Quincy Jones
/SOURCE OF WEALTH: Music Producer, Composer
FUNDING AREAS: Humanitarian & Youth, Arts Education
OVERVIEW: Quincy Jones has a long track record of work to advance humanitarian causes. He also supports arts education.
BACKGROUND: Quincy D. Jones was born in 1933 in Chicago. At an early age, he explored music with the help of his teenage friend Ray Charles. He played in bands through the 1950s and began composing for film and television a decade later, eventually producing over 50 scores. He has worked with stars such as Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, and Celine Dion. He co-produced the charity singles “We are the World” in 1985 and “Tomorrow/Bokra” with Arab singers in 2011. Jones is also the most Grammy-nominated artist in history, with nearly 80 nominations and close to 30 wins.
ISSUES:
HUMANITARIAN & YOUTH: In the 1980s, Jones produced the single “We Are the World,” which raised more than $63 million for Ethiopian famine relief, and galvanized the U.S. government to contribute hundreds of millions. More recently, he revived the campaign to raise funds for Haitian earthquake relief.
Last decade, Jones launched the We Are the Future initiative with a concert featuring Carlos Santana, Oprah Winfrey and a host of other entertainers from around the world. The initiative established Municipal Child Centers in several global cities, in which youth are trained to run child-based programs in health, nutrition, information and communication technology, sports and arts.
Jones and the Harvard School of Public Health launched Project Q to promote the health and well-being of children worldwide. The first annual Q Prize went to Hollywood veteran and Cambodian Children’s Fund leader Scott Neeson.
ARTS EDUCATION: The Quincy Jones Foundation supports the Jazz Foundation and the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz. Jones also created the Quincy Jones Musiq Consortium to expand access to music education.
LOOKING FORWARD: Nearing 90, Quincy Jones will likely remain focused on his select interest areas. It is worth noting that Jones may have other more direct avenues of grantmaking, and some important grants might be missing from this rundown.
CONTACT:
The Quincy Jones Foundation accepts applications.
Quincy Jones
10850 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 1200
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310) 446-0118
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