Media Inquiries:
Dantes Rameau, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer
203-887-5108 | dantes@atlantamusicproject.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ATLANTA MUSIC PROJECT RECEIVES TRANSFORMATIONAL GIFT FROM PHILANTHROPISTS MACKENZIE SCOTT & DAN JEWETT
(Atlanta, GA) (June 17, 2021) — The Atlanta Music Project has received an unsolicited, transformational gift from philanthropists Mackenzie Scott & Dan Jewett. The gift comes unrestricted, and except for minor reporting requirements, has no strings attached.
Ms. Scott announced on June 15, 2021, in a blog post titled “Seeding by Ceding” on Medium.com, that she had awarded $2,739,000,000 to 286 nonprofit organizations, including the Atlanta Music Project.
“Arts and cultural institutions can strengthen communities by transforming spaces, fostering empathy, reflecting community identity, advancing economic mobility, improving academic outcomes, lowering crime rates, and improving mental health, so we evaluated smaller arts organizations creating these benefits with artists and audiences from culturally rich regions and identity groups that donors often overlook,” wrote Ms. Scott in her blog post.
“We are incredibly honored to be a beneficiary of Ms. Scott and Mr. Jewett’s extraordinary generosity,” said Dantes Rameau, Co-Founder & CEO of the Atlanta Music Project. “For eleven years now the Atlanta Music Project has remained steadfast in its mission to empower underserved youth to realize their possibilities through music. Today’s recognition is a reflection of the talent and commitment of our young musicians, faculty, and organization. Going forward we remain focused on our mission and send a ‘triple forte’ thank you to Ms. Scott and Mr. Jewett for supporting our work, which we execute with humility, alongside our esteemed community and partners.”
In the coming months, the Atlanta Music Project Board of Directors will use the development of our 2022-2024 Strategic Plan to help determine the most appropriate use of funds for Ms. Scott and Mr. Jewett’s gift. The AMP organization will continue to demonstrate its impact through innovative programming, strong partnerships, and best practices in organizational management.
About the Atlanta Music Project
Founded in 2010, the Atlanta Music Project is a non-profit organization providing more than 5,000 hours annually of intensive, tuition-free music education for underserved youth right in their neighborhood. Serving 350 students through innovative music and leadership programs, AMP provides all its students with an instrument, a teaching artist, and classes in band, orchestra, and choir. AMP’s high school seniors maintain a 100% on-time high school graduation rate and a more than 90% college enrollment rate.
In addition to after-school learning sites, AMP’s programs include the AMP Academy, providing advanced musical training to AMP’s most talented and dedicated students; the AMP Summer Series, a music festival and school; the AMP Youth Orchestras and Choirs; and the Chestnut Family College Scholarship Fund. AMP’s program partners include the City of Atlanta Department of Parks & Recreation, Atlanta Public Schools, and Clayton State University. AMP is based in the Capitol View neighborhood at the Atlanta Music Project Center for Performance & Education.
AMP music ensembles perform more than 50 concerts annually, performing in venues all across Atlanta, from community centers to Mercedes-Benz Stadium. AMP music ensembles have performed alongside international stars such as the Harlem Quartet, The Imani Winds, electric violinist Lindsey Stirling, hip hop artist Lecrae, and R&B singer Monica. AMP musicians can be seen performing with rapper T.I. on NPR’s Tiny Desk concert series. AMP’s young musicians have successfully auditioned for Georgia All-State ensembles, and have concertized as far away as Los Angeles, Aspen, and Mexico City.
In 2020 the AMP Youth Choir was invited to perform at the World Choir Games in Belgium. In 2019 AMP was awarded ArtsATL’s Luminary Award for Arts Education. AMP is a 2018 winner of Emory University’s Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award. In 2016 and 2017 the White House named AMP one of the top 50 after-school arts programs in the nation.
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