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The Jazz Loft's mission is one of Jazz preservation, education, and performance, and has quickly become the premier destination for all things Jazz. Presenting a full performance calendar of local, national and international artists in our period 1940s second floor performance space the Loft also has an extensive education program. Our Pre College Jazz Institute in collaboration with Stony Brook University offers training in jazz theory, performance and masterclass settings to outstanding high school musicians. Our Young at Heart program offers music therapy presentations for those with memory loss and their caregivers. A monthly lecture series and scheduled family concerts round out our community outreach endeavors which are due in part to an outstanding team of sponsors and community leaders. The Jazz Lofts final mission point is that of preservation which is alive and well and on view 24/7 in our 6,000 square feet of original jazz memorabilia spanning 100 years of the American born art form celebrating not only the music, but art and photography as well throughout our many galleries.

The DJ DEMP Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization based in Tallahassee, Florida. We transform the lives of at-risk youth through education and advocacy. We help at-risk youth identify bullying and prevent bullying through positive problem-solving. We believe in diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our mission is to provide a creative learning environment for youth with a particular emphasis on problem solving and youth development to prevent bullying. Our anti-bullying program focuses on eradicating bullying, ridiculing, teasing, and harassment in school. Bullying has a serious and lasting negative effect on the mental health and overall well-being of youth. We work to combat the negative outcomes of bullying, including depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and poor social performance. Our program centers on aiding students in identifying what bullying is and helping parents train their children on how to recognize bullying and stand up to bullies. We focus on social-emotional learning. We use music to address social issues. Music is an effective tool for supporting students in learning. It gives students a unique opportunity to express themselves creatively and build confidence. Music also improves cognitive and non-cognitive skills and helps develop language skills in children. We provide access to problem-solving workshops that help at-risk kids improve self-esteem and encourage creative expression. Music Inspires

GiGi’s Playhouse Down Syndrome Achievement Center’s mission is to change the way the world views Down syndrome through national campaigns, educational programs, and by empowering individuals with Down syndrome, their families and the community. We offer free therapeutic and educational programming to individuals with Down syndrome and their families. With over 30 locations across the United States and Mexico and 200 inquiries to start new locations all over the world, GiGi’s Playhouse is the ONLY network of Down Syndrome Achievement Centers. Every day, we provide FREE, life-changing therapeutic, educational and career training programs for 30,000+ individuals of all ages. Programs are always available to participants and families despite their initial skill level or ability to pay. By offering free programs and through our Generation G Campaign for global acceptance, we EMPOWER families by maximizing opportunities for daily achievement and lasting acceptance. To ensure lasting acceptance, we must show the world what individuals with Down syndrome are truly capable of achieving as students, co-workers, volunteers, friends, and valued members of their communities. Our program outcomes help advance this vital social impact goal.

WHO WE ARE: Known for its energy and excellence, the award-winning Florida Singing Sons Boychoir celebrates 44 years in South Florida. The Boychoir is recognized nationally and internationally for its choral talent. Through public outreach, concerts and tours, radio broadcasts and more, over 20,000 people hear our music each year. OUR MISSION: To foster the musical knowledge, education and vocal training of its members through performance and community events and to provide the community with a source of pride in the talent and professional achievement of its youth. CHOIRS: Four distinct choirs: Training Choir (grades 3-4) offers the boys instruction on basic music reading, vocal production and stage presence. After at least a year in the Training Choir, boys progress to Residence Choir (grades 4-5) for a more Intensive musical experience. After this training, boys are promoted to Concert Choir (grades 5-8). Members of the Concert Choir have unique performing and touring opportunities while continuing their outstanding music education. When their voices change, these young men join the Second Generation Singers and continue performing and traveling until their graduation from high school.

Storycatchers Theatre guides young people to transform their traumatic experiences into powerful musical theatre, inspiring them to develop the courage and vision to become leaders and mentors. By creating support for youth within the criminal justice system, Storycatchers prepares them to change their lives and emerge successfully from court involvement. Storycatchers was founded in 1984 to create and perform original musicals inspired by the stories of middle and high school students. In 1990, the company began developing its immersive residential program model for system-impacted youth at the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center. It was at this time that the methodology expanded to incorporate the youth into the full process of writing and performing as a way to explore and begin to move beyond past trauma. Storycatchers initiated a remarkable partnership with the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice in 2002 when the company moved into the Illinois Youth Center-Warrenville, where Storycatchers established its nationally recognized, award-winning process of delivering creative youth development programs through a trauma lens. Storycatchers has been conducting year-round residential programs in three separate facilities since 2010. In 2014, the company expanded into post-release support with the Changing Voices performing arts jobs program for young people ages 17-24 returning to Chicago.Storycatchers amplifies and elevates the voices of youth impacted by the carceral state, empowering them to envision and pursue productive post-release futures of their choosing.

FIASCO THEATER is an ensemble theater company created by graduates of the Brown University/Trinity Rep M.F.A. acting program. Past shows include Cymbeline (TFANA/Barrow Street), Into the Woods (Roundabout, Old Globe, McCarter), Measure for Measure (New Victory), The Two Gentlemen of Verona (Folger/TFANA) and Twelfth Night. Cymbeline was presented Off-Broadway twice, for nearly 200 performances, and was honored with the 2012 Off-Broadway Alliance Award for best revival. Into the Woods garnered the 2015 Lucille Lortel Award for Best Revival. Every year, Fiasco offers the Free Training Initiative—a three-week, conservatory-level classical acting intensive for professional actors, completely free of charge to students. Fiasco has been in residence with Duke University, Marquette University, LSU, and NYU-Gallatin. Their work has been developed at the Sundance Theatre Lab, the Orchard Project, SPACE at Ryder Farm (upcoming) and the Shakespeare Society, and Fiasco has led master classes at Brown University and NYU. OUR MISSION The mission of Fiasco Theater is to offer dynamic, joyful, actor-driven productions of classic and new plays, and to offer high-level theatrical training through classes and workshops. Our goal is to create a new model of fiscal sustainability whereby we remunerate our artists for their valuable work and offer our performances and training at low or no cost to our audiences and students. WHO WE ARE: We are a team of classically trained actors with a common aesthetic vision and a passion for teaching acting. We choose to work as an ensemble because we believe this allows us the possibility to create something greater than the sum of its parts. WHAT WE BELIEVE: The artists at Fiasco believe that thrilling theater is invented through dynamic rehearsal – exploring the play in a full, open, joyful way through the voice, body, and imagination. We believe the performer, the text and the audience are the only elements required to make great theater. These principles of the power of rehearsal inspire both the creation of our performances and the training of our students. A NEW FISCAL MODEL We believe that theater is a societal foundation. It brings communities together, teaches empathy and has the power to inspire, galvanize and heal people. It’s vibrancy is necessary for the health of a culture, and shouldn’t be a luxury only accessible to the wealthy. We also believe that people who choose to create art for a living should be able to make a living doing so and shouldn’t have to choose between creating art and a living wage. But the current producing wisdom demands that wages be kept low to minimize costs while ticket prices are raised to maximize the potential for profit. It is a wisdom that hurts artists and audience alike. Fiasco’s mission is to invert that equation: we seek to offer art to the public at affordable prices while paying the artists who create it a living wage. We do so by enlisting the generosity of donors, corporations and foundations in support of artist salaries and subsidized ticket prices. WHY FIASCO? Legend has it the word “fiasco” was first used to describe commedia dell’arte performances that went horribly (and hilariously) wrong. In those instances the performer would have to fare fiasco or “make a bottle.” In other words “You’re buying!” While we hope to avoid on-stage disasters, we do believe that it is only when artists are brave enough to risk a fiasco that the possibility exists of creating something special. We chose the name Fiasco to remind ourselves to brave the huge leaps in the hopes of reaping huge artistic rewards.

Lumberyard, one of the nation's leading contemporary performing arts institutions, serves the performing arts community and its audiences by providing multi-faceted opportunities for artists to develop new work. Unwavering in its commitment to assisting artists throughout the creative process, Lumberyard operates with a collaborative and generous spirit, one driven by this support for artists and appreciation for the audiences who value their work. Lumberyard's history goes back to 1999 when, thanks to founder and benefactor Solange MacArthur, it began as American Dance Institute (ADI), a dance school based in Rockville, Maryland. In 2010, after looking closely at the challenges facing the American contemporary dance field, ADI changed course to focus on artist-centered programs that include residency and performance opportunities. This new direction resulted in what is now Lumberyard's stellar reputation for providing this much needed support, with the Incubator residency program, introduced in 2011, especially praised. Lumberyard also serves emerging artists through its Solange MacArthur Award and Future Artists Initiative. In summer 2016, Lumberyard responded to artists' requests for residencies to culminate with a New York City performance season by launching Lumberyard/NYC, an initiative undertaken in collaboration with New York City theater spaces, which, to this day, not only supports artists but also serves audiences who, at affordable ticket prices, have the chance to see a wide range of contemporary dance. Lumberyard will experience more exciting change in 2018 when it opens new facilities in a former lumberyard in Catskill New York, a town approximately two hours from New York City, positioned beautifully between the Hudson River and the Catskill Creek that was once the home of painter Thomas Cole, founder of the renowned Hudson River School. The renovation of the lumberyard, a four-building complex, will produce fabulous studios and housing, allowing Lumberyard to expand its mission of supporting artists throughout the creative process by being able to increase the number of residencies and performance opportunities available to them. The site will also include a state-of-the art performing arts space, certain to become a cultural destination for Catskill residents and for those traveling to the region. By taking ownership of this property, Lumberyard will connect audiences to some of the best and most provocative performances being created today, and the excitement of seeing works in preview before they premier in less intimate venues will extend beyond the stage to include receptions and talk backs with artists. Catskill residents will also benefit by access to a delightful courtyard that will host a farmers' market and other community events.

The mission of Jazz at Lincoln Center is to entertain, enrich and expand a global community for Jazz through performance, education and advocacy. We believe Jazz is a metaphor for Democracy. Because jazz is improvisational, it celebrates personal freedom and encourages individual expression. Because jazz is swinging, it dedicates that freedom to finding and maintaining common ground with others. Because jazz is rooted in the blues, it inspires us to face adversity with persistent optimism.From our first downbeat as a summer concert series at Lincoln Center in 1987, to the fully orchestrated achievement of opening the world's first venue designed specifically for jazz in 2004, we have celebrated this music and these landmarks with an ever-growing audience of jazz fans from around the world.Representing the totality of jazz music, Jazz at Lincoln Center's mission is carried out through four elements—educational, curatorial, archival, and ceremonial—capturing, in unparalleled scope, the full spectrum of the jazz experience.In the mid-1980s, Lincoln Center, Inc. was looking to expand its programming efforts to attract new and younger audiences, and to fill its halls during the summer months when resident companies were performing elsewhere. Long-time jazz enthusiasts on the Lincoln Center campus and on the Lincoln Center Board recognized the need for America's music to be represented, and lobbied to include jazz in the organization's offerings. After four summers of successful Classical Jazz concerts, Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC) became an official department of Lincoln Center in 1991. During its first year, JALC produced concerts throughout New York City, including Brooklyn and Harlem. By the second year, JALC had its own radio series on National Public Radio, and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra (now known as the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra) began touring, and recording and selling CDs. By its fourth year, the program reached international audiences with performances in Hong Kong and, the following year, in France, Austria, Italy, Turkey, Norway, Spain, England, Germany and Finland. In July 1996, JALC was inducted as the first new constituent of Lincoln Center since The School of American Ballet joined in 1987, laying the groundwork for the building of a performance facility designed specifically for the sound, function and feeling of jazz.“The whole space is dedicated to the feeling of swing, which is a feeling of extreme coordination," explained Jazz at Lincoln Center's Managing and Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis of his vision for the new home of jazz, or the “House of Swing." “Everything is integrated: the relationship between one space and another, the relationship between the audience and the musicians, is one fluid motion, because that's how our music is." Under Marsalis's direction, JALC sought out world-renowned architect Rafael Viñoly and a team of acoustic engineers to create Frederick P. Rose Hall, the world's first performance, education and broadcast facility devoted to jazz, in New York City. As the centerpiece of a $131 million capital campaign drive, the 100,000-square-foot facility opened in fall 2004 and features three concert and performance spaces (Rose Theater, The Appel Room and Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola) engineered for the warmth and clarity of the sound of jazz.

La MaMa is dedicated to the artist and all aspects of the theatre. It has a worldwide reputation for producing daring work in theatre, dance, performance art, and music that defies form and transcends boundaries of language, race, and culture. Founded in 1961 by theatre pioneer and legend Ellen Stewart, La MaMa is a vital part of the fabric of cultural life in NYC and the anchor of FAB (Fourth Arts Block). In the 1960's, Ms. Stewart, one of the first black fashion designers in New York, worked as the executive designer for Saks Fifth Avenue and was undoubtedly a trendsetter. She began La MaMa with the belief that art, in order to flourish, needs: fiscal support, the company of colleagues, the spirit of collaboration and a public forum in which to be evaluated. The original house of La MaMa sat 30 people, and the stage was the size of a bed. Today, La MaMa is a four-building campus with three theaters, an art gallery, an art and technology studio, rehearsal studios, a dormitory, offices, and an extensive archive documenting the history of Off-Off-Broadway. La MaMa produces approximately 70 productions annually, most of which are world premieres. To date, more than 3,500 productions have been presented at La MaMa with 150,000 artists from more than 70 nations. La MaMa's programming is culturally diverse, cross-disciplinary and draws audiences from all walks of life. In addition to affordable ticket prices, La MaMa distributes up to 8,000 free tickets annually to social service and education organizations. Annual visitors exceed 32,000 people from New York and beyond. Each year, La MaMa provides employment opportunities for more than 260 artists and administrators including performers, writers, composers, directors, choreographers, musicians, designers and educators. La MaMa is a think tank and an experimental forum where artists at various stages of their career and creative development come to take risks. Much of the work done here allows the artistic experimenter to take the lessons learned and capitalize on them elsewhere, thus influencing much of what is eventually seen in commercial theater and the entertainment industry at large. In addition, La MaMa provides people of all ages and backgrounds with an opportunity to explore the arts in various capacities - as a member of the audience, the creative team, production crew or cast. "A home to, and champion of, brash and venturesome artists!" - New York Times Countless American artists have worked at La MaMa during the early stages of their careers, including: Blue Man Group, Steve Buscemi, Robert DeNiro, Andre DeShields, Danny DeVito, Olympia Dukakis, Harvey Fierstein, Philip Glass, Bill Irwin, Diane Lane, Bette Midler, Meredith Monk, Estelle Parsons, Sam Shepard, Patti Smith, Elizabeth Swados, Julie Taymor, Andy Warhol, Lanford Wilson, Robert Wilson, Scott Wittman and Joel Zwick. New Eastern European Theatre was introduced to America in 1967 when La MaMa brought Ryszard Cieslak, Ludwig Flaszen, and Jerry Grotowski to New York. Other international artists whose work premiered at La MaMa include Ivica Buljan, Peter Brooke, Tadeusz Kantor, Kazuo Ohno, Andrei Serban, Shuji Teriyama, and Ahmed Yacoubi. La MaMa has received more than 30 Obie Awards, dozens of Drama Desk and Bessie Awards. Recent significant premieres include: The Foundry Theatre's GOOD PERSON OF SZECHWAN; Belarus Free Theatre's BEING HAROLD PINTER (Obie Award); Lee Breuer's LA DIVINA CARICATURA; and SOULOGRAPHIE: OUR GENOCIDES by Eric Ehn.

Carolyn Dorfman Dance connects life and dance in bold, athletic and dramatic works by Carolyn Dorfman and nationally renowned choreographers.

The Canadian Hero Fund is a charitable organization dedicated to supporting Canadian military personnel and their families. The Canadian Hero Fund was founded by a group of students at the University of Toronto who were deeply impacted by the increasing number of Canadian casualties and the young families they left behind. As a non-political civilian charity, the Canadian Hero Fund raises money through community, grassroots efforts. The Canadian Hero Fund also acts as a conduit for all Canadians to show their support and care for military families and their sacrifice. Your donation to the Canadian Hero Fund represents your commitment to the brave men and women of the Canadian Forces, to the families of fallen soldiers, and to the children who have lost their Hero. By giving to the Canadian Hero Fund you can help keep their dreams alive. If you have any questions please contact us at info@herofund.ca or call 1-888-602-3071.

BCF fosters cooperation and goodwill between Bhutan and Canada in several ways: Our main program is a teacher program, in which we work with the Ministry of Education in Bhutan to send qualified teachers to teach in public schools in some of the most rural parts of the country. Since January 2010, BCF has sent a total of 69 teachers to 39 different communities across Bhutan. These teachers have directly impacted the lives of over 10,800 Bhutanese students. We also offer scholarships for Bhutanese youth to complete secondary education in Canada. Finally, as one of the only North American organizations with a permanent presence in Bhutan, we serve as a cultural liaison for many visitors to the country.