The Mockingbird Foundation, an all-volunteer nonprofit founded and run entirely by Phish fans, has announced sixteen new grants totaling $137,400 in support of music education for children. The grants come from Mockingbird’s 22nd round of competitive grant-making, and were enhanced by funds from the band’s own WaterWheel Foundation, which allowed the board to double three of the grant requests.

This is the largest single round of grants in the Foundation’s 20-year history, brings the total disbursements for 2017 to more than $250,000, and brings the Foundation’s historical grant total to more than $1.27M.

These newest grants support the following programs at schools, centers, and non-profit organizations in fifteen states:

• $2,000 for various expenses at Chesterfield County Public Schools (Richmond, VA)
• $3,000 for instruments at Children’S Hospital Foundation (Louisville, KY)
• $5,000 for instruments at Conotton Valley Union Local Schools (Bowerston, OH)
• $10,000 for instruments at Dona Merced Elementary School (Arcadia, CA) – doubled
• $10,000 for staffing at Empire State Youth Orchestras (Schenectady, NY) – matched
• $10,000 for various expenses at Free Write Arts & Literacy (Chicago, IL) – matched
• $10,000 for instruments at Logos Academy (York, PA)
• $16,000 for instruments at Mark Twain Elementary School (CARSON CITY, NV) – doubled
• $10,000 for various expenses at Native American Apache Mission (Bylas, AZ)
• $10,000 for various expenses at Pagosa Peak Open School (Pagosa Springs, CO)
• $2,592 for instruments at Parker Elementary School (Panama City, FL)
• $2,500 for equipment at Safe Alliance (Charlotte, NC) – matched
• $10,000 for staffing at Seamaac (Philadelphia, PA) – matched
• $10,000 for scholarships at She Rock She Rock (Minneapolis, MN) – matched
• $10,000 for various expenses at Via Rehabilitation Services, Inc. (Santa Clara, CA)
• $16,308 for various expenses at Young Tradition Vermont (Fairfax, VT) – doubled

These sixteen grantees were selected from among more than 643 initial applicants who requested a total of more than $4.4 million, far beyond the Foundation’s resources. Due to such high demand, Mockingbird’s two-tiered online application process remains one of the most competitive in the nation. Each year, we are able to fund a slightly higher percentage of inquiries, making grants slightly less competitive, thanks to the tremendous generosity of fans. We hope that you will consider making a tax-deductible donation through the Foundation’s website at www.mbird.org so that we can continue to increase the percentage of applicants whom we are ultimately able to fund.

The Mockingbird Foundation is the leading provider of historical information about the band Phish and its music, having cultivated intellectual property through phish.net since 1994. A leading grantmaker in music education for children, the Foundation has now made 364 grants, in all 50 states, totaling $1,271,640. Proceeds are generated by celebrating the music of Phish through comprehensive books, innovative recordings, special art prints, creative donation premiums, and special events for the Phish fan community. The Foundation has been operated entirely by volunteer fans of the band, without any salaries or paid staff, since its inception in 1996.

For more information about Phish, see the official Phish.com or Mockingbird’s own fan-run Phish.net.

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