Newport Festivals Foundation has been awarded a $100,000 grant by The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (DDCF) to support the continuing success of the Newport Jazz Festival.
The grant will be used to reinforce the festival’s capacity to maintain strong, ongoing relationships with artists as well as to invite emerging artists to perform; encourage musicians to create their own compositions by commissioning new music; and explore ways to strengthen the long-term careers of artists who debut at the festival.
The Newport Jazz Festival is among five jazz organizations and related festivals receiving grants totaling $1 million through the Leadership Grants Program for Jazz.
“Safeguarding the continued vibrancy of jazz means ensuring there are venues for artists to connect with audiences,” said Maurine Knighton, program director for the Arts at DDCF. “These festivals, which attract thousands of concertgoers, are an important link that help imbue America’s musical landscape with jazz’s energy and excitement.”
This new initiative offers flexible funding over two years to support the self- defined, long-term goals of organizations that have demonstrated excellence in and sustained commitment to the field of jazz. The overall objective of these grants is to support the foundation’s long- standing goal to buoy the vibrancy of the jazz field by bolstering the long-term viability of its most critical organizations.
While this year’s grantees differ in their geographic locations, revenue streams, partnership models and methods of operation, all were selected for their importance to the robustness of the jazz field. The foundation’s 2016 Leadership Grants Program for Jazz acknowledges the value of these festivals to the field and therefore aims to support them as they promote both the larger public interest in and artistic vitality of jazz artists and their presenters.