The all-volunteer Mockingbird Foundation will be announcing scores of grants this year, including Summer Tour Grants, upcoming emergency grants, and, in less than a month, our 28th round of competitive funding. But we're starting with something special.

We pulled all of the Round 28 requests for $2K or less, ushered them through an expedited due diligence review, and are now announcing 25 grants totalling $35,980, in advance of Round 28. We're still playing with the name, but the gist is this: Identify dozens of small requests, that could make a big difference, and fund them quickly! 

With this announcement, Mockingbird has now made more than 600 grants nationwide. We'll hit 650 before the summer's over, and 700 is in our sights, thanks to the generous support of Phish fans like you!

In honor of Phish's upcoming shows at the Hollywood Bowl, April 21st, 22nd, and 23rd, the Mockingbird Foundation is sending checks for $1,000 to support music education through three nearby programs, all in Los Angeles, CA:

• Larchmont Charter Hollygrove, will get outfitted with a new PA system and microphones,
• Mar Vista Elementary will be able to purchase 45 children's sized Fender guitars, and
• Palms Middle School will acquire some new musical instruments for their students.

These unsolicited "Tour Grants" are part of an effort that now totals $230,000, over 10% of all Mockingbird grants to date. We're doing them for all 8 shows this spring, and all 23 this summer, updating a running list on the Foundation's website as we go, and welcome Phish fans and others to make a tax-deductible contribution supporting this effort.

In honor of Phish's upcoming shows at the Greek Theatre, April 17th, 18th, and 19th, the Mockingbird Foundation is sending checks for $1000 to support music education through three nearby programs:

• the ARISE High School, in Oakland, CA, will be stocking up their instrument loan library with some new guitars;
• the Berkeley Unified School District VAPA, in Berkeley, CA, will be able to provide scholarships for music camp; and
• the Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School, in Oakland, CA will be purchasing new chairs for the music students.

These unsolicited "Tour Grants" are part of an effort that now totals $230,000, over 10% of all Mockingbird grants to date. We're doing them for all 8 shows this spring, and all 23 this summer, updating a running list on the Foundation's website as we go, and welcome Phish fans and others to make a tax-deductible contribution supporting this effort.

In honor of Phish's upcoming shows at Climate Pledge Arena, April 14th and 15th, the all-volunteer, fan-run Mockingbird Foundation is sending checks for $1,000 to support music education at new nearby music programs:

• Music4Life (in Seattle, WA) provides donated nad repaired musical instruments at no charge to public school distrcts for use by students in need; and
• Highline Public Schools (in Burien, WA) will be purchasing three Trevor James fluters for their elementary band program.

We'll be doing the same for all 8 shows this spring, and all 23 this summer, updating a running list on the Foundation's website as we go, and welcome Phish fans and others to make a tax-deductible contribution supporting this effort.

Joseph Decuis - a lovely farm-to-fork experience in Roanoke, Indiana - will host a benefit concert on Sunday, April 16, 2023. The event will be a tribute to celebrate the life and music of George Ogg, and the organizers' initial goal is to raise $10,000 for the Mockingbird Foundation, per George’s children’s wishes.

George Ogg was a teacher and professional musician in California with his wife and children from 1980 to 1988. He had hundreds of students over his long entertainment and teaching career. For several years, George performed as a local musician/guitarist in the Fort Wayne area. During this time, he played out extensively with many different musicians and was dearly loved by all who worked with him. He was also a musical volunteer at area churches, and was on staff at Emmanuel Lutheran Church for the 5 p.m. church services. See videos on his YouTube channel and clips on his Facebook page.

The benefit, which begins at 3:00 p.m., will feature live music by some of Fort Wayne’s finest musicians, anecdotes from the friends that loved George, and hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar provided by Joseph Decuis, a fine-dining restaurant with casual lunches at the Emporium, next door. Much of the food is raised on their farm 6 miles away, and guests are encouraged to consider two associated B&Bs, one on the farm and one near the restaurants.

All proceeds will go to benefit The Mockingbird Foundation. Tickets are free, but seating is limited, so please make sure to register via Eventbrite. A goodwill collection will be taken.

On March 10, Trey and Page released a new album, January, through JEMP Records, Phish's label. Recall that in December 2020 Page and Trey released December, leading fans to speculate about when February will be released, and in what month---June, perhaps?

Produced by Bryce Goggin---who produced Phish's Farmhouse and Round Room and engineered Undermind---January has been very well-received by fans of all stripes, and you can listen to it here on LivePhish, or here on Apple Music, or here on Spotify.

For example, LivePhish site user YourMom says:

PHISH has announced a summer tour with shows in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania (Star Lake and the Mann), and of course New York (Syracuse and MSG). The tour concludes with four nights at Dick's over the Labor Day Weekend. The fan presale is underway through Phish Tickets’ online ticketing system (http://tickets.phish.com/) and the request period ends on Monday, February 27, 2023, at noon e.t. Public on sale is 10am e.t. on Friday, March 3. For more information visit Phish.com.

PHISH has announced an eight-show spring tour on the West Coast in April, namely, April 14-15 at Seattle's Climate Pledge Arena, April 17-18-19 at UCBerkeley's Greek Theatre, and April 21-22-23 at The Hollywood Bowl. A ticket request period is underway at tickets.phish.com and will end on Monday, January 16th at 12pm e.t., 9am p.t. The public onsale begins Friday, January 20th at 1pm e.t., 10am p.t. For more info visit phish.com/tours.

Phish will perform four shows at Madison Square Garden, Wednesday, December 28th through Saturday, December 31st. The Phish Ticket request period is underway at tickets.phish.com, and it ends on Monday, October 3rd at 12pm e.t. General on sale is Friday, October 7th at 12pm e.t. A limited number of travel packages (hotel and tickets) will go on sale Thursday, October 6th at 12pm e.t. here.

The all-volunteer Mockingbird Foundation has announced fourteen (14) new grants totaling $109,850. They were selected from among 883 initial applicants, and winnowed through a highly competitive, two-tiered review process, Mockingbird's 27th round of competitive grantmaking since 1996.

The winning grants include schools, community centers, and nonprofits in ten states, providing a diverse range of support to a variety of programs serving a number of different target populations. These grants were made possible by generous giving from Phish, WaterWheel, and thousands of Phish fans like yourself, and bring the fan-run nonprofit's historical giving to 549 grants totaling $2,093,507.40.

Registration is now open for the Seventh Annual Runaway Open charity golf tournament for Phish fans, to be held in Denver 9/3/22 (the morning between the first 2 and second 2 shows of the upcoming Labor Day's run at Dick's.) We'll have to up 120 players this time, with a shotgun start at 8:30, coffee and a group photo to get you started, on-course contests, raffles at the clubhouse, lunch and gift bags included, and more TBA.

Every previous year has sold out, and built a waiting list that we couldn't satisfy, so please register early. To encourage that, we're honoring our past pricing of a $150 donation per player until Memorial Day. From May 30 to August 20, the donatoin request jumps a bit to $165; and for the final two weeks before the event, late registration will be $180.

We're also inviting a range of sponsorship opportunities, including item donations for the gift bags, sponsored team names, sponsored hole signs, sponsored foursomes, and if anyone knows a business interested in the visibility, event sponsorship ("Presented by..." on all collateral and future promo.)

The Mockingbird Foundation has announced an unsolicited $1,000 tour grant to Sunset Park High School in Brooklyn, in celebration of Phish's ongoing four-show run at Madison Square Garden. This is the only NYU Partnership high school in Brooklyn. Of the students, 92% are minority and 85% are economically disadvantaged. It's also right down the street from a mass shooting that happened less than two weeks ago.

We are proud to announce that The Mockingbird Foundation, whose volunteers manage Phish.net, was incorporated as a New York not-for-profit twenty-five years ago on March 28, 1997. Since then, the Foundation has donated almost $2 MILLION in grants for music education for children and young adults in all 50 states. We couldn't have done this without you, and your ongoing support! 

Learn more about Mockingbird's work at mbird.org and please, if you appreciate this site, consider making a donation in any amount (every dollar really matters!), so the Foundation can continue its mission to fund music education programs nationwide.

We're closing out our 25th year fundraising for music education with a serious auction. We've already highlighted golf-related items, food-related items, award shows, and adventure travel - and want to make sure you saw the big-ticket international trips, including some once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. Bidding closes Monday...

mbird.org/auction

The Mockingbird Foundation has announced 9 additional grants in association with fall and winter Phish shows, part of an on-going Tour Grants effort outside of the foundation's competitive grants structure. These 9 newest grants cover the final stretch of the fall tour, and include a grant in Lititz, PA, where Phish performed their show livestreamed on New Year's Eve.

• Tri-City Band Corps' Special Needs Percussion Regiment Program of Fremont, CA (near Chase Center, October 16th and 17th)
• San Ysidro High School Band of San Diego, CA (near North Island Credit Union Ampthitheatre, October 23rd)
• Kennedy Middle School Band of Eugene, OR (near Matthew Knight Arena, October 19th and 20th)
• Mesquite Junior High School Band of GIlbert, AZ (near Ak-Chin Pavilion, October 22nd)
• Hooper Avenue Elementary School Orchestra Program of Los Angeles, CA (near The Forum, October 24th)
• Cuyama Valley High School Guitar Class of New Cuyama, CA (near Santa Barbara Bowl, October 26th)
• Sierra Vista High School Orchestra of Las Vegas, NV (near MGM Grand Garden Arena, October 28th, 29th, 30th, and 31st)
• Warwick High School band program of Lititz, PA (near Rock Lititz, December 31st)

Phish will be performing four shows at Madison Square Garden, December 29, 2021, through January 1, 2022, to bring in 2022. The Phish Tickets By Mail request period is underway and ends on Monday, Oct. 4 at noon e.t.

The public onsale begins Friday Oct. 8 at noon e.t. on Ticketmaster, and a limited number of travel packages (hotel and tickets) will go on sale Oct. 7 at noon e.t., here.

The Mockingbird Foundation is announcing its 20th round of Tour Grants, in celebration of Phish's 34 shows this summer and fall. Unsolicited $1,000 checks will be sent to a music program near each venue at which performs, part of a long-standing effort to help bring music from the Phish community to the local communities Phish touches. The $25,000 total continues a celebration of Mockingbird's 25th year, and is being announced in six batches.

The third group of recipients, in celebration of the last third of the summer tour (and including Dick's, arguably the third leg?), are:

• Chelan High School of Chelan, WA (near Gorge Amphitheatre, August 27th, 28th, 29th)
• Carson High School (via Carson City Band Association) of Carson City, NV (near Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena, planned but canceled for August 31st and September 1st)
• Carson Middle School Bands of Carson City, NV (near Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena, planned but canceled for August 31st and September 1st)
• Leigh High School (via Leigh Parents of the Performing Arts) of San Jose, CA (near Shoreline Amphitheatre, August 31st and September 1st)
• Adams City High School Band of Commerce City, CO (near Dick's Sporting Goods Arena, September 3rd, 4th, 5th)

The Mockingbird Foundation is announcing its 20th round of Tour Grants, in celebration of Phish's 34 shows this summer and fall. Unsolicited $1,000 checks will be sent to a music program near each venue at which performs, part of a long-standing effort to help bring music from the Phish community to the local communities Phish touches. The $25,000 total continues a celebration of Mockingbird's 25th year, and is being announced in six batches.

The second group of recipients, in celebration of the second half of the first summer tour leg, are:

• Noblesville East Middle School (via Noblesville Schools) of Noblesville, IN (near Ruoff Music Center, August 6th, 7th, and 8th)
• Hershey Elementary School (via Hershey Music Boosters) of Hershey, PA (near HersheyPark Stadium, August 10th and 11th)
• Ventnor Middle School (via Ventnor Board of Education) of Ventnor, NJ (near Atlantic City Beach, August 13th, 14th, 15th)

We are beyond thrilled to announce The Roggae Rose, produced and sold by one of California’s top winemakers and fellow phan Pax Mahle! This delicious rose is a blend of 60% Gamay and 40% Pinot Noir, which are the two traditional red grape varietals in France’s Burgundy and also thrive in California. The wine was made using whole clusters, which adds an extra dimension of complexity. It is 12.5% alcohol, which is perfect when you need something a bit on the lighter side.

Pax Mahle has generously committed to donate 100% of the profits to The Mockingbird Foundation to help support children’s music education. The wine is $24 per bottle and can be ordered here.

Pax started Pax Wines in 2000 working with cooler climate vineyards in Sonoma County and Mendocino. At Pax Wines, winemaking is approached holistically. This is done by taking care to use only grapes that are grown without the use of chemicals and by hand-making their wines with as little intervention as possible.

The full lineup of wines currently available can be found here. If you order 12+ bottles, you receive 50% off shipping. Please note, it is a good idea to air ship the wines as it is still warm outside these days. Further details can be found on the order page.

We hope you enjoy this wine as much as we do. It should pair beautifully while listening to a wonderful Summer or Fall concert!

The Mockingbird Foundation hopes you are enjoying the Summer, and staying healthy and safe. As of now, it appears that the majority of schools will be having students back in the classrooms this Fall. Luckily, many places are still taking precautions where warranted to help ensure the safety of students and teachers.

Meanwhile, however, the music programs at many institutions have had their budgets cut significantly these past 18 months. It was already a struggle for them, and now the need is becoming rather dire. It is sad to see so many schools deem programs such as music education almost unnecessary. We know that is not the case, as we have observed firsthand how music education improves the lives of children. We have seen just that hundreds of times.

We at The Mockingbird Foundation have started a Back to School Campaign to help ensure that music programs will be coming back on the right track. We aim to raise $50,000 this August to help support children's music education throughout the country. An incredibly generous donor has agreed to match the first $25,000 of donations, and a donation of any amount will help us reach our goal. Thank you.

The Mockingbird Foundation is announcing its 20th round of Tour Grants, in celebration of Phish's 34 shows this summer and fall. Unsolicited $1,000 checks will be sent to a music program near each venue at which performs, part of a long-standing effort to help bring music from the Phish community to the local communities Phish touches. The $25,000 total continues a celebration of Mockingbird's 25th year, and will be announced in six batches.

The first group of recipients are:

• Rogers High School Band Boosters of Rogers, AR (near Walmart Arkansas Music Pavillion, July 28th)
• Carver High School Band Program of Birmingham, AL (near Oak Mountain Amphitheatre, July 30th)
• Midtown High School Bands of Atlanta, GA (near Ameris Bank Amphitheatre, July 31st and August 1st)
• Springfield Middle School of Springfield, TN (near Ascend Amphitheater, August 3rd and 4th)

Twenty years ago today, the Mockingbird Foundation released the double-disc Sharin' in the Groove, featuring 23 artists who (with their studios, managers, producers, and more) donated their time gratis to record a Phish cover and help fundraise for music education for children. CDs still sell, believe it or not, and the digital tracks continue to raise grant funds every week, even 20 years later - and we encourage you to pick it up, at any of the 80+ outlets for it, from Amazon and the Apple Store to Spotify and beyond.

Sharin' in the Groove was unusual, as "tribute" albums go. Above all, the performers aren't bands influenced by Phish - it's the bands, acts, and genres that influenced Phish, from school bands (high school orchetra and college marching band) to the international champion barbershop quartet, and every manner of jazz, funk, soul, rock, pop, ballad, and more in between: Little Feat (who recorded "Sample in a Jar", then took it on the road) and the Wailers (doing their first track in over a decade, with their original producer); members of Talking Heads and Los Lobos; Son Seals and Arlo Guthrie - and Jimmy Buffet, with his entire Coral Reef Band.

And it's organized like a show, opening with a clean and vibrant cover of "Bouncin'" by Arlo Guthrie playing with a band that includes 2 of his kids, winding its way through a solid first set CD, then diving into some weirdness for set (CD) two - such as drum-n-bass masters Lake Trout reimagining a chunk of Picture of Nectar, and Japanese oddity The Boredoms mashing up "Free" and "End of Session" - before finishing out with the "Golgi" encore.

In celebration of Pride Month, an all-volunteer nonprofit founded and run entirely by Phish fans has announced an unsolicited $1,500 grant to the Los Angeles LGBT Center's Youth Services. The Mockingbird Foundation grant will support musical arts programming for approximately 120 youth.

The Mockingbird Foundation has announced fifteen new grants totaling $113,600 to support music education of children nationwide. These grants - the 26th round of competitive grants considered and awarded by Mockingbird - brings to 508 the total number of grants (and $1.9M the total granted) in the history of the all-volunteer charity started by Phish fans in 1996.