The Michael James Jackson Foundation for Brewing and Distilling (The MJF) raised $223,660 this year through its annual diversity fundraising campaign. The funds will be used to provide technical education scholarship opportunities for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) to advance their careers in the brewing and distilling industries.
The check was presented to The MJF at a special ceremony at HUDL Brewing & SoulBelly BBQ in Las Vegas, which brought donors, as well as past and present scholarship awardees, together to celebrate this accomplishment during the week of the Craft Brewers Conference. Thanks to the commitments from Pinhook Bourbon, Athletic Brewing, and Lallemand, who matched the first $100,000 donated to the campaign, The MJF can amplify its impact by offering a wide variety of technical educational scholarships that cater to awardees in both the distilling and craft beer industry.
“It is great to see all the new and returning donors that stepped up to help fund opportunities for future brewers and distillers to achieve their dreams,” stated Garrett Oliver, founder and chair of The MJF. “We are excited to see how our scholarship awardees contribute to the industry through their opportunities at The MJF. We’ve already seen some of our past awardees step into head brewer and distiller positions, and more.”
In addition to Pinhook, Athletic, and Lallemand, other organizations that contributed significantly include Allagash, Arizona Brewer’s Guild, Bell’s Brewing, BSG Craftbrewing, John I. Haas, Foam Brewers, Lawson’s Finest Liquids, New Belgium Brewing, Red Wagon Foundation, Rhinegeist, Russian River Brewing, and Yakima Chief Hops. ProBrewer, who served as the promotional partner, also supported The MJF’s diversity fundraising campaign by driving awareness and donations from allied trade, breweries, and individuals.
This year, The MJF awarded eight scholarships to BIPOC individuals in the brewing and distilling industry across the country, bringing the total number of scholarships awarded over the past four years to 44. In addition to granting technical educational scholarships, awardees are provided with a personalized mentorship program that connects them with a broader network of industry professionals.
The MJF’s next scholarship application period opens in June. To learn more about The MJF or contribute to funding its technical education scholarship, visit www.themjf.org.
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