Seattle philanthropist Maryanne Tagney gives $1M gift to ArtSmart
ArtSmart made a joyful noise today as the music education and mentorship organization announced a $1 million gift from Seattle philanthropist Maryanne Tagney.
Tagney is a longtime supporter of the Philadelphia-based nonprofit that provides free music lessons and individual mentorship to youth in underresourced communities across the country - including here in Seattle.
Her five-year gift, with which the organization has established the Maryanne Tagney Youth Development Fund, will support its mission of connecting students with paid professional artist-mentors for instruction, collaboration, motivation and more.
"The most important thing for me about ArtSmart is that it primarily reaches young people in the BIPOC community, Tagney said in a statement, referring to Black, Indigenous and people of color, plus significant numbers who identify as LGBTQ+. And through the combination of music and mentorship, ArtSmart helps them gain confidence and skills that not only help them to be more successful in high school but lead to higher numbers going on to college."
"There are so many barriers and obstacles for these students and ArtSmart has proven to be a major pathway to overcoming those obstacles," she added.
Locally, as part of Tagney's gift, ArtSmart will partner with Seattle Opera, where Tagney is chair of the board of directors (and where Tagney Jones Hall at the Opera Center bears her name). During each year of this pledge, all Seattle ArtSmart students will attend at least one Seattle Opera dress rehearsal, with opportunities to explore backstage and get hands-on engagement with the art form.
Since its founding in 2016 by classical singers Michael Fabiano and John Viscardi, ArtSmart has provided more than 65,000 music mentorship sessions to nearly 3,000 students nationwide.
Along with her late husband David Jones, an early Microsoft employee, Tagney has provided meaningful support for many of Seattle's cultural, conservation and cancer research organizations, including Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Museum of History & Industry, Town Hall Seattle, Emerald City Music, Seattle Rep, Forterra, Path with Art and Seattle Symphony's Community Stages Fund.
"Maryanne's generous gift strengthens the foundation ArtSmart has spent ten years building and positions us for stable, strategic growth at an exciting moment in our evolution," ArtSmart Executive Director Ahmad Mayes said in a statement. "Thanks to her investment in youth, we can plan boldly, scale responsibly and deepen the reach of a model that we know works - so that more young people can access the power of mentorship through music."
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This story was originally published May 12, 2026 at 4:51 PM.