McKenzie Family Charitable Trust Music Grants are private foundation awards supporting chamber music education, jazz education, and performing arts organizations. Based in Putney, Vermont, the trust provides grants ranging from $10,000 to $210,000 to organizations in New England.
How McKenzie Family Charitable Trust Works
The McKenzie Family Charitable Trust is a 501(c)(3) private foundation incorporated in Vermont in 1993. It gives grants to educational organizations with specific funding priorities:
- Chamber music education and performance
- Jazz education and performance
- Independent day schools
- Medical education and professional development
- Theater and performing arts
- Youth arts training and education
- Public libraries
- Youth services and community programs
The trust does not accept unsolicited grant proposals. Funding is by invitation only.
In 2024, the trust awarded 25 grants totaling $953,850. Its largest music-related grants included:
- Yellow Barn: $210,000 (a world-class summer chamber music school and festival in Putney, Vermont)
- Vermont Jazz Center: $70,000 (jazz education and performance in Brattleboro, Vermont)
- Boston Philharmonic Orchestra: $15,000 (program support)
- Brattleboro Music Center: $10,000 (program support)
- Ashuelot Concerts: $10,000 (program support in Keene, New Hampshire)
- Next Stage Arts Project: $22,500 (performing arts in Putney, Vermont)
- Sandglass Theater: $40,000 (theater and performing arts in Putney, Vermont)
In 2025, the trust's total giving increased to $1,030,723 across 23 grants. Yellow Barn received $205,000 and the Vermont Jazz Center received $70,000 again. The trust's total assets stand at approximately $30 million.
Yellow Barn is the trust's most significant music beneficiary. It is an international chamber music center that brings together young professional musicians and renowned faculty for a summer residency and concert series in Putney, Vermont.
The Vermont Jazz Center in Brattleboro is another supported organization. It is one of New England's notable jazz centers, offering education programs and performances.
Real-World Example
Yellow Barn receives $210,000 annually from the McKenzie Family Charitable Trust. This funding supports the summer chamber music residency program. A young string quartet attending Yellow Barn's summer program benefits indirectly from this grant. The subsidy reduces their program fees and provides access to world-class faculty. Without the McKenzie Trust's support, participant costs would be significantly higher. A musician attending a five-week Yellow Barn session might pay $4,000 instead of $6,000 because of the subsidy, saving $2,000.
Why It Matters for Independent Artists
If you are a chamber musician or jazz player in New England, organizations funded by the McKenzie Family Charitable Trust offer subsidized educational programs. Yellow Barn's summer residency is one of the most respected chamber music programs in the United States. The Vermont Jazz Center offers jazz education and performance opportunities.
You cannot apply directly to the McKenzie Trust for individual funding. Instead, apply to the programs it supports. Yellow Barn accepts applications from individual musicians and pre-formed ensembles for its summer residency. The Vermont Jazz Center offers educational programs and workshops throughout the year.
Research the supported organizations and apply to their programs directly. The trust's funding makes these programs more affordable than they would otherwise be.
Drawbacks / Things to Consider
The trust does not accept unsolicited proposals. Individual artists cannot apply directly. Grants go to organizations, not individuals. The trust is geographically focused on Vermont and New England. Organizations outside this region are unlikely to receive funding. The trust's funding priorities are specific: chamber music, jazz, and performing arts. Other genres are not supported. The largest grants go to established organizations with existing relationships. New organizations face significant barriers to entry. Individual musicians benefit only indirectly through subsidized program fees at supported organizations.
Eligibility Criteria (plain terms)
The McKenzie Family Charitable Trust does not accept applications from individuals or unsolicited organizations. The following criteria apply:
- Who can receive grants: 501(c)(3) educational and cultural organizations, not individual artists
- Geographic focus: Vermont and New England (primarily the Putney, Vermont area and surrounding communities, with some grantees in Massachusetts and New Hampshire)
- Funding priorities: Chamber music education and performance, jazz education and performance, independent day schools, medical education, theater and performing arts, youth arts training, public libraries, and youth services
- How organizations get funded: By invitation only. The trust does not accept unsolicited proposals. Organizations must have an existing relationship with the trust or be referred by current grantees
- What is not funded: Individual artists, organizations outside New England, genres other than chamber music and jazz (for music-related grants), and unsolicited requests
Deadlines
There are no application deadlines. The trust operates on an invitation-only basis and does not accept unsolicited proposals. Grant decisions are made internally by the trustees. Organizations seeking funding should not contact the trust directly unless invited.
Past Recipients
The trust publishes grant information through IRS Form 990 filings. The following are confirmed grants from recent tax years:
2025 grants (total: $1,030,723 across 23 grants):
- Yellow Barn (Putney, VT): $205,000 (chamber music education and performance)
- President and Fellows of Harvard College: $155,000
- Harvard Medical School (Basic Science Partnership): $153,223
- Vermont Jazz Center (Brattleboro, VT): $70,000 (jazz education and performance)
- Brigham and Women's Hospital (Boston, MA): $60,000
- Epiphany School (Dorchester, MA): $50,000
- Sandglass Theater (Putney, VT): $40,000 (theater and performing arts)
- Boys and Girls Clubs of Brattleboro (VT): $40,000
- Putney Community Cares (VT): $40,000
- Putney Foodshelf (VT): $30,000
- Charles River Conservancy (Cambridge, MA): $25,000
- Next Stage Arts Project (Putney, VT): $22,500 (performing arts)
- Putney Public Library (VT): $20,000
- Elijah's Promise Inc (New Brunswick, NJ): $20,000
- Retreat Farm (VT): $15,000
- Boston Philharmonic Orchestra (Boston, MA): $15,000 (program support)
- Brattleboro Music Center (VT): $10,000 (program support)
- Ashuelot Concerts (Keene, NH): $10,000 (program support)
- Brattleboro Museum and Art Center (VT): $10,000
- Food Connects (Brattleboro, VT): $10,000
2024 grants (total: $953,850 across 25 grants):
- Yellow Barn: $210,000
- Vermont Jazz Center: $70,000
- Additional grants to the same categories of organizations
Yellow Barn has been the trust's largest single music beneficiary, receiving between $205,000 and $210,000 annually. The Vermont Jazz Center has consistently received $70,000 annually. Individual artist recipients are not published because the trust only funds organizations.
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