MCG Jazz continues to build momentum in its education programming with the help of two recent donations that support its after-school initiatives. Together, these contributions strengthen our organization’s ability to provide meaningful, hands-on music education to students across the region.

 

Continued Partnership with the Find Your Light Foundation 

 

For the second year in a row, MCG Jazz has been awarded

funding from the Find Your Light Foundation, receiving a $2,500

grant in 2026 to support its Tell Your Story program. 

 

'Tell Your Story' gives students the opportunity to explore jazz as

both an art form and also as a means of personal expression.

Through guided instruction, collaboration, and performance,

participants build skills that extend well beyond music, including

confidence, communication, and creative thinking.

 

The Find Your Light Foundation focuses on expanding access to

arts education, particularly in communities where opportunities

may be limited. Their support helps ensure that programs like 'Tell Your Story' remain accessible and impactful for the students who rely on them.

 

Additional Support from the D’Addario Foundation

 

 

 

 

​MCG Jazz also received an in-kind gift from the D’Addario Foundation, valued at $250 in materials for the 2026 program year. 

 

This type of support plays a practical role in the classroom. Access to instruments, supplies, and other materials allows students to fully engage in the program without added barriers, making day-to-day learning smoother and more effective!

 

Investing in Students Through the Arts

 

These gifts reflect a shared understanding that arts education is an essential part of student development. They make it possible for MCG Jazz to continue offering high-quality programming while expanding its reach to more young people. This is a beautiful opportunity, given that the arts are more important now than ever. Music-- especially jazz-- brings people together and allows young people to truly find themselves. 

 

As MCG Jazz moves forward into its 40th season, this support will directly benefit students participating in its after-school offerings and related initiatives, including those connected to this month's Jazz Appreciation Month. It also reinforces the value of partnerships with foundations and organizations that recognize how powerful creative education can be when it is accessible, consistent, and thoughtfully delivered.

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About MCG Jazz 

MCG Jazz is a project of Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild, a subsidiary of Manchester Bidwell Corporation. 

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Through our guiding principles: environment shapes behavior, people are assets and creativity fuels enterprise, and our mission to preserve, present and promote jazz, we aim to strengthen the Pittsburgh jazz community and contribute to the overall cultural and artistic diversity of the region. 

The MCG Jazz concert series – one of the longest running subscription-based jazz performance series in the county –has been a safe place for artists to share their art and discuss relevant issues of the time. Our recording label produces distinctive albums from a wide variety of artists, our educational programs serve elementary, middle and high school aged students in urban and rural communities, and our archives of audio/video recordings, photographs, interviews and individual artist collections exists as a model for learning for future generations to help grow the audience for jazz and enhance the artform and its creators. 

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For more information, please contact MCG Jazz at 412-322-0800 or visit our web site at www.mcgjazz.org.  

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