ABOUT
WE BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF MUSIC TO TRANSFORM LIVES.
OUR MISSION IS TO EMPOWER ORGANIZATIONS USING MUSIC TO CATALYZE ENDURING CHANGE AND TO AMPLIFY OUR FOUNDERS’ MUSICAL LEGACY
WHERE WE BEGAN
The Music Man Foundation is named after the Tony-winning musical written by Meredith Willson. In addition to creating “The Music Man,” Meredith Willson wrote the music and lyrics for “The Unsinkable Molly Brown,” and wrote beloved songs “It’s Beginning to Look Like Christmas” and the University of Iowa fight song.
Meredith’s widow, Rosemary, started the Foundation in 1998 as The Meredith and Rosemary Willson Charitable Foundation and substantially increased the Foundation’s endowment upon her death in 2010. Over the last decade, the Foundation has awarded more than $25 million to 85 organizations with music at the center of their work.
100% of profits from Meredith’s licensing royalties are donated to community organizations through The Music Man Foundation.
Photos courtesy Music Will, Harmony Project
WHAT WE DO
WE FUND PROGRAMS THAT:
Leverage music to
catalyze systemic change.
Advocate for increased public funding to music and the arts, support policy changes, and increase public will in support of the arts.
Further the legacy of Meredith Willson, in whose honor the foundation was established.
BOARD & STAFF
BOARD MEMBERS
PRESIDENT
Tom R. Camp
TREASURER
Al Pivo
SECRETARY
Laura Zucker
DIRECTOR
Dr. Larry Swanson
DIRECTOR
Leticia Rhi Buckley
STAFF
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Sarah Lyding
Executive Director
Sarah Lyding has spent her entire career working in the arts, crediting her early exposure as a driving factor, and citing the value of the arts in building empathy for others and understanding of diverse cultures and viewpoints.
Under her leadership, the Foundation has awarded more than $22 million to 80 organizations. As executive director, Lyding led a reimagining of the Foundation’s mission, transitioning its support to organizations using music to achieve systemic change. Through that effort, she has established relationships with leading governmental, music, health and academic institutions including the World Health Organization, LA Phil, LA Opera, the NeuroArts Blueprint and UC San Francisco.
Lyding has been an evangelist for foundations to support arts advocacy, speaking to audiences across the country and leading the creation of the Foundation’s Strengthening the Sector grants. The grants support initiatives to increase public funding for the arts, advocate for arts education and pro-artists policies, and raise awareness about the impact of arts on health and wellbeing.
Previously she was the executive director and the first staff member for The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation. She managed a city-wide celebration for the production of Hana’s Suitcase at Seattle Children’s Theatre including partnerships with the Seattle Police Department, the Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle, tribal groups, the playwright, and local schools to share the story of youth during the Holocaust.
Also at Biller Family Foundation, she led workforce development programs, launching BankWork$™ across multiple cities and kicking off CareerWork$ Medical. The programs now operate in more than a dozen cities across the country. Prior to that, she led fundraising efforts at the Pasadena Playhouse and Center Theatre Group. She grew fundraising by more than 30 percent her first year at Pasadena Playhouse.
Lyding served as a member of the Advisory Board for New Venture Fund’s Creativity in Teaching and Learning Fund and on the Steering Committees for the LA Arts Recovery Fund and the LA County Arts Ed Collective. She served for ten years on the Board of Directors of Boston Court Pasadena, including two years as board chair. She currently serves as treasurer of St. Bede School parent association board.
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Kathryn Mackenzie
Program Officer
Kathryn (Katie) Mackenzie serves as the Program Officer of The Music Man Foundation. Under her guidance, the Foundation launched the Meredith Willson Awards both in Southern California (2022) and nationally (2023), as well as the Strengthening the Sector grant program.
With a dedicated focus on transparency and collaboration, Katie is committed to building strong partnerships that align with the Foundation's mission of using music as a catalyst for enduring change.
Prior to joining the Foundation in 2020, Katie served as Administrative Director of Center Theatre Group’s Education and Community Partnerships department for 6 years, managing a $3M budget and serving as operations lead. She also worked at The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation as a founding staff member. Her career underscores a deep belief in the arts as a force for sustainable change.
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Tess Darke
Grants & Database Manager
Tess Darke (Weinberg) joined The Music Man Foundation as the Grants & Database Manager in 2022. Prior to this role, she worked at The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation supporting grantmaking in College Access & Success, Health, Jewish Life, and Arts Education.
She began her nonprofit career at the Los Angeles Opera, where she spent six years in institutional fundraising. Tess holds a B.A. in Arts Administration with a minor in Dance from Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana. Her career has been rooted in the arts as a vehicle for connection, expression, and community impact.
