The Mockingbird Foundation has announced fourteen (14) new grants totaling $109,850, once again among the largest disbursements in the Foundation’s history. Mockingbird, a nonprofit founded and run by Phish fans, has now disbursed more than two million dollars in grants supporting music education on an entirely volunteer basis.

Mockingbird’s 27th round of competitive grants was enhanced by funds from Phish’s own WaterWheel Foundation, which contributed directly to the doubling of one grant and indirectly to support of the others; and through the direct contributions of thousands of Phish fans. Mockingbird also increased several grants beyond the requested amount, doubling four and more than doubling a fifth, having been particularly impressed by those applicants.

These newest grants support the following programs at schools, community centers, and non-profit organizations in ten states (AL, CA, GA, MO, NC, NJ, NY, PA, TX, and VA):

  • $10,000 to Artsmart to fund the hiring of two artist-mentors to provide weekly vocal lessons/mentorship to middle/high school students in Hudson County, NJ;
  • $2,500 to Avery Middle School to fund keyboards for middle schoolers in Newland, NC – request doubled by Mockingbird;
  • $10,000 to Exceptional Children’s Foundation to support teaching music to K-12 students with special needs and developmental disabilities at Jazz Hands Musicians Academy (JHMA) and the Enrichment Program at Kayne Eras School, in Culver City, CA – request doubled by Mockingbird;
  • $6,000 to Grayson County Summer Stage to fund production of a youth musical/performance in Fancy Gap, VA;
  • $2,000 to Hamblen Elementary to purchase a set of resonator bells for K-2 students in Channelview, TX – request doubled by Mockingbird;
  • $10,000 to In The Band (Formerly Sound Art) to pay for instruments and staffing for no-cost mobile music education program that brings music ed to K-12 students in their Los Angeles, CA, neighborhoods;
  • $20,000 to Magic City Acceptance Academy to buy assorted instruments for a tuition-free charter school whose mission is to offer an LGBTQ-affirming learning environment to students in grades 6-12 in Homewood, AL – request doubled by Waterwheel;
  • $8,350 to Mental Health America Of Dutchess County, Inc. to fund an instructor and percussion instruments to build a music program for young people ages 10-18 living with mental illness in Pougkeepsie, NY;
  • $4,000 to Morrisville Elementary School Pta to buy two sets of ukuleles and percussion instruments for a public elementary school music program in Cary, NC – request doubled by Mockingbird;
  • $10,000 to Musical Mentors Collaborative to fund instruments and music lessons for a one-on-one music educuation program in New York, NY;
  • $3,000 to National Blues Museum to pay for tools to build guitars and amps and then learn to play them in St. Louis, MO;
  • $4,000 to New Diana Independent School District to buy recorders and ukuleles for music education in Diana, TX – request doubled by Mockingbird;
  • $10,000 to Savannah Music Festival, Inc. to support in-person instruction for trumpet and melodica students in a year-round program for female, female-identifying, and gender non-conforming students in Savannah, GA; and
  • $10,000 to The Farina Foundation to refurbish donated instruments to give to underserved schools and kids in Pittsburgh, PA.

These fourteen grantees were selected from among 883 initial applicants who requested a total of more than $6.2 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 has been operated entirely by volunteer fans, with no salaries or paid staff, since its inception. Mockingbird is now a leading provider of historical information about the band Phish and its music, having cultivated intellectual property through phish.net since 1994. Also a leading grantmaker in music education for children, the Foundation has now made 548 grants, in all 50 states, totaling $2,093,507.40. Proceeds are generated by celebrating the music of Phish through books, recordings, art, donations, and special events, including the upcoming Seventh Annual Runaway Open golf tournament in Denver.

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

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