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Martin Guitar charitable foundation announces 2018 grants

Nazareth, Pa
February 6, 2019

C. F. Martin & Co.® (Martin®) is pleased to announce that 63 grants to Lehigh Valley and national organizations were awarded by the Martin Guitar Charitable Foundation at a December 2018 meeting of the Foundation Trustees.

The Foundation was established in 1996 by Christian Frederick Martin IV to serve the charitable interests of C. F. Martin & Co.®. The Foundation supports 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations with programs in Foundation target areas. C. F. Martin & Co.® provides funds each year to support the Foundation’s programs. Since 1996, the Foundation has distributed $2.57 million in grants, including $330,000 in 2018.

The Foundation’s core principles are to support the company’s engagement with nonprofit music, arts, education, and environmental action organizations. The Foundation does not fund political or religious organizations or activity. The Trustees manage the Foundation’s assets conservatively to allow for long-term planning and seek best value from Foundation grant-making for the people and causes that their grantees serve.

Lehigh Valley and regional organizations receiving Foundation support in 2018 include ArtsQuest, Godfrey Daniels, Da Vinci Science Center, Lehigh Gap Nature Center, Meals on Wheels of the Greater Lehigh Valley, Miller-Keystone Blood Center, Moravian Historical Society, Muhlenberg College, New Bethany Ministries, Northampton Community College Foundation, Philadelphia Outward Bound School, State Theatre Center for the Arts, WDIY-FM, YMCA of Nazareth, and several other Nazareth-area and Lehigh Valley charities.

The Foundation also made grants to national organizations with strong programs in acoustic guitar education and research: Center for Popular Music at Middle Tennessee State University (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), Folk Alliance International (Montreal, Canada), Guitars in the Classroom (San Diego, Calif.), Musical Instrument Museum (Phoenix, Ariz.), Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City), International Bluegrass Music Museum (Owensboro, Ky.), Museum of Making Music (Carlsbad, Calif.), Old Town School of Folk Music (Chicago, Ill.), Southern Folklife Collection at University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill, NC), the Woody Guthrie Center (Tulsa, Okla.), and several other organizations.

The Foundation Trustees are C. F. Martin IV, Chairman and CEO of C. F. Martin & Co.®; Diane Martin, Vice Chair; Dick Boak, retired Martin Guitar Director of Museum, Archives, and Special Projects; Debra Karlowitch, retired Martin Guitar Vice President of Human Resources; Susan Kubik, Managing Principal of eAdvancement and retired Executive Director of Northampton Community College Foundation; Dr. Roland Kushner, Associate Professor of Business at Muhlenberg College; John Messer, retired Martin Guitar Chief Financial Officer; and Charles J. Peischl, Esq., of Peters, Moritz, Peischl, Zulick, Landes & Brienza.

The Foundation will accept applications for 2019 grants between August 1, 2019, and September 9, 2019. To obtain guidelines, send an inquiry by email to FOUNDATION@MARTINGUITAR.COM.

About Martin Guitars and Strings

C.F. Martin & Co.® has been Inspiring Musicians Worldwide® for nearly two centuries with their superior guitar and string products. Martin guitars and strings remain the choice for musicians around the world for their unrivaled quality, craftsmanship, and tone. Throughout the company’s long history, Martin products can be seen and heard across all genres of music and in all segments of pop culture, from concert and theater stages to television and movies.

With an unwavering commitment to environmental sustainability and responsible manufacturing practices, Martin continually drives the acoustic guitar market forward, introducing innovative features that have become standards across the industry. These groundbreaking innovations include the introduction of X-bracing, the 14-fret guitar, and the “Dreadnought” size guitar.

Martin has also led innovations in strings, such as introducing the first high-tensile strength steel-string core wire; the first nickel acoustic strings (Martin Retro®); the proprietary Titanium Core strings; and now the groundbreaking, new Authentic Acoustic line, which offers unmatched stability, tone, comfort, and longevity.

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