When Phish’s WaterWheel Foundation reached its 15th anniversary over the summer, I thought it would be a great topic for this week. The WaterWheel Foundation was created by the band in 1997 to raise money for non-profit organizations dedicated to charitable efforts like social services, food banks and environmental conservation. The WaterWheel Foundation is comprised of The Touring Division, The Giving Program and the Lake Champlain Initiative.
If you have ever been to a Phish show, you’ll know that there is a WaterWheel table set up at every show, this is the Touring Division of the foundation, and its merchandise is used for incentives for donations. Phish also signs a handful of limited-edition posters for every show, which bring in the biggest donations from fans. Through fan donations and the sale of WaterWheel merchandise, the foundation has donated more than $550,000 to more than 325 charity groups.
For the 15th anniversary, the foundation is hosting a few events during Phish’s tour for the fans. After the July 7th show at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, there was an anniversary party where a portion of ticket sales were donated directly to the foundation. The main mission of the Touring Division is to raise funds, while on the road, for different non-profit organizations in each community that the band visits.
Deeply concerned about the environment surrounding Lake Champlain, which borders New York, Vermont (the Phish’s home state) and Quebec, the band got together with Ben Jerry’s in 1995 for the ice cream flavor Phish Food. The group decided that the Lake Champlain Initiative would donate proceeds from the sale of Phish Food to support the environmental welfare of Lake Champlain, which has major environmental problems due to sewage, run-off and toxic waste. Through royalties from the sale of the ice cream, the foundation has donated nearly $3 million to organizations working to improve the environmental welfare of the lake.
Phish’s Giving Program, or Local Giving, is comprised of organizations which the band members have a personal interest. This part of the foundation concentrates mainly on Vermont non-profits. Past recipients include the Vermont Youth Orchestra, The Flynn Center for the Performing Arts and the Firehouse Center for the Visual Arts.
The Waterwheel Foundation offers a selection of eco-friendly, sustainable gear year round. Purchase your goods on the road or at drygoods.phish.com.