Competitive Grants

Competitive Grants is sponsored by The Mockingbird Foundation. Funds music education projects across the U.S., including hip-hop and contemporary music programs.

Mockingbird Grants Top $3M! | The Mockingbird Foundation Mockingbird Grants Top $3M! / June 16, 2026 / Grants , Recipients , Rounds A nonprofit founded and run by Phish fans on an entirely volunteer basis has announced twelve new grants to support music education, totaling $107,770.

This is the 31st round of competitive grants from the Mockingbird Foundation, which has now disbursed 793 grants, for an aggregate of over three million dollars – all with no paid staff, no salaries, and no office.

Mockingbird’s newest round of competitive grants support a wide array of recipients, including programs in schools, community centers, non-profit organizations, medical facilities, and detention centers; in rural, suburban, and urban settings; and in 12 states, across every region of the country: AK, CA, FL, IA, ID, MO, NJ, NM, NY, OK, OR, and TX.

One of the grants is given in memory of Kristine Anastasio Manning , Trey’s sister who passed from neuroendocrine cancer in 2009. For another, the Mockingbird board elected to double the requested amount.

$10,000 to the Cinco Ranch High School in Katy, TX , to repair and replace instruments for a marching band program of over 200 students who themselves also teach elementary students about music $10,000 to The Florida Orchestra’s Strings Project in St Petersburg, FL , for stipends and other costs in serving violin and cello students within juvenile justice detention facilities, culminating in performances alongside TFO musicians $10,000 to The Girls’ Jazz And Blues Society in Sacramento, CA , to transform a pilot summer workshop into a sustained annual program in which girls learn jazz, lead bands, and reclaim their place in the music’s history – Kristy Memorial Grant $5,000 to JFK High School Marching Band in Paterson, NJ , to add brass and woodwinds to a percussion-only program for at-risk youth that was revitalized after budget cuts by utilizing alumni as instructors $10,000 to Juneau Arts & Humanities Council in Juneau, AK , to develop the curriculum and place a respected Tlingit elder to collaboratively integrate indigenous language and culture into existing elementary school music programs $10,000 to Kamiah High School in Kamiah, ID , to add four concert timpani to a comprehensive music program that started only four years ago and has already grown from 7 to 47 students $10,000 to Kids Rock Cancer at Maryville University in St.

Louis, MO , to expand access through general support of one-on-one and small-group instruction to pediatric cancer patients and survivors of all skill levels.

$10,000 to the National Institute Of Flamenco in Albuquerque, NM , to purchase 90 cajons for a no-cost program engaging underserved rural students through a globally diverse art form rooted in Andalusian folk music $10,000 to NewView Oklahoma in Oklahoma City, OK , for a 12-week program for blind and low-vision youth that uses accessible DAW workflows, screen-reader systems, & auditory feedback to guide students towards a finished music production $10,000 to Opportunity Music Project in New York, NY , to provide instruments, bows, and cases for a program that serves low-income students aged 4-18, and specifically to bolster a new program for those aged 4-6 $8,000 to Ottumwa Community Schools, James And Wilson in Ottumwa, IA , to expand instruments in a program that serves 50 students at two highly diverse Title I elementary schools with an annual budget of only $600 – request doubled $4,770 to Woodburn School District in Woodburn, OR , for 30 site licenses to Ableton Live Suite for digital audio lab stations serving a majority Latino population These twelve grantees were selected from among 939 initial inquiries requesting a total of over $6 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 a 501(c)3 nonprofit that has been operated entirely by volunteer fans, with no office, salaries, or paid staff, since its inception in 1996.

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 793 grants in all 50 states (including 26 so far in 2026) and totaling $3,029,229.

72 . Proceeds are generated by celebrating the music of Phish through books , recordings , art , donations , and special events , including the upcoming Eleventh Annual Runaway Open golf tournament. web design by oldham design