14th Round of Grants Announced

Congratulations to Mae Eanes winner of The Mockingbird Foundation, an all-volunteer nonprofit organization founded by Phish fans.  The foundations has announced six new grants, totaling $26,300, supporting music education for children. The grants come from the Mockingbird Foundation's 14th round of competitive grant-making, coincide with the 14th anniversary of the Foundation's incorporation, and bring the total Mockingbird disbursements to nearly $650,000.

These newest grants support programs at two schools and four non-profit organizations, in six states (including the first Mockingbird grant in West Virginia):

• $4,000 for instrument purchases at Mae Eanes Middle School‘s Band Program (Mobile, AL)
• $2,500 for scholarships at The Symphony Women's Association‘s First Music Lessons for Underserved Children (Tuscon, AZ), to support weekly classes on songwriting and improvisation
• $5,000 for scholarships at Bay Area Girls Rock‘s Girls Rock Summer Camp and Girls Rock After School Program (Oakland, CA)
• $5,000 for staffing at The Swope Music Program of Swope Corridor Renaissance/Upper Room, Inc. (Kansas City, MO)
• $5,000 for staffing at the Brooklyn Community Arts and Media High School‘s Beats Music Program (Brooklyn, NY)
• $4,800 for materials and supplies for Step by Step, Inc.'s Rock Camp 4 Girls Appalachia (Charleston, WV)

The Mockingbird Foundation, run entirely by volunteers, supports music education for children by fundraising through Phish-related projects. The Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, was organized by Phish fans in 1996, formally incorporated in 1997, and has since then distributed over $648,000 through 198 grants in 43 states.

The Foundation is also the leading provider of historical information about Phish and its music, having cultivated intellectual property through http://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. Due to high demand, the Foundation's two-tiered application process remains one of the most competitive in the nation. Please consider making a fully tax-deductible donation through the Foundation's website at http://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. For more information about Phish, please visit phish.net and phish.com