May 15, 2023 I Philanthropy
Mrs. G’s Music Foundation Gifts $300K to The NAMM Foundation
Dinah Gretsch
NAMM Foundation vice chair, CFO of the Gretsch Company, and founder of Mrs. G’s Music Foundation Dinah Gretsch has announced a donation to The NAMM Foundation of $300,000. The gift, a multi-year pledge of $100,000 for three years, will support the growth of The NAMM Foundation’s GenNext program. For more than 10 years, the GenNext program has served college-aged emerging professionals and faculty with a pathway to discover a fulfilling career in the music and creative industries.
“Mrs. G’s Music Foundation was started with a core belief that music has the power to positively change and enrich lives through music,” Dinah Gretsch said. “With this donation, more young people will be able to discover their place in the industry.”
“We are so deeply grateful for this gift,” said Mary Luehrsen, executive director of The NAMM Foundation. “In every way, Dinah is a tireless advocate for music. Through her generosity, our shared vision — to expand access for young people to find their place in music and nurture their talents to help create a more musical world — is realized. We couldn’t be more thankful for this gift and its lasting impact for generations to come.”
GenNext is a collaboration between The NAMM Foundation and The College Music Society (CMS) that offers college music students college-to-career sessions, panel discussions, and networking events during The NAMM Show to expose students to the vast array of career possibilities in the music industry. The program also offers college faculty professional development and networking sessions to stay informed on the latest trends in teaching and playing music, pro audio and engineering, and music technology. The curated education tracks are designed to expand their knowledge to support the development of music business programs in colleges and universities across the United States.
Through the gift, The NAMM Foundation will work to expand outreach and awareness about the GenNext program and seek to expand applications for the President’s Innovation Award, which offers a travel stipend to attend The NAMM Show. The gift also supports new opportunities to engage international students in The NAMM Show.
With a core belief that music has the power to change children’s lives positively, Dinah established Mrs. G’s Music Foundation in 2010 to fund music teachers, support artist residencies, and supply musical instruments to rural schools. She also provides grants to children to attend guitar and drum camps, all in furtherance of the Gretsch family mission to “enrich lives through participation in music.”
In addition to serving as the vice chair of The NAMM Foundation, Dinah devotes much of her spare time serving on the boards of the Georgia Music Foundation, Sacred Heart Finance Committee, Thomas Heyward Academy, and on the Donors Committee for the Fred and Dinah Gretsch School of Music at Georgia Southern University.
