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The Milwaukee Jazz Festival, Inc., the producer of the Fresh Coast Jazz Festival is a registered 501c3 in Wisconsin. A portion of proceeds from the Fresh Coast Jazz Festival benefit education, the arts, and health care in the Greater Milwaukee community.
Our Story
Fresh Coast Jazz Festival founders Carl and Nicole Brown felt compelled to make a positive impact on the community. Just before Carl’s father, James Brown, passed away from cancer, he instructed Carl to, “Always think of others more highly than yourself.” Carl and Nicole had already started the James and Reopa Brown Scholarship to honor his parents, but they wanted to make a greater philanthropic impact on their community. They began brainstorming how to raise the necessary funds.
In 2017, while Carl and Nicole were attending the Indianapolis Jazz Festival, Nicole got a glint in her eye. She leaned over to Carl and said, “This is what we should do, start a jazz festival to benefit our community.” And, the concept of the Fresh Coast Jazz Festival was born!
Our Vision
The Fresh Coast Jazz Festival aims to establish a world-class, annual jazz festival in the City of Festivals. The philanthropic goal is to raise $1 million dollars, to provide deserving underserved young people with financial assistance for college, to provide grants to area public schools to help support their music programs, and to provide funds for medical research and to assist those suffering from serious/terminal illnesses.
Our Contributions
Together, we have:
Provided college scholarships to 10 deserving students
Sent 75 disadvantaged kids to music camps
Supplied hundreds of backpacks and school supplies to area schools
Provided 11 grants to area schools to support their music programs
Donated to research initiatives aimed at mitigating the effects of chemotherapy and radiation treatment on child cancer patients
Partnered with the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music on an instrument drive getting instruments to area kids who can’t afford them
Held benefit concerts for kids receiving treatment at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin
Provided 300 gifts of comfort to kids receiving treatment at Children’s Hospital
Support Our Mission
There are multiple ways to support our mission:
Simply buy tickets and attend the Fresh Coast Jazz Festival
Consider becoming a corporate sponsor ( contact Carl Brown )
Make a tax-deductible donation by donating online below. Donations may also be mailed to:
The Milwaukee Jazz Festival, Inc.
P.O. Box 540
Sussex, WI 53089
Help support education, the arts, and healthcare in our community.
All donation proceeds are tax deductible and go towards providing financial assistance for college, public school music programs, and medical research.
Fresh Coast Jazz Backstage explores the lives, careers and music of today’s top contemporary jazz artists. Each episode includes great music, interesting stories and revealing, light-hearted conversation. New episodes available each week!