In the News/Awards

Something Vinyl is a dj and pop-up record store that donates $1 from every record sold to Youth on Record

To her surprise, the money was coming from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott and her husband, Dan Jewett. Scott, who divorced Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos, in 2019 and left the marriage with a stake in the company, is one of the richest people in the world. On Tuesday, the philanthropist announced she was donating $2.7 billion to 286 organizations. Forbes estimates that Scott’s net worth is $57 billion, making her the 22nd wealthiest person in the world.

Wednesday morning, Mackenzie Scott, ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, announced a $2.7 billion donation with no strings attached to 286 charities. She made the donation alongside her new husband, lifelong educator Dan Jewett. NBC’s Natalie Morales reports from Los Angeles.

In honor of Record Store Day, charitable organization Barnstock presents the Off the Record Block Party, which benefits Youth on Record and includes sets by The Reminders, LVDY, Retrofette, Trayce Chapman and a surprise set with a very special featured guest. The gig will be capped off with a late-night DJ Dance Party with Funk Hunk and Fred Fancy.

Youth on Record Block Party
Saturday, June 5, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., online
Music education nonprofit Youth on Record is hosting its annual block party, once again virtually, at Oh Yay. There will be panels for aspiring musicians in everything from marketing, to working with media, NFTs, copyright law, and talking with your inner child and collaging your feelings; there will also be art workshops in creative writing, beatboxing and freestyling.

Edwina Maben, Babah Fly and Destino Maben talk about the annual block party with Colorado and Company

More than a good time, Off the Record Block Party, will be benefitting a good cause in Youth on Record. This local nonprofit empowers underserved youth to reach their fullest artistic potential through musical education and mentorship. Supporting the organization further, a portion of the proceeds from purchased copies of 303 Music vol. 4  will go directly to Youth on Record.

“It was the first time I had this shift in my perspective where I suddenly saw what came from a little extra effort and time and a little bit more belief in myself,” says Maben, who will be opening for DeVotchKa on Saturday, May 22, at Levitt Pavilion. “To see that result at first just sparked my motivation to be like, ‘I need to try this.’”

Youth on Record is hosting a series of educational events geared toward adults and kids before the concerts. From 4-6 p.m. June 21, Brackett and Youth on Record Program Director Brent Adams will lead teachers during a workshop about diversity, equity and inclusion through the lens of music at the Riverwalk Center.

The Little Man Ice Cream Co. 

Black History Month Honors
Stephen Brackett “Brer Rabbit”

-How music gives voice to social justice-

Foundations excel at breaking the exact things we say we want to fix. I know, because the private foundation I’ve managed for six years used to break what we thought we were fixing, too.

Westword recently covered an open letter to foundations by Jami Duffy, the executive director of Youth on Record, in which she reiterated what many foundation executives continue to ignore: pleas from nonprofit leaders across the field to provide unrestricted, multi-year funding and to quit wasting their time with extensive applications, reports, meetings and requests for information. To Duffy’s voice, I’d add the voices of twenty local nonprofit organizations led predominantly by leaders who are Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC). They are making the same requests for foundations to quit wasting their time and requiring that they serve us, often taking priority over serving the communities we are actually trying to support.

Read the full article here.

At the end of 2020, University of Denver Advancement hosted a series of virtual fireside panels with the city of Denver’s movers and shakers, many of whom are DU alumni. The topic: how Denver can thrive during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. In this four-part series, the DU Newsroom chats with alumni from a variety of industries and sectors to examine the community’s strengths, weaknesses and solutions in the years ahead.

Duffy is among those nonprofit leaders who would prefer that foundations focus on her organization’s work and not polished applications, with their time-consuming and needlessly complicated paper and video reports.