Frequently Asked Questions
Why does JAM, Inc have to operate on donations?
This year, our activities at JAM, Inc are thankfully funded partially through grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, Virginia Commission for the Arts, the Harris and Frances Block Foundation, HoustonFest, and the Wayne Henderson Festival. However, a non-profit is not sustainable if it depends 100% on grant funding. We rely on the donations of our supporters to keep going year to year! Grant awards and donations keep us from charging communities and affiliates for our resources and consultation/training services.
Does JAM, Inc give money to its affiliates?
No. Currently, each JAM, Inc affiliated program is self-sufficient. However, we are able to provide JAM teachers and administrators with stipends for attending training sessions and workshops. If you would like to donate to a specific program, please see our Affiliate Directory
What else does JAM, Inc provide its affiliates with?
In addition to paid teacher and administrator training and workshop opportunities, our affiliated programs are allowed to use the JAM name and program model, which includes all of our guides, forms and templates needed to start and maintain a program. We also are on-call to help solve problems as they arise, and we also evaluate each program annually to determine success and risk factors. JAM, Inc also provides programs with instruments on loan and donations of strings, as available. Our resources additionally include teacher guides, student monitoring materials, coordination of regional student gatherings, and a comprehensive website with webpages for each program and endless instructional and learning resources!
We are committed to healthy, safe, efficient and fun after school traditional music education!
What all is involved in setting up new programs?
JAM, Inc often partners with other organizations to develop new JAM programs in communities. Currently, there are JAM affiliates in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina, but we are not stopping there. In the beginning, we recommend to interested parties that an advisory board for the potential JAM program is formed. After the advisory board is in action, we will travel to meet with them to provide consultation on identifying the community’s needs, developing a plan and a budget, and numerous other first steps, such as fundraising. After funding is secured, JAM, Inc will travel to meet with the group again to continue consultation services and help develop policies. As development continues, JAM, Inc is readily available through telephone and e-mail to provide consultative services and advice. When the program is nearly ready to begin, we also provide teacher training for the newly hired instructors and administrator training for the program director and/or site supervisor. JAM, Inc gives each program (free of charge) all of the materials they need, plus strings, passports and instruments as available!
Do you have more questions? Please contact us anytime at (276) 773-0573 or [email protected]