbird Foundation. The funds include competitive grants, emergency disbursements, discretionary contributions, and targeted fundraising.
“We’re excited at reaching this mark,” according to David Shulman, executive director of the Mimi Fishman Foundation. “I must say, when we first began I never imagined we would have this type of impact. It’s truly amazing. We are deeply grateful for the support given by those that have donated items for our charity auctions, and of course those that bid on those items.”
“Phish may be ending, but our work has just begun,” said to Ellis Godard, executive director of the Mockingbird Foundation. “Each of these organizations has worked for many years to develop a unique approach, a stable authority structure, and an ongoing revenue stream. That puts them in a strong position to continue to do the good deeds we’ve accomplished so far.”
The Mimi Fishman Foundation is a non-profit organization established in 1999 by Miriam “Mimi” Fishman (the late mother of Phish drummer Jon Fishman) and David Shulman as a vehicle to raise funds for various charities, including The American Glaucoma Society, Colorado’s Boulder County Safehouse, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Evangelical Children’s Home, Healing the Children, The Solace House and The Delta Gamma Center for the Visually Impaired. The Foundation operates a variety of fundraising techniques, including a series of online charity auctions featuring ticket/pass packages, autographed posters, and other merchandise donated by Phish and other jambands; and several benefit concerts, including the “Tribute to Mimi” in Syracuse, New York.
The Mockingbird Foundation is a leading provider of historical information about the band Phish and its music. Conceived in 1996, and founded in 1997, the Foundation is operated entirely by volunteers, without any salaries or paid staff. It fundraises for music education for children by celebrating the music of Phish. Its comprehensive books, innovative recordings, creative donation premiums, and special events for the Phish fan community have raised more than $250K and funded scores of grants so far. The Foundation has just released a second edition of The Phish Companion and will announce its next round of grant recipients in October.
Both Foundations are operated entirely by volunteers, without any salaries or paid staff, and keep their administrative expenses remarkably small. The projects of each group are operated out of our love for Mimi and Phish, and every person that benefits from what they do.
Phish is a rock band from Burlington, VT. They began on December 2, 1983, became one of the highest grossing and most beloved touring acts in history, and will perform their final show on August 15, 2004, in Coventry, VT. The band’s net proceeds from its livephish.com music distribution service are donated to the Mockingbird Foundation.