Founded in 1971 by Noel Paul Stookey (of Peter, Paul & Mary), Public Domain Foundation (PDF) facilitates the creation and impact of music for social change.   Initially created as a private foundation through the proceeds of Stookey’s 'Wedding Song' (generating over $1.5 million for charities worldwide), PDF has spent the last 10 years encouraging the creation of social change music through our bi-annual Music to Life (M2L) contest and concert and other educational activities.

We uphold the following beliefs:

• Music is a proven tool for social change – educating, motivating, healing and inspiring.
• Music offers a cross-cultural/ethnic platform from which to address global social concerns.
• Music makes the world a better place, introducing people and causes, and reminding them of their common humanity and spirit.

What are we trying to do?

PDF has created the M2L contest, along with its companion M2L Fellows program, to support and build a network of Musician Activists who use their music as a tool for measurable social change in their communities.

M2L Contest: Musician Activists from around the country and abroad submit songs of social and political significance which are competitively selected, performed at the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas, and then connected to relevant nonprofit causes.  Review panel members include: Tom Paxton, Paul Winter, Kathy Mattea, Judy Collins, Josh White, Jr., Buffy Sainte-Marie, Baby Jay, Christine Lavin, Amy Carol Webb, Peter Yarrow, Noel Paul Stookey and Mary Travers.

M2L Fellows: Select Musician Activists receive financial and programmatic support along with technical assistance for projects that apply music toward a social or political issue.  These Musician Activists, their nonprofit partners and their concepts are initially screened through the M2L contest. Among the selection criteria: projects must successfully demonstrate and measure the capacity of music to heal, educate and/or inspire action.  Our 2009 Fellows are based in Miami (songwriting for women in prison) and Detroit (musical/play acting lessons in African and Native American history for elementary school children).

What will be the results?

PDF is steadily building a community of change through music.  Our aspiring musicians, motivated by a cause, connect with nonprofit groups and jointly conceive music-based social programming that impacts people of all ages.   Ultimately, PDF will facilitate a virtual community that offers information, connections, research, history, tools and best practices for integrating music into any and all aspects of our world’s social change movements.  This will be a home for many:

• Musical activists of past and present, who communicate and act upon their vision for a more just society;
• Audiences of the world impacted by, curious about and ready to support music’s ability to effect change;
• Individuals and organizations seeking the innovative, tangible ways in which music can better the human condition.