Nancy Cardwell has announced plans to retire from her position as executive director of the IBMA Foundation on June 30, 2026, after 10 years with the Foundation and 20 years on the staff of the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) from 1994-2015.
“Nancy has done a remarkable job for the IBMA Foundation and played a major role in its success and growth,” said Trisha Tubbs, the Foundation’s president and board chair. “Her industry knowledge, contacts, and donor relationships have been invaluable, as well as her ability to collaborate with a wide range of people and organizations. We are grateful for her years of service and will greatly miss her as our executive director! But we wish her the very best as she enjoys her well-deserved retirement.”
“I couldn’t be prouder of the Foundation’s progress,” Cardwell said, “but this is still just the beginning of what I know can be accomplished to make the future of bluegrass music brighter. I will be cheering the board on from the sidelines, continuing to support where I can—possibly as a future committee member and definitely as a donor. It’s been an honor and a privilege to serve as the Foundation’s first staff member. This has been the best board I’ve ever worked with, under the leadership of Trisha Tubbs and Fred Bartenstein before that. I fully expect the Foundation’s growth to continue, which will result in increased grants, scholarships, and programs capable of supporting the bluegrass music community in a more substantial way.”
Nancy is known for her calm and positive professionalism, tireless work ethic, and dedication to making the world a better place by sharing bluegrass music with the next generation. She looks forward to spending more time with her husband and family, continuing to write, travel, and play more bass.
Since Cardwell took the executive director position in 2016, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization has increased its net worth from $168,085 to $644,326, while also increasing the Foundation’s slate of two grant programs (Project Grants and Bluegrass in the Schools Mini-grants) to twelve grants, scholarships, and awards.
More than half a million dollars has been awarded by the IBMA Foundation since 2008 through the Mike Auldridge Memorial Scholarship, the Terry Baucom Bluegrass Education Grant, the Gloria Belle Memorial Scholarship, the Bill Breen Bluegrass Youth Education Fund, the Fletcher Bright Memorial Grant for Young Musicians, the J.D. Crowe Banjo Scholarship, the Katy Daley Broadcast Media & Sound Engineering Scholarship, the Sally Ann Forrester Scholarship, the IBMA Bluegrass College Scholarship, the Rick Lang Music Songwriter Scholarship, the Neil Rosenberg Bluegrass Scholar Award, and the Arnold Shultz Fund. The IBMA Foundation’s flagship Project Grants and Bluegrass in the Schools Mini-grants continue.
This small but growing foundation for bluegrass music has an international reach, with grants and scholarships awarded in recent years to individuals and programs in most U.S. states as well as Canada, China, the Czech Republic, India, Kenya, Nepal, Switzerland, Thailand, Uganda, and the United Kingdom.
The Foundation’s Bluegrass Stagecraft 101 video and webinar series is a new educational resource, posted along with the six Discover Bluegrass: Exploring American Roots Music DVD video chapters on the Foundation’s website and YouTube Channel—the latter co-produced by Cardwell while on staff at IBMA.
Collaborations with other music organizations (Junior Appalachian Musicians, Country Music Association, Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee (CFMT), Folk Alliance International, European Bluegrass Music Association, the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum, and IBMA, among others) have been a positive development, and the Foundation’s online presence is growing. Cardwell edits the monthly enewsletter, The Cornerstone, and stays in touch monthly with the Friends of the Foundation digital street team, which now numbers over 100 supporters.
In recent years, the Foundation has created two major fundraising events, the Strings for Dreams Bluegrass Raffle and the new Biscuits for Bluegrass breakfast event planned for World of Bluegrass 2025 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Pisgah Banjo Company also hosts an annual banjo raffle to benefit the Foundation’s Arnold Shultz Fund.
A number of donors have included the IBMA Foundation in their estate planning because the Foundation’s expertise and excellent financial management gives them a way to confidently create the bluegrass legacy they want for future generations. During Cardwell’s tenure the Foundation set aside more than $500,000 in agency endowment funds at the CFMT and in a quasi-endowment fund at Morgan Stanley, so that IBMA Foundation grants and scholarships will be funded for generations to come.
“I continue to be impressed and amazed by the creative generosity of the bluegrass music community,” Cardwell said. “Many people have such a passion for bluegrass music and gratitude for the difference it’s made in their own lives that they want the music to continue forever. Creating a bluegrass legacy with the IBMA Foundation is definitely a great way to make sure musicians and others working in various roles in the bluegrass music world will continue to be encouraged and supported.”
The IBMA Foundation has created a Search Committee to find the next executive director. Interested applicants may apply and submit a resume at https://bluegrassfoundation.org/apply. Please check the IBMA Foundation website at https://bluegrassfoundation.org for more information on the job opening.
RETURN to the September 2025 issue of The Cornerstone.
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