In celebration of Phish’s 23-show summer tour, the all-volunteer and fan-run Mockingbird Foundation has announced that it is sending an unsolicited $2,000 Tour Grant each to nine music education programs, one near each venue on the tour. This group of grants, which includes the 700th grant by Mockingbird, will help fund these programs, in these ways:

  • Conservatory Lab Charter School of Dorchester, MA (near Xfinity Center, July 19, 20, and 21) to provide instruments to a program where every student, from first grade, plays an instrument daily
  • Stonington Public Schools of Stonington, CT (near Mohegan Sun Arena, July 23 and 24) to provide Orf instruments to an elementary program that aims for each student to become an independent musician with a lifelong appreciation for music
  • East Troy School High School Band of East Troy, WI (near Alpine Valley Music Theatre, July 26, 27, and 28) to equip the marching band with refreshed drumline instruments and a new, safe podium for the drum majors
  • Miriam School and Learning Center of St. Louis, MO (near Chaifetz Arena, July 30 and 31) for instruments for a new jazz program for 64 high school students
  • North Central High School Band of Indianapolis, IN (near Ruoff Music Center, August 2, 3 and 4) to provide 80 private lessons to promising students in need of additional support
  • Grand Rapids Public Schools of Grand Rapids, MI (near Van Andel Arena, August 6 and 7) to purchase an electronic piano and music bench for an elementary school music program
  • Monticello Central School District of Monticello, NY (near Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, August 9, 10, and 11) to provide a guest music assembly to students in grades 3-5
  • Capital School District/Dover High School Band of Dover, DE (near The Woodlands, August 15, 16, 15, and 18) to provide consumable materials (reeds, oil, instrument repair kit, scale sheets, black/silver markers, etc.) to a drumline program
  • Colorado Nonprofit Development Center of Denver, CO (near Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, August 29, 30, and 31 & Sept. 1) to help fund a week-long day camp empowering girls and gender expansive youth

This is the 28th round of unsolicited Tour Grants, an effort that now totals $288,000, 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.

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 702 grants in all 50 states, totaling more than $2.5M. 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.

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