We envision a world where all communities experience the benefits of music. We strive to accomplish this through expanding the cultural significance of the Newport Jazz and Folk Festivals, preserving the legacy of our Founder, George Wein, and creating impactful music education and artist programs.

“When George turned the Folk and Jazz Festivals into a nonprofit in 2010, his mission was to really keep the festivals alive” said Jay Sweet. “Thanks to our incredible community of fans, artists, staff, and volunteers, we are fortunate enough to say we have completed that mission. So in the winter of 2022, we started asking ourselves a simple question: what is it that we really do? After many long meetings, we realized that we create moments of hope. Those moments of hope occur both on and off our stages. It could be an artist making their debut at the Newport Folk or Jazz Festivals, or it could be a student receiving their first instrument through our music education programs.”