NATS FOUNDATION

NATS Foundation Board of Directors | NATS Foundation Awards | Make A Donation | Contact Us

About Us

The NATS Foundation is an active partner of NATS, Inc. and is responsible for support for a significant part of the work of the Association. Created in 1976, the Foundation's purpose is to generate assistance to aspiring and talented singers and teachers through the development and management of various endowment funds such as those used to provide some of the prize money for the NATS Artist Awards Competition. The Foundation offers Awards for Vocal Excellence as well as co-sponsoring the Van Lawrence Fellowship.

The NATS Foundation also utilizes resources to help finance innovative programs such as the NATS Intern Program, the NATS Young Leaders Award, the International Congress of Voice Teachers and a newly created program, the Voice Pedagogy Award.

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NATS Foundation Board of Directors

Honorary Board Members

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NATS Foundation Awards

Awards for Vocal Excellence

The Awards for Vocal Excellence are voice scholarships sponsored by the Foundation and awarded to qualified four-year colleges, universities, or conservatories with outstanding vocal programs. The designated institutions must agree to match the Foundation Award of $750 with a like amount in funds or tuition grants, thus creating a $1,500 scholarship for one year, to be presented to a senior voice major who has at least two semesters remaining before graduation.

Interested programs may request applications and information sheets by writing to

Mary MacKenzie
2747 Caminito Prado
La Jolla, CA 92037-4011
858-454-5982
bud-mary@att.net

The Awards for Vocal Excellence application information may be downloaded here.
2008 Applications must be obtained from Mary MacKenzie.

NATS Foundation 2007 Awards for Vocal Excellence Recipients

California State University at Long Beach
Viterbo University
University of Alabama
California State University at Northridge
University of Missouri at Kansas City
University of Akron

Voice Pedagogy Award

The NATS Foundation will award two $500 gifts annually to candidates who are members of NATS, for the purpose of study at a seminar or workshop on voice pedagogy and/or voice science. Candidates must submit a request for funds to the President of the NATS Foundation not later than February 1 of the year in which the seminar will take place. A committee from the NATS Foundation Board will select the winning candidates. The NATS Foundation will pay the award directly to the workshop involved, with any monies in excess of workshop fees designated as travel and living expenses to be paid directly to the candidates.

2008 Voice Pedagogy Award Application

Send the application by February 1, 2008 to:
Vernon Yenne, President
NATS Foundation
360 N. Yale
Wichita, Kansas  67208

Van Lawrence Fellowship

The VAN L. LAWRENCE FELLOWSHIP is sponsored jointly by the
NATS Foundation and The Voice Foundation

The Van L. Lawrence Fellowship was created to honor Van L. Lawrence, M.D. for his outstanding contribution to voice, and particularly to recognize the importance of the interdisciplinary education he fostered among laryngologists and singing teachers. It is awarded jointly by The Voice Foundation and The National Association of Teachers of Singing Foundation.

The Fellowship is intended to provide opportunities for the Fellow to become more thoroughly acquainted with practices, techniques, technology, and people involved in laryngology and voice science. It is hoped that the opportunities and contacts provided through the Fellowship experience will enhance the teacher's ability to do meaningful interdisciplinary research, and will encourage the teacher to apply appropriate voice science advances in the studio.

Eligibility

Candidates for the Van L. Lawrence Fellowship shall be members of The National Association of Teachers of Singing who are actively engaged in teaching. The Fellowship shall be awarded to candidates who have demonstrated excellence in their professions as singing teachers, and who have shown interest in and knowledge of voice science.

Award Amount

The amount of the Van L. Lawrence Fellowship award shall be set annually by The Voice Foundation and The National Association of Teachers of Singing Foundation. The funds shall be used to defray expenses for the Fellowship winner to attend the annual Symposium on Care of the Professional Voice (tuition shall be waived).

Following the Symposium, the Fellow shall be provided with the opportunity to visit laryngologists, speech pathologists, voice scientists, and research centers associated with The Voice Foundation during the fellowship year. Specific locations and durations of stay shall be arranged in accordance with the Fellow's interests and needs, and the availability of the centers to be visited.

Following completion of the Fellowship experience, it is anticipated that the Fellow will have opportunities to consult with the scientists he or she has visited, and to apply his or her newly acquired knowledge in designing and executing a research project to help advance the field of voice teaching. The Voice Foundation will help provide review of the resulting paper and counseling regarding its improvement. When appropriate, the paper will be considered for expedited publication in the Journal of Voice or the Journal of Singing.

Selection of Fellows

The Van L. Lawrence Fellowship shall be awarded by the Board of Directors of The Voice Foundation and The National Association of Teachers of Singing Foundation. The Fellowship Committee shall be appointed by the Chairman of the Board of The Voice Foundation and the President of The National Association of Teachers of Singing Foundation and shall include at least one representative from the Board of Directors of The Voice Foundation, and one representative from The National Association of Teachers of Singing. Additional members shall be appointed at the discretion of the Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Voice Foundation and the President of The National Association of Teachers of Singing Foundation.

Application

Members of NATS wishing to apply for the fellowship should write The Voice Foundation stating their desire to apply for a Van L. Lawrence Fellowship.

The Voice Foundation
1721 Pine Street - Philadelphia, PA 19103
Telephone: (215) 735-7999 Fax (215) 735-9293
E-mail: office@voicefoundation.org
Website: http://www.voicefoundation.org

The application letter should cover the following topics (as well as others which the applicant believes will strengthen his/her application, but please be as succinct as possible):

(a) Current application of scientific knowledge in the studio
(b) The area of intended study and/or research project
(c) How the Fellowship and research project will benefit your teaching
(d) NATS Chapter to which you belong
(e) Also attach a detailed curriculum vita.

The fellowship will be awarded at the next Symposium: Care of the Professional Voice, scheduled for May 28 - June, 2008 in Philadelphia, PA.

Applications should be postmarked by November 15, 2007. 

If you have any questions about upcoming application deadlines, please contact The Voice Foundation.

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Make A Donation

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Annual Contribution

Making a contribution to the NATS Foundation is a simple procedure. Simply choose the Foundation Fund to which you wish to contribute, and submit your donation online, by mail, phone, or fax.

Download a contribution form to mail in with your contribution

"I encourage you to make a contribution to the NATS Foundation. There are numerous worthwhile young singers and teachers who will greatly benefit from your support and the NATS Foundation is committed to provide assistance to nurture their careers." --Vernon Yenne, NATS Foundation President

Planned Giving

NATS Foundation Planned Giving Society Membership Application

For many donors, making a gift through a will (a bequest) is the most realistic way to provide a substantial contribution to the NATS Foundation. Property, including cash, securities, jewelry, works of art, and real estate may be given to the Foundation through your will, the legal document that allows you to decide to whom your assets are to be distributed and in what amounts or proportions. Your bequest offers future support without affecting your current assets or income.

Every year over half (50%) of Americans who pass away do so without leaving behind a will. This means that their estates are distributed by the states in which they domiciled, regardless of any personal wishes or affiliations they may have had. Naming the NATS Foundation as a beneficiary in your will protects both you and the organization, and helps ensure the continued life and activity of the Foundation into perpetuity.

If you already have a will, consider adding a codicil (amendment to the will) naming the Foundation as a beneficiary. This smaller document should confirm the validity of your current will, and include new provisions. Signed, witnessed, dated, and attached to the original will, the codicil is preferred as a method for making bequests by many donors because it is less expensive and time consuming than drafting a new will.

You may choose to leave a specific amount, a fraction of your estate, or a percentage of your estate, whatever suits your needs best. Fractions and percentages allow you to make provisions for a variety of relatives and organizations without the need of annual revision as your assets change, saving you expense.

The work of the NATS Foundation is entirely supported by charitable gifts. If you would like to make a lifetime gift to support this work, please fill out the NATS Foundation Planned Giving Society Membership Application.

For further information on planned giving, please contact

NATS, Inc.
9957 Moorings Drive
Suite 401
Jacksonville, FL   32257
904-992-9101, 888-262-2065 (toll free)
904-262-2587 (fax)
info@nats.org

Retained Life Estate

A retained life estate is a gift plan defined by federal tax law that allows you to donate your home or farm to the NATS Foundation while retaining the right to live in it for the rest of your life. As the creator of the retained life estate, you irrevocably deed to the NATS Foundation your home or farm, but retain the right to live in it for the rest of your life, a term of years, or a combination of the two. You may also use a vacation home to create this kind of gift.

While you retain the right to live on your property, you continue to be responsible for all routine expenses - maintenance fees, insurance, property taxes, repairs, etc. If you later decide to vacate your property, you may rent all or part of the property to someone else or sell the property in cooperation with the NATS Foundation. When your retained life estate ends, the Foundation can then use your property or the proceeds from the sale of your property for the purpose you designate.

The benefits of this type of gift are substantial charitable income tax deductions and estate tax benefits.

For further information on planned giving, please contact

NATS, Inc.
9957 Moorings Drive
Suite 401
Jacksonville, FL   32257
904-992-9101, 888-262-2065 (toll free)
904-262-2587 (fax)
info@nats.org

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Contact Us

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