(CelebrityAccess) — Music Performance Trust Fund (MPTF), a non-profit group that seeks to strengthen communities through the power of music, announced plans to mark its 75th anniversary with a host of expanded initiatives, including new programming, scholarships, and more.
Those initatives include an increase in funding allocations for Canada of up to 33%, which the organization touts as their highest budget grant in 20 years. The funds will help to support free live concerts as community and senior centers across Canada, as well as scholarships and music programs in the nation’s schools.
The Trust Fund, which was founded in 1948, is backed by the four major labels – Sony Music, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and Walt Disney Records – and has distributed more than $620 million (USD) in sponsorship money in the last 75 years.
“As we launch our 75th Anniversary and celebrate this major milestone, the MPTF continues to evolve and successfully navigate the impact of COVID on live music by developing new initiatives, partnering with businesses and organizations, and streamlining operations, while expanding the breadth of our programs across North America,” said Daniel Beck, Trustee of Musicians Performance Trust Fund. “I’m also very pleased to announce that by the end of our fiscal year in March, we anticipate having funded a total of more than 3,000 events with a distribution of over $3.0 million in grants. MPTF will increase our allocations for the upcoming year by 33%, with financial support of $3.3 million in grants, plus $165,000 in scholarships. This is the largest grant budget in twenty years.”
“For 75 years, the Music Performance Trust Fund has brought live music, free, to the public, in all corners of the United States and Canada. From park concerts to in-school demonstrations, the Fund has proven to be an extremely valuable and popular partner for city councils, schools and assisted living facilities, providing every genre of music in an up-close and personal way. I know of no other entity that has endured for so long, brought joy to so many, yet remained both relevant and critical to both musicians and music lovers now and in the future. Bravo to the MPTF for its excellent work!” said Alan Willaert, Vice-President from Canada, AFM of the U.S. and Canada.
For its 75th anniversary, the MPTF plans to regrow its slate of admission free live events, as well as focusing on areas that are still lagging in recovering from the coronavirus pandemic, or which suffered setbacks from lack of funding, staffing, or government support.
In April, the MPTF plans to host more than 250 250 live music performances in celebration of Jazz Appreciation Month and will partner with local businesses and civic organizations to commemorate Juneteenth.
As well, the MPTF will provide support for organizations and events such as the Chicago Lyric Opera, French Quarter Festival, the Make Music Alliance, and the Broadway League’s annual Curtains Up! event held in Times Square.
Furthermore, the MPTF will award at least $150,000 to students pursuing careers in music through two scholarship programs, MPTF’s Music Family Scholarships and the Music’s Future Scholarship, which was established to help advance music majors.
Mitch Glazier, Chairman/CEO of RIAA, and Michele Ballantyne, COO of RIAA, added: “MPTF’s gift of free live music to communities all around the country changes lives. It reminds us music has no boundaries, and we are all connected – from the Bluegrass circles of Kentucky to Hip-Hop Brooklyn street corners to the cozy clubs of Montreal Jazz. RIAA Members are honored to support this dynamic, living testament to the tapestry of American music.”
For more information on MPTF programs, live stream and in-person music events, and more, visit https://www.musicpf.org and https://www.facebook.com/the.mptf/
