News from the Foundation
Bookmark this page to check out new reports, articles, and announcements from the IBMA Foundation!
IBMA Foundation 2024-2025 Year End Report
They say, “It’s all about the numbers,” and the IBMA Foundation numbers for the past fiscal year were pretty great! But more important are the names and faces, programs, stories, and wonderful bluegrass music behind each number. We’ll share some of both with you below.
Since the beginning of the Foundation in 2007, more than $530,000 has been awarded for grants, scholarships and programs.
This past year we awarded more than $74,400 in grants, scholarships, and program support.
More than 500 supporters shared in our mission to support the future of bluegrass music, with donations totaling $198,000.
We ended the 2024-25 fiscal year with $644,326 in net assets. The Foundation’s agency endowment funds totaled $539,431
Latest Info
Rick Lang Music Songwriter Scholarship endowed
The IBMA Foundation is pleased to announce the permanent endowment of the Rick Lang Music Songwriter Scholarship, funded by a $50,000 gift from Rick and Wendy Lang of New Hampshire. Rick Lang is a GRAMMY-nominated writer who serves as the chair of the IBMA Songwriter...
New Year letter from Nancy Cardwell
Although 2021 turned out to be a bit more like 2020 than we had hoped, a healthy dose of optimism and forward movement mixed in with the challenges. The bluegrass community, a scrappy and creative bunch of folks, found new ways to gather, perform, teach and share...
Donor spotlight: Akira Otsuka
Our January IBMA Foundation donor spotlight is on Akira Otsuka, a multi-faceted bluegrass professional who grew up in Japan and now resides in Maryland. Q. How did you get involved with music, and what is your current role in the industry? A. When my older brother,...
Shultz Fund grant reports from Louisville Folk School, Nokosee Fields and BanJam 2021
Encouraging reports are coming in from 2021 recipients of Arnold Shultz Fund grants. Here are three that we received during the past month. The Louisville Folk SchoolThe Louisville Folk School was honored to be a recipient of a 2021 Arnold Shultz Fund grant...
Holidays come early for Black Banjo Reclamation Project
Thanks to a collaboration between Ohio-based Z Mandolin designer Lee Zapis, his wife Ageleke, Jamie Deering of the Deering Banjo Company, and the IBMA Foundation’s Arnold Shultz Fund, the holiday season will come a little early this year for the Black Banjo...
Six reminders for year-end gifting
Thank you for your generosity this year. We’ve already witnessed support for the things that bring our bluegrass community joy and for the things in this world we want to change in 2021. But the year isn’t quite over yet! This is the perfect time for reflecting and...
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The IBMA Foundation
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