Our Story
IBMA Foundation was created by the International Bluegrass Music Association in 2007 with a bequest from the Richard Barnhart estate. Mr. Barnhart was a musician from northern Virginia who loved bluegrass and wanted to support educational programs for children. Since the beginning, our goal has been to support bluegrass-music-related educational, literary, artistic and historic preservation activities.
In our early years we produced Discover Bluegrass, an educational video that has been used in thousands of classrooms and libraries around the world. We have hosted dozens of teacher workshops and artist trainings. We created a bluegrass lesson plan competition and provided a network for leaders of after-school bluegrass programs.
Our project grants, which now total $25,000 a year, support bluegrass-related initiatives throughout the world. We also fund Bluegrass in the Schools Mini-grants ($7,000/year) which help schools to hire bluegrass bands for school programs. The Rosenberg Bluegrass Scholar Award recognizes excellence in academic research. Six college scholarships are granted for students working in various areas of the bluegrass music industry. The Arnold Shultz Fund supports increased participation of people of color in bluegrass music with grants that total $30,000/ year. Fletcher Bright Memorial Grants for Young Musicians (age 18 and younger) help young people go to bluegrass music camps and workshops, take lessons, and purchase educational materials.
During IBMA’s World of Bluegrass week, the Foundation presents a college bluegrass band showcase, a bluegrass college educators luncheon, and a bluegrass college information session for prospective students and their parents. We also facilitate academic research-related seminars and host a booth in the expo hall.
The IBMA Foundation, Inc. is a tax-exempt, tax-deductible organization with headquarters in Nashville and a satellite office in Burlington, North Carolina. We are governed by 15 volunteers and one ex-officio member appointed by the International Bluegrass Music Association and staffed by a part-time executive director.
Our mission is to build a brighter future for bluegrass music. We help donors create a bluegrass legacy by supporting programs and projects that focus on bluegrass music-related arts and culture, education, literary work and historic preservation.
The IBMA Foundation, Inc. is a tax-exempt, tax-deductible organization (Tax ID number 82-4785593) with headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee and also in Burlington, North Carolina. The Foundation is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a public charity under Section 170(b)(1)(a)(vi), effective November 30, 2017.
Donors contributed more than $161,000 last year to support bluegrass initiatives.
Please consider joining us. Let's build a brighter future for bluegrass! View Our Most Recent Annual Report.Audit (2020-2021)Board & Staff Leadership
Sam Blumenthal
Family business owner, author, Earl Scruggs Music Festival board
Richard Brown
Harvard University & The Reunion Band
Michael Hall
Northern California Bluegrass Society
Ruth McLain, Secretary
Morehead State University & The McLain Family Band
Mona Salyer
Alan Tompkins, Vice-Chair
Bluegrass Heritage Foundation
Wendy Tyner, Treasurer
Wintergrass/Acoustic Sound
Lillian Werbin
Elderly Instruments
Nancy Cardwell, IBMA Foundation Executive Director
Kissy Black
Lotos Nile
Becky Buller
The Becky Buller Band
Laurie Greenberg
Peter Salovey
Yale University & The Professors of Bluegrass
Mark Schuster
The Schuster Group
Trisha Tubbs, Board Chairperson/ President
John Young
Ken White
IBMA Executive Director, ex-officio board member
Former Board Members
Greg Cahill • Peter D’Addario • Henri Deschamps • Mary Doub • Dan Hays (liaison) • Tom Kopp • Kitsy Kuykendall • Jed Malischke • Pat Morris • Carl Pagter • Mark Panfil • Paul Schiminger • Richard Spratt • Tim Stafford • Stephanie Taylor • Yvonne Tatar • Richard Tucker
I first remember hearing bluegrass (it was called “mountain music” at the time) in 1956, on the radio. In 1965 a friend took me to the very first multi-day bluegrass festival in Fincastle, Virginia. Since then, I’ve had all kinds of involvement in the music. Bluegrass and the people in its community have contributed greatly to the happiness of my life. I want others—especially youth and people in parts of the world that wouldn’t otherwise be exposed—to discover and learn about bluegrass. I won’t live forever, so I’m investing my time and money into helping build the IBMA Foundation as a lasting, significant, and worldwide philanthropy.
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The Friends of the Foundation group is open to all individuals, companies, and organizations interested in helping bluegrass music grow, sharing it with future generations and new audiences around the world. CLICK HERE to read about ways you could help as a Friend of the Foundation.
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The IBMA Foundation
1183 University Drive #105-215
Burlington, NC 27215
615.260.4807