The Levitt Foundation supports festivals, conferences, and field-building events to expand access and nurture an equitable arts and music ecosystem.
As part of our commitment to building more equitable, healthy, and thriving communities, the Levitt Foundation partners with organizations that amplify the diverse voices of artists, cultural bearers, placemakers, industry professionals, and community groups through values-aligned work. We support events, programs, and initiatives that foster cross-sector collaborations, advance shared learning, and broaden opportunities for participation at the intersection of arts and social impact. Have a project you’d like to share with us? Reach out to inquiry@levitt.org.
Festivals
Conferences & Field-Building Events
Festivals
Arts for EveryBody
Arts for EveryBody is a nationwide campaign that brings free outdoor concerts, festivals, dance, and other artmaking activities to 18 sites in towns and cities across the country, showcasing the profound health benefits of arts engagement through community-specific events. By bringing together local artists, healthcare providers, and municipal leaders, the initiative emphasizes the role of arts in fostering social cohesion and improving both mental and physical health.
BAMS Fest
The Boston Art & Music Soul (BAMS) Festival, which takes place in Boston’s Franklin Park, is a cultural movement led by Black and Brown artists, culture makers, and creative entrepreneurs from Greater Boston to break down racial and social barriers to arts, music, and culture. This two-day, free festival, launched in 2018, features nationally acclaimed artists and local talent, activating Boston’s largest park with community-building elements, educational programming, visual art exhibitions, local vendors and artisans, and more.
Celebrate AMERI’KANA Music & Arts Festival
Celebrate AMERI’KANA Music & Arts Festival is an annual event taking place in Kansas City, Missouri each fall—a collaborative project between the GRAMMY®-nominated band Making Movies and their nonprofit, Art As Mentorship, which explores the deeply-rooted BIPOC influence on American music, past and present. By showcasing and celebrating the diversity within American music, this free, all-ages festival spotlights the contributions BIPOC communities have made to our communal story, with a focus on healing the inequities and racial divisions in our country.
Higher Purpose Fest
Higher Purpose Fest is a free day-long community festival featuring music, food and wellness activities in Clarksdale, Mississippi, birthplace of the Blues. The Fest is presented by nonprofit Higher Purpose, whose mission is to foster community, open dialogue, and build community wealth among Black residents in the Mississippi Delta by supporting ownership of financial and cultural power.
Inclusion Zone at Musikfest
Designed to accommodate all ages and abilities, the Inclusion Zone at Musikfest takes place throughout the duration of the 10-day music festival in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Presented by Accessible Festivals / Inclusion for Everybody, the Inclusion Zone includes sensory-friendly and empowering live music from neurodivergent and disabled performing artists, immersive experiences, a sensory supportive listening lounge and a series of educational and recreational workshops.
Juneteenth UNITYFEST
Founded in 2021, Juneteenth UNITYFEST is presented by the Robert Randolph Foundation, a nonprofit organization that strives to bring together diverse voices in commemoration and celebration of Juneteenth and Black culture, both significant contributors to the vibrancy of American history and culture. Broadcast live around the world from Brooklyn, UNITYFEST features multiple entertainment, arts education, and community activism events, including a Juneteenth UNITYFEST Concert, co-presented with BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! at the Lena Horne Bandshell in Prospect Park.
Photo: Edwina Hay
Make Music Day
Make Music Day, which is celebrated on June 21 each year to honor the Summer Solstice, unites professional and amateur musicians alike in a joyous expression of music, transforming public spaces—ranging from neighborhood stoops to city streets, parks, and plazas—into vibrant stages for free performances. Expanding the global tradition that was initiated in France over 40 years ago, Make Music Day is coordinated by Make Music Alliance, a nonprofit founded in 2014 to enhance the annual Make Music Day in North America. This year, Make Music Day featured more than 4,700 free concerts in 117 U.S. cities, including at several Levitt locations and venues, bringing communities together through the universal language of music.
Selby Avenue JazzFest
The Selby Avenue JazzFest is an annual celebration held in the heart of St. Paul, Minnesota, on historic Selby Avenue. Known for its vibrant atmosphere, the festival showcases a diverse lineup of local and national jazz artists, creating an immersive experience for music enthusiasts of all ages. Fostering a sense of community and appreciation for the arts since its inception in 2002, the event attracts thousands of attendees who gather to enjoy a day filled with music, culture, and camaraderie. Presented by local music school Walker|West, one of the oldest community music schools in the nation founded by African American musicians.
Photo: Gus Philippas
Sound Mind Live Music Festival for Mental Health
The Sound Mind Live Music Festival for Mental Health is a free community festival in Brooklyn, leveraging live music as a source for healing and mental health. In addition to live performances, discussions, and workshops, Sound Mind Live is a vibrant community effort and a collective movement towards fostering mental health awareness and support. The 2024 festival brought together a coalition of 34 partner organizations, 20 music and visual artists, and 19 panelists and speakers who elevated important mental health messaging and resources to the 5,000 attendees, as well as 80,000+ reached via YouTube.
SummerStage in Staten Island
City Parks Foundation SummerStage, New York City’s iconic outdoor performing arts festival, brings 85 free and benefit shows to Central Park and 12 neighborhood parks across the five boroughs of New York City. For more than 38 years, the festival has showcased established and emerging artists from across the globe, featuring a multitude of genres including jazz, hip-hop, indie rock, salsa, reggae, Afrobeats, soul, pop, global, and contemporary dance. The Levitt Foundation is funding outreach and community visioning activities that support the development, curation, and outreach of these SummerStage concerts in the Stapleton neighborhood of Staten Island.
SuperFolk! Festival
The SuperFolk! Festival is presented by Whippoorwill Arts, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting and uplifting roots musicians by providing opportunities for creative collaboration, fair wages, and advocacy for equity and social justice within the music industry. Taking place in Tacoma, Washington, SuperFolk! brought free concerts to people who do not often have access to live music, including elementary students at underserved public schools and an affordable housing service agency serving seniors and families. In addition to fostering joy and community and the opportunity to interact with the artists, the performances also prioritized fair pay for professional musicians.
Conferences & Field Building Events
Creative Placemaking Communities
Creative Placemaking Communities (CPC) is a national organization that helps places become more sustainable, prosperous, equitable, healthy, and resilient by supporting people who believe in the power of local arts and culture to shape communities. CPC’s Leadership Summits, held online and in-person around the U.S.—and attracting Levitt grantees from around the country—share best practices and strategies to advance the field of creative placemaking and spark collaborations, projects, programs, and policies for practitioners and leaders in community economic development, urban planning, cultural heritage, land use, and philanthropy.
Folk Alliance International
Folk Alliance International presents the largest annual gathering of Folk artist communities from around the world, spanning a wide range of genres from Appalachian, Americana, Blues and Celtic to Global Roots, Hip-Hop, Spoken Word, Zydeco, and more. Levitt Foundation grantees and partners regularly attend the conference to discover talent and book artists for their upcoming concert series. The Levitt Foundation is also a sponsor of the Folk Alliance Rising Tide Award, which recognizes an artist under 30 who inspires others by embodying the values and ideals of the folk community through their creative work, community role, and public voice.
Imagining America
Imagining America brings together scholars, artists, designers, humanists, and organizers to imagine, study, and enact a more just and liberatory America and world. Working across institutional, disciplinary, and community divides, IA strengthens and promotes public scholarship, cultural organizing, and systems change that inspires collective imagination, knowledge-making, and civic action on pressing public issues. The Levitt Foundation supported IA’s 2023 National Gathering, “Radical Reckoning: Invoking the Elements for Collective Change,” a three-day immersive experience that took place in Providence, Rhode Island.
Main Street America
Main Street America is a national network committed to revitalizing older and historic commercial districts through place-based economic development and community preservation, collaborating with local partners and grassroots leaders to advance shared prosperity, create resilient economies, and enhance the quality of life in downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts across the country. Main Street nonprofits include Levitt Foundation grantees, many of whom have presented alongside Foundation staff at the annual Main Street Now Conference, which gathers local leaders from across the United States. The Levitt Foundation has also underwritten Main Stage artist performances.
Music Cities Annual Convention
Music Cities Events organizes the biggest international conferences on the topics of music ecosystems, music policy, and music tourism. The advocacy group aims to educate on the value and impact of music to elevate communities. Showcasing the best uses of music by individuals, organizations, and cities all over the world, this annual convention provides a stage for thought leaders spanning city planning, music, economic development, tourism, academia, events, real estate, and nonprofits.
Music Forward
Music Forward is a national nonprofit that exists to transform young lives, inspire careers, and champion a more inclusive music industry. Through its national Youth Advisory Council, UpNext—which is made up of a cohort of 80% BIPOC, 70% female 18-24 year olds, hailing from economically and geographically diverse backgrounds—Music Forward is nurturing the next generation of diverse, live music industry leaders through facilitated virtual conversations, cross-sector collaborations with mentors, and the opportunity to design and execute local community activations including open mics, venue tours, and panels.