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FAI 2024
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Over a Decade of Harmony: Folk Alliance International and The Levitt Foundation
August 16, 2024
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Update
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FAI 2024
NEWS
Partner
Region
For over a decade, Folk Alliance International and the Levitt Foundation have fostered a vibrant partnership that celebrates folk music and strengthens communities. This enduring collaboration has created new opportunities for both organizations while also enriching the lives of countless artists and music audiences across the nation.
About the Levitt Foundation
The Levitt Foundation exists to strengthen the social fabric of America. The organization partners with communities to activate underused outdoor spaces, creating welcoming, inclusive destinations where the power of free, live music brings people together and invigorates community life.
In 2024, the Levitt Foundation is supporting 650+ free concerts in 50 towns and cities across the country, and its commitment to the power of free, high-caliber outdoor concerts in public spaces to build community beautifully complements FAI's mission to serve, strengthen, and engage the global folk music community. Levitt’s dedication to building a thriving music ecosystem extends beyond financial contributions.
Their innovative grant programs, customized for large metro areas, rural towns, and everything in between, place music at the heart of community. A throughline is that Levitt's music series revitalize underused public spaces, amplify community pride, ensure access to the arts, and celebrate the power of music to foster connections and belonging among people of all ages and backgrounds. A wide range of music genres are presented at Levitt venues and locations, and folk music is regularly on rotation.
The Levitt Foundation understands the power of music as a tool for civic engagement. All of their programs, including Levitt venues, Levitt AMP, Levitt VIBE and Levitt BLOC, go beyond concerts, fostering a sense of community and encouraging meaningful connections. Artists become catalysts for positive change, using their music to inspire and unite.
A rewarding partnership
FAI membership has reaped numerous benefits from this long-standing partnership. Each year, the Levitt Foundation underwrites the cost for its grantee partners to attend annual Folk Alliance gatherings like FAI, during which time Levitt grantees discover artists, form connections with artists’ teams, and oftentimes book FAI artists for their music series. FAI artists who have performed at various Levitt locations over the years include The War and Treaty, Paul Thorn, Flor de Toloache, Las Cafeteras, Amy Lavere, The Sensational Barnes Brothers, and many more!
Levitt also consistently provides learning and professional development opportunities at FAI, as Foundation staff and grantees have participated in countless panel discussions and presentations over the years.
Most recently, a collective of presenters in the Levitt network presented “Beyond Land Acknowledgement: Fostering Authentic Relationships with Indigenous Communities” at the 2024 Folk Alliance International conference. The panel, which featured Levitt grantee partners from Sioux Falls and Denver, a Native artist, and Foundation staff, took a deep dive into the responsibilities and opportunities for community engagement, and sustained growth and development with Native artists and Indigenous nations in their regions. The panel offered a safe space to address and recognize biases in such programming environments.
Levitt’s Dedication to Artists
Of the core principles that distinguish the Levitt Foundation, nurturing a musician-friendly environment is key and reflects its unwavering respect for artists. All Levitt programs prioritize artist well-being. From welcoming green rooms and warm hospitality to fair compensation, Levitt ensures artists feel valued and supported.
In 2024, Levitt underwrote the International Folk Music Awards Rising Tides award, empowering budding folk artists. The award celebrates a new generation (under 30) artist who inspires others by embodying the values and ideals of the folk community through their creative work, community role, and public voice.
This is another case of Levitt's sponsorship providing support for FAI, allowing us to continue our vital work of preserving, promoting, and presenting folk music for all ages.
A Steward of Musical Seeds
In 2023, Levitt Foundation announced that the foundation would spend down $150 million over the next two decades with a plan to close in 2041. By spending down, Levitt is expanding the number of communities it supports and is fueling the movement for free live music in public spaces as a key driver for equitable, healthy, and thriving communities.
And as Levitt continues its spend down, FAI is thrilled to partner with an organization dedicated to nurturing equitable music ecosystems and ensuring that folk music continues to thrive, creating vibrant communities and enriching lives for generations to come. We look forward to future years of collaboration and programming.
