Mission, Goals, and Background
Mission
Founded in 2018, we are a non-profit, musician guided, community based foundation supporting live music and community music programs in the Manitou Springs area (Colorado Springs West Side, Manitou Springs, Green Mt. Falls, Woodland Park).
Our mission is to promote local musicians, music venues and community music by coordinating, communicating and developing the rich music culture that the Manitou Springs area has long enjoyed.
Goals
A. Be a live music catalyst for the Manitou Springs area (Colorado Springs West Side, Manitou Springs, Green Mt. Falls, Woodland Park).
1) Identify and support "Manitou Musicians" (those established in Manitou Springs area at any point in time).
2) Encourage, support and provide live music events to entertain the community and enhance the economy.
3) Establish cooperative & supportive relationships with venues, government & music supporters.
B. Provide a community music resource center in Manitou Springs.
1) Provide a space for music lessons, practice & fellowship.
2) Provide unique and intimate performances.
3) Provide a space for instruments and accessories.
C. Music Education - Facilitate and coordinate learning, performance & understanding.
1) Provide and support educational music programs for youth and adults.
2) Identify and provide resources and programs to enhance music education.
Our Background
The Manitou Music Foundation (MMF) was founded as a 501(c)3 in September of 2018. Early in 2018, a group of Manitou Springs residents began to discuss how live music in the area might be supported to provide more stability and consistency for musicians, venues, visitors and residents. At that time, availability of live music for jobs and enjoyment had been highly variable from year to year and season to season. Beginning in the spring of 2018, approximately 40 musicians, venue owners and music fans were interviewed about their experiences and ideas. Next, a focus group was selected and meetings were facilitated to coalesce ideas and to build direction. The result was the selection of a Board of Directors, identification of seed monies and the founding of MMF. In December of 2018, MMF produced our first event: the Holiday Spirits Festival.
In 2019 MMF began a weekly Live Music Listing that is now sent to more than 400 email recipients, posted on our website and on our FaceBook page. Also in 2019, MMF developed collaborative relationships with several live music venues in Manitou Springs and the west side of Colorado Springs. We began collaboration with the Manitou Springs Chamber of Commerce and the City of Manitou Springs. MMF identified and began supporting approximately 100 musicians who play live shows in Manitou Springs. Three live music events were organized and produced by MMF, Munchie Fest, the Women's Music Festival and the Holiday Spirits Festival. MMF sponsored and facilitated the TUNED-IN music education workshop in 2019, funded by a grant from the Kramer Family Foundation. These accomplishments combined to give us a good start to our mission and goals.
To help support our community music program we began affiliation with a small commercial property late in 2019 and assumed occupancy on March 1st of 2020. Due to the outbreak of covid, we were forced to end occupancy on March 31, 2020. MMF shifted our mission during 2020 to assist musicians financially with the Manitou Musicians Covid Relief Fund program. Unemployed musicians applied for and were awarded small grants. A total of $7,700 was raised and distributed in two rounds, to about 40 musicians. MMF also began a membership program in 2020. It has grown to about 60 supporting members and 16 supporting business members.
During 2021 MMF continued to focus on covid relief by establishing the Manitou Live Program. This program paid for 50% of qualified performances at Manitou Springs venues. The program’s purpose was to encourage the return of live music when musicians needed employment and venues were struggling to stay open. $13,000 was raised and distributed to musicians. 71 performances were subsidized as well as the Library Lawn Concert Series and the Summer Concert Series in Soda Springs Park. We were also able to bring back our music education workshop, TUNED-IN, in 2021.
MMF began to broaden support for community music in 2022 with the Manitou Live II program. One venue that had not had live music for two years, the Townhouse, was encouraged to begin with subsidies to musicians. The Library Lawn Series, the Summer Concert Series and the Manitou Springs Day of Friendship received funding for live performances. In 2022 MMF provided funding to musicians totaling $7,300. MMF again sponsored the TUNED-IN program.
MMF has become integrated into the Manitou Springs music community. We frequently provide contacts and recommendations to private parties, organizations and venues for music events. We also support musicians with connections, marketing and leads. In 2023 MMF plans to expand support of live music with the Manitou Live Community Music Program. We will also begin to develop music education support. We have begun fostering a relationship with School District 14 and MMF would like to facilitate lessons taught by local musicians. MMF has been asked to facilitate music for the Salvation Army’s Thanksgiving and Christmas community dinners in Manitou Springs. The local Kiwanis Club recently requested that MMF facilitate music for Christmas at Miramont Castle. We plan to support these events in the coming years.
We continue to operate with only a Board of Directors (five members) and no paid staff. MMF hopes to add a part time staff person for operational support. We hope to secure discretionary and non-discretionary funding so we may continue to provide free services to the community.
Manitou Music Foundation Anti-Discrimination Statement
The Manitou Music Foundation does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, religion, national origin (ancestry), disability (physical or mental), marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations.