Make a donation to the Jazzschool
and support grassroots music education in your community!
For 29 years, the Jazzschool has created community in Downtown Berkeley through the joyful act of music making, welcoming people of all ages and backgrounds for classes, ensembles, and concerts steeped in jazz, global music, and Black popular music. Our Young Musicians Program nurtures the creative impulse in the next generation, and our Adult Program invites musicians of all levels to connect through the intoxicating experience of playing with other people in a band. Our robust scholarship program means no student is turned away for lack of funds, and our free public programs and concert series lift up Bay Area artists and cultivate jazz audiences of the future.
Tuition only accounts for 40% of the income we need to keep the school running—so we are counting on you, our students, friends, concertgoers, neighbors, and supporters, to step in and make a difference.
Please consider a gift today to keep our educational programs thriving, help us maintain our beloved subterranean home in Downtown Berkeley, and fuel our mission to make jazz inviting and accessible to all in our community.
Help us reach our goal of raising $300,000 this spring and summer to unlock a $250,000 matching gift by a generous donor and longtime Jazzschool supporter and student.
Here are some of the perks for joining us:
$100+
Donate $100 or more and receive a gift Jazzschool PianoLove tote bag.
$250+
Donate $250 or more for a gift tote bag, plus 10% off your next Jazzschool class or ensemble registration.
$500+
Donate $500 or more for a tote bag, 10% off your next Jazzschool class, and free admission for two to one Jazzschool concert this year.
$1000+
Donate $1000 or more for all of the above benefits, plus your name on our new donor recognition wall and invitations to quarterly pre-concert donor receptions.
$2500+
Donors of $2500 or more are invited to join our Grace Note Society, a circle of supporters committed to sustaining and growing the Jazzschool and its programs into the future.
Become a Monthly Sustaining Donor
Prefer to spread out your gift as a smaller monthly donation? Join our new monthly contribution program for sustaining donors. A sustaining contribution is an ongoing monthly donation that you can change or cancel at any time. Sustaining donors provide the Jazzschool with a dependable income stream and sustain our educational programs, help us maintain our Downtown Berkeley home, and allow us to thoughtfully plan for the future. As a monthly donor, your contribution is active until you say otherwise, giving you complete control.
Sustaining donors receive invitations to special events, including our quarterly pre-concert receptions, and a place of honor on our donor wall. Monthly contributions start at $25/month or $300/year—but any amount has an impact.
An Invitation to Join our New Leadership Circle
New this year, the Jazzschool invites our most committed supporters to join the Grace Note Society — a leadership circle dedicated to ensuring that educational and artistic excellence and community connection remain at the heart of our school for generations to come. Through annual gifts of $2,500 and above, Grace Note Society members will directly fuel the programs, artists, and experiences that make the Jazzschool exceptional — expanding access to world-class jazz education and deepening our presence in Berkeley and across the Bay Area. As we approach our 30th anniversary in 2027, your leadership gift helps position us to not only sustain what we’ve built, but to grow boldly into what comes next.
Here are some of the ways we plan to recognize the generosity and vision of Grace Note Society members:
Maestro * $20,000 and above
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Virtuoso * $10,000–$19,999
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Arranger * $5,000–$9,999
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Section Leader * $2,500–$4,999
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Other Ways to Give
- Securities, such as publicly traded stocks and bonds, may be gifted electronically through Merrill Lynch. Our Financial Advisor is Adam Messinger, who may be contacted at 510.208.3862 or 800.937.0725. Jazzschool account number is 28004041; tax ID is 43-1983168.
- An IRA Charitable Rollover, for persons aged 70½ or older, may be in any amount up to and including $100,000 and can be annually gifted, tax-free, from the donor’s IRA (Traditional or Rollover), counting toward the donor’s annual required minimum distribution.
To learn more about these opportunities, please contact us at 510.845.5373 or development@jazzschool.org.
- A bequest may be arranged through a Will and/or Living Trust.
- An IRA Beneficiary Designation may be easily completed online by visiting the website of the financial fiduciary where the IRA (Traditional, Rollover or Roth) is being managed and then designating the Jazzschool as the (or a) beneficiary of this IRA.
- A Charitable Remainder Trust may be funded with an appreciated asset that first provides income (fixed or variable) to the donor and then benefits the Jazzschool upon the donor’s passing.
To learn more about these opportunities, please contact us at 510.845.5373 or development@jazzschool.org.
Email info@jazzschool.org to inquire about donating instruments or other non-monetary or inkind gifts.
Supporters
The Jazzschool is supported by JAMBAR, the Hellman Foundation, the Eric & Simone Lang Foundation, the Koret Foundation, the Florence S. Beecher Foundation, and the Zalec Familian & Lilian Levinson Foundation. Additional support is provided by the City of Berkeley Civic Arts program, the Berkeley Rotary, the Alameda County Arts Commission’s ARTSFUND, and the Bill Graham Foundation.