Save The Music Becomes Independent & Unveils $10 Million Endowment Fund

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Save The Music, formerly VH1 Save the Music, the nationwide nonprofit supporting music education in over 285 school districts, has launched a new chapter after separating from Paramount Global and becoming a fully independent entity.

Save The Music will continue to focus on its mission of ensuring every student in every school has the opportunity to make music, by supplying schools with instruments and technology, offering teacher training and support, and funding and bringing together community-based music organizations.

As part of the transition, Save The Music has introduced a $10 million endowment fund, with nearly $4 million already raised. This endowment will secure the organization’s long-term sustainability and continued support for music education, helping future generations of students access the transformative power of making music. Although the formal partnership with Paramount is concluding, the relationship will persist, as the company has committed an initial six-figure donation to the fund.

This milestone signifies the completion of a process that started in 2019 when the organization rebranded, dropping the VH1 name as part of a strategy to lessen reliance on a single funding source and adopt a more diversified approach to financial support. Over the past five years, Save The Music has attracted a diverse group of funders, with 95% of the budget in 2024 coming from community-based foundations, individual donations, and contributions from the music industry.

Notable funders include major labels, talent agencies, Live Nation, AEG Presents, Amazon, TikTok and Meta. In 2021, Save The Music was awarded a $2 million grant, the largest in the organization’s history, from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.

“Going independent is a huge step forward for us – and the culmination of a five-year effort from our team, partners, and boards,” says Executive Director Henry Donahue. “In every school I visit – from the Bronx to Miami, Philadelphia to Los Angeles, Detroit to Columbus, Memphis to New Orleans – I find that the music room is a special place. The students are excited to be there, and they are creative, thoughtful, and optimistic in a way that should give us all hope for the future.”

Save The Music has also bolstered its artist partnerships, guided by internal leadership and the Save The Music Advisory Board. Mmembers of the board include Eric Wong (President of East West Records & Head of Global A&R at Warner Recorded Music), Caroline Abs (Head of Marketing for Sony Latin-Iberia Region), Jonathan Azu (Founder & CEO of Culture Collective), and Gurj Bassi (Head of Music Marketing & Partnerships at SiriusXM), among others.

Recent Artist Ambassador campaigns have been spearheaded by Ed Sheeran, Becky G and Jelly Roll. Save The Music has also partnered with Breland, Brittney Spencer, Young The Giant, Tank (of Tank and The Bangas), Durand Bernarr, Lawrence (the band), Chelsea Cutler, Rainbow Kitten Surprise and Infinity Song.

To celebrate the new chapter, Save The Music has brought together a lineup of artists for an exclusive giveaway campaign on the Propeller platform. Now through the end of February, fans can bid on over a dozen one-of-a-kind auction prizes from artists like Sabrina Carpenter, The War and Treaty, Denzel Curry, GHOST, Common x Pete Rock, Patti LaBelle, Blake Shelton and more. Proceeds from the auction will go directly toward funding the creation of new music programs nationwide, as Save The Music enters its next era as an independent organization. The auction items can be viewed here.

Since its founding, Save The Music has invested over $75 million in more than 2,800 school music programs. In just the last five years it has doubled the number of schools it reaches, funding more than 600 new programs in cities like New York, Newark, Atlanta, Miami, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Nashville and Columbus; along with major regional initiatives in West Virginia and the Mississippi Delta.

Lorie Hollabaugh
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