The Petty Fund

What Is It?

The Petty Fund aims to provide young musicians of color with professional-quality, handmade string instruments.



Why Is The Fund Needed?

Professional-quality string instruments are extremely expensive.  This cost barrier, compounded with existing disparities in music education and performance funding, prevents many gifted musicians from playing instruments that match their ability.  The Petty Fund seeks to eliminate this barrier so promising players can have the instruments they need to fully develop and express their talent and creativity.

How Does A Handmade Instrument Help?

In symphony orchestras, top conservatories, and contemporary/new music spaces, musicians of color remain dramatically underrepresented: as of 2018, musicians of color made up just 1.9% of American orchestras.  By expanding access to professional-quality instruments, The Petty Fund will directly address this imbalance by increasing the number of musicians of color able to compete for these roles.




How Exactly Will The Funds Be Used?

Money raised will be used to purchase professional-quality handmade instruments, bows, flight cases, and insurance.  All instruments and bows are officially appraised and certified by expert luthiers.


Who Will Receive The Instruments?

The fund will seek out candidates across a wide spectrum of performance arenas with preference given to highly gifted players who have demonstrated a need for endorsement. 




Is This A Non-Profit?

The first phase of The Petty Fund is direct action: raising money to connect gifted musicians of color with the handmade instruments they deserve.  As it succeeds, the Petty Fund is fully scalable to 501(c)(3) non-profit status, making future and past contributions tax deductible.




Partnership with Reed-Yeboah Fine Violins

Having a high quality instrument doesn't only benefit musicians.  It also creates an equitable relationship with luthiers who, in addition to instrument sales, rely on regular maintenance, repairs, and adjustments to supplement their business. 

Julie Reed-Yeboah, who operates in midtown Manhattan, is an internationally renowned luthier.  One of few women-owned fine instrument firms, they have generously agreed to store and maintain the instruments until each has been paired with a player.  Visit their amazing workshop here.



(To learn more about the career costs of owning and maintaining a quality instrument, check out this guide.)

Goals and Beyond

Making music

By donating instruments, we enable young artists to center their joy, invest long-term in their creative careers, and nourish their communities. 

Redistribution of resources

One of the reasons quality instruments are so unattainable is an outsized art market (composed disproportionately of non-musicians, wealthy collectors, and private investors).  The more instrument collections are able to be mission-driven and collectively owned, the less influence this market will have on the aspiring musician's access. 

Longevity

In order to create a transparent and accountable fund, the instruments will be endowed to a trust, free from liability or the potential for sale at any point. The end goal is to create a new, horizontal model for collections of rare and professional instruments—with emphasis on them being played, shared, and preserved. The structure of a trust will ensure access to the instruments in perpetuity. 



Why 'Petty' ? 

The fund is dedicated to the memory of the late Patrick Petty, a gifted cellist and friend.

Thank you for reading.  Please consider donating and/or sharing!

Special thanks to:

Justin Buschardt, https://justinbuschardt.com/home.html 
David Bonsey, https://davidbonseyfineviolins.com/ 
Fred W. Oster, http://www.osterviolins.com/ 

And to David B. Richard, Roxanne Atienza, and James A. George.