Founded by Nandi Woodfork-Bey, The Girls’ Jazz and Blues Society (TGJBS) was created in response to a persistent gap in the jazz world. After more than a decade in the jazz industry, Nandi witnessed firsthand how male-dominated jazz spaces continue to limit acces for young women, particularly girls of color. TGJBS was born from the urgent need for a space where girls could learn, create, and lead without gendered barriers.
We serve girls through culturally responsive jazz education rooted in Black cultural legacy, using music as a tool for healing, leadership, and self-expression. Our programming integrates instrumental instruction, jazz history grounded in cultural context, mentorship from professional female musicians, and mental health workshops. Together, these elements form a comprehensive enrichment model centered on empowerment and artistic excellence!
In 2023, we launched our pilot workshop and immediately witnessed the transformative power of an all-girls jazz environment. Our girls felt a sense of belonging—essentially for the first time in a jazz space.
Today, TGJBS is growing toward serving 50–100 girls annually through summer camps and year-round programming in underserved Sacramento communities, We are currently raising $10,000 to build a sustained organizational model that allows us to continue offering entirely free summer programming and provide scholarships for private music lessons throughout the year. Your support directly ensures that girls—regardless of financial access—can receive high-quality music education, and a safe space to thrive.
By donating to TGJBS, you are investing in the next generation of women musicians and helping preserve jazz as a living, accessible, and empowering art form.
The Girls’ Jazz and Blues Society empowers young women—especially from marginalized communities—to become confident leaders and innovators in music. We offer free, high-quality jazz education, mentorship, and leadership development to girls across the greater Sacramento area in a safe, inclusive, and women-centered environment.
Demand for our program continues to grow, but limited funding restricts our ability to sustain ongoing engagement for summer camp and beyond.
A $10,000 grant is needed to support core program expenses. Funds will help compensate skilled teaching artists and facilitators, provide instruments to ensure that instrument costs do not preclude participation, and recruit specialized production and support staff—including stage directors, event photographers for the end-of-week performance, and catering team.
TGJBS is a women-of-color–led nonprofit committed to advancing gender equity in jazz. Our board, staff, and teaching artists reflect diverse racial, cultural, gender, and professional backgrounds, ensuring leadership and decision-making grounded in lived experience and equity.
We prioritize inclusive hiring, bias-aware practices, and ongoing training in anti-bias and trauma-informed youth engagement. Our founding team and board are comprised primarily of women and women of color. We embed accessibility across our programs through adaptive instruction, zero fees to participate (no hidden costs!), and instrument lending, intentionally reducing barriers to participation. We are dedicated to uplifting marginalized communities by empowering girls of color to dismantle the systemic barriers and historical inequities that frequently hinder their growth.
Organization name
The Girls' Jazz and Blues Society
2022
Mission Category
Youth Development
Operating Budget
$50,001 - $100,000
Organization Need
Funding: Unrestricted
BIPOC Leadership
Both the Executive Director & Board Chair
Local Counties Served
Sacramento
Address
901 H St. STE 120Sacramento, CA, US
Phone
916-842-8304
other
916-842-8304