The mission and purpose of the African American Forum, Inc. is to exemplify excellence in promoting awareness of the artistic, cultural, and educational achievements of African Americans. To develop and support programs that embrace cultural diversity, enhance community development, and broaden the opportunities for African Americans to make their highest and best contributions to life in the Lexington-Bluegrass Region, the commonwealth of Kentucky, and beyond.

The African American Forum, Inc. (AAF) was established on September 21, 1993 to address the Lexington-Bluegrass Region's limited arts and cultural offerings that reflected the African American experience. We are truly grateful and honored by the community's continued encouragement and support of our vision over the course of the last thirty-three (33) years.

The following are key benchmarks of the AAF's history:

1. September 21, 1993: The AAF is established as a non-profit arts and cultural organization;
2. January 22, 1994: The 1st annual African American Ball (AAB) is presented as a charity event to showcase African American expressions in the arts;
3. February 21, 1996: The Arts Partnership Program is established to provide arts supplies and experiences in the literary, performing, and visual arts for students at inner-city and rural Elementary Schools in Lexington-Fayette Urban County;
4. October 26, 1998: CommerceLexington, The Greater Lexington Chamber of Commerce recognizes the AAF for its accomplishments by selecting the organization as its Minority Business of the Year;
5. February 21, 1999: The African American Forum Fund is established at the Blue Grass Community Foundation to grow the assets of the organization through an agency endowment fund. The AAF becomes the first African American organization to create this type of fund within the Blue Grass Community Foundation;
6. January 27, 2007: The broadcast premiere of the 14th annual AAB is presented on LEX 18 (Lexington's NBC-affiliated TV station) as a two (2) hour special. A historic first for an African American event in the Lexington-Bluegrass Region; and
7. January 21, 2011: The inaugural AAF Lifetime Achievement Award is officially introduced to the Lexington-Bluegrass Region at the 18th Annual AAB. Msiba Ann & Chester Grundy are selected as the first honorees.

The following are key benchmarks of our history to establish the Lexington-Bluegrass Region as the commonwealth of Kentucky's designation for Smooth Jazz:

1. August 11, 2007: The 1st Smooth Jazz Fest is presented as a regional arts & cultural event, to be held annually, celebrating contemporary American Jazz complemented by fine cuisine and Kentucky culture;
2. August 2, 2008: The Smooth Jazz Fest private wine label is introduced to promote the Smooth Jazz Fest and the wine industry in Kentucky, with the net proceeds from each sale benefitting the AAF's capital campaign fund;
3. February 1, 2012: Lexus signs on as the Title Sponsor of the Smooth Jazz Fest to provide seed capital for long-term growth;
4. February 21, 2013: The AAF announces the Lexus Smooth Fest will be elevated to a three (3) day format;
5. March 21, 2014: The Jazz Arts Foundation agrees to incorporate their Jazz: Live at the Library (Downtown) into the Jazz Fest as the kick-off event for the recently announced three (3) day format;
6. June 24, 2015: The AAF selects the Kentucky Horse Park as the site of the "Summer Breeze" Saturday All-Star Jazz Showcase; and
7. August 6, 2022: The LEX Smooth Jazz Concert Series is launched to transition the Lexus Smooth Jazz Fest to a three (3) event concert series to be presented quarterly due to the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the commonwealth of Kentucky.

While these highlights provide a snapshot of the organization's history, it does not begin to chronicle the lives touched and the impact made in the Lexington-Bluegrass Region of the commonwealth of Kentucky.

The legacy continues as we move onward and upwards in our continuing efforts to make a difference in the arts our community and its future!

• Performing Arts

The African American Forum, Inc. (AAF) requests $10,000 to support our efforts to elevate and further enhance the twenty (20) year history of presenting Smooth Jazz in the Lexington-Bluegrass Region of the commonwealth of Kentucky.

Since Day 1, it has been the primary objective of the AAF to establish the Lexington-Bluegrass Region as "the commonwealth of Kentucky's designation for Smooth Jazz"! As such, we have determined that this objective has been accomplished. The AAF typically has engaged our exclusive booking agent to reach out to artists that fit the profile of this series.

The LEX Smooth Jazz Concert Series has transformed all facets of our program planning, marketing & promotion as well as the notoriety of artist(s) presented on each date of the three (3) event concert series... since its launch on August 6, 2022.

In January of 2023, Smooth Jazz artists from across the country (many of whom fit our profile) started reaching out to us asking if we would consider booking them for this classic annual series. This, we've been told, is a key benchmark that confirms that we have achieved our objective!

Now then, the following events are planned for the 2025-2026 season:

1. "An Evening of Smooth Jazz", featuring Marcus Anderson and Chelsey Green... Live in the Coldstream Ballroom of the Embassy Suites by Hilton Lexington UK/Coldstream on Saturday, April 3, 2027. This is the official Kick-Off event and "International Jazz Appreciation Month" concert of the series.

2. "An Evening of Smooth Jazz", featuring Andrea Lisa and Nathan Mitchell... Live in the Coldstream Ballroom of the Embassy Suites by Hilton Lexington UK/Coldstream on Friday, August 28, 2027. This is the "Summer Breeze" Saturday event for this year's Smooth Jazz Concert Series;

3. "An Evening of Smooth Jazz", featuring Adrian Crutchfield and Claudia Hayden... Live in the Coldstream Ballroom of the Embassy Suites by Hilton Lexington UK/Coldstream on Saturday, November 27, 2027. This is the "Holiday Edition" and concert finale of the series presented during Thanksgiving Day weekend.

The ticket price for each performance of this year's concert series will be $70 per person. Discount pricing is in place for our "Horizon Society" members who typically purchase tickets or a table of ten (10) for the entire series. These individuals, along with our corporate partners and sponsors, are the foundation of support that sustains the program and insulates the organization from the risk associated with producing a "top shelf" series heretofore.

In addition, we have incorporated a "pay what you can" component to allow financially disadvantaged and low-to-moderate income individuals to experience a concert within the series... who may not otherwise be able to for financial reasons. This is accomplished through ticket giveaways with our radio and media partnerships... and through community partnerships with groups who have outreach components such as AARP Kentucky, the Jazz Arts Foundation, Fayette County Public Schools as well as Neighborhood Associations and Civic & Social Clubs in the Lexington-Bluegrass Region.

We also plan to build on the Master Class component that we initiated in 2023 in partnership with Fayette County Public Schools that was held in the fall and spring of the 2023-2024 school year. We have determined that Frederick Douglass High School will again be the site for this program component. We plan to include more music students this year from across the school district versus just from Frederick Douglass High School. A capacity crowd of music and vocal students filled the recital hall in what turned out to be a very engaging session that not only benefitted the students... but touched the featured Smooth Jazz musicians who were in town for the next day's public performance.

In short, our goal for this year-round concert series during this season is to continue building on the momentum that has attracted Smooth Jazz fans from the Lexington-Bluegrass Region of the commonwealth of Kentucky and beyond.

The methods we used for building diversity within our organization and with the participants who attend our activities, events, and programs are based on three (3) tiers:

1. Organizational awareness and sensitivity. Twice a year, the AAF takes time out to meet with our core volunteer staff for the purpose of being aware of and sensitive to all facets of our audience.

2. The body of work of each artist and their respective resumes are carefully perused and evaluated (by our staff and shared with our board) when being considered. Moreover, feedback is solicited from our Smooth Jazz support base, which includes our Horizon Society members. We pride ourselves on promoting diverse and excellent art... but it is imperative that we are inclusive in our marketing to all populations and cultures; and

3. Our Kaleidoscope initiative personifies how we engage with our volunteers and corporate partners to reach individuals who love Smooth Jazz music but have never been to a concert.

Our target audience is focused on the African American community that has traditionally had limited options for cultural events that cater to their experience.

Notwithstanding, Jazz as a genre of music attracts and speaks to all cultures... and our audiences
have been as diverse as the types of music within the Jazz genre itself.

Our mission and purpose speaks loud and clear to our community in all facets of its diverse culture(s), education attainment, gender, income levels, and lifestyles. This is reflected in our ticket price as well as our outreach across the community.

We have a strong desire to simply celebrate and share the African American Experience in music with all in and outside our community who appreciate it... young and mature.

Our efforts center around a year-round program planning design that engages members from a cross-section of our community, corporate partnership & sponsorship base, staff, volunteers, and select elected officials.

Focus groups and surveys are convened to identify and evaluate each day we have planned for this year's LEX Smooth Jazz Concert Series. Ticket scale plays a major role in what we present... and how can we make it affordable for the less fortunate among us regardless of their ability to pay.

Representation in our planning and program design takes into account the diversity of the community so that we consider artists locally, regionally, and internationally who reflect the culture and values of our community.

1. We will employ all facets of traditional electronic and print media. As such, our paid advertising is actually related to printed
posters and flyers that we use a series of street teams to distribute in key target areas of the community, region, and commonwealth. This is also employed outside the state in Indianapolis, IN, St. Louis, MO, Cincinnati, OH, Nashville TN, and Charleston & Huntington, WV;

2. We will enhance our presence on social media (Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.) to reach young (and mature) audiences who can assist us with getting and spreading the word about the event... to create interest and heighten awareness of the benefits of what we describe as "A Smooth Jazz Experience Like No Other!"; and

3. We will take full advantage of our media partnerships to minimize our investment in purchasing media within the Lexington Bluegrass Region.

The African American Forum, Inc. has a strong collaborative relationship with the Jazz Arts Foundation, Inc., which is based in Lexington. It not only has professional artists who play in all facets of the Jazz genre… it is an organization committed to sustaining all forms of Jazz and awareness in the Lexington-Bluegrass Region of the commonwealth of Kentucky.

As such, our mutual respect and engagement provides invaluable access to intelligence, industry standards, and audiences… that enhances our project design annually.

In the case of one (1) of our other core partnerships, AARP Kentucky provides us with access to Seniors, Veterans, and individuals with disabilities. Their database of members and constituents allows us to not only meet but exceed our economic, educational, and/or cultural impacts on the community in these critical areas.

VisitLEX is another key partnership that allows us to reach outside individuals and groups who may be traveling to Lexington at the time of year when we are presenting a concert in the series. It not only helps us if these individuals or groups come to town... but it impacts the local economy if they stay in our hotels and spend money while they are here.

On another note, there are quite a few civic and social clubs that make it a point to buy group tickets and/or tables of ten (10) to the concert series on an annual basis. They have expressed to us that this concert series gives their members a great opportunity to get dressed up, come out and support our efforts while engaging in a fellowship that is magical and memorable.

Our program goals are to be inclusive in our planning, to be rich in our content and diversity of artists presented, and to ensure that this year's presentation not only meets but exceeds our community's expectations from past performance and execution.

These objectives more than underscore our mission and purpose... especially to "exemplify excellence, to develop and support programs that embrace cultural diversity, enhance community development and broaden the opportunities for African Americans (specifically) to make their highest and best contributions to life..."

Our evaluation methods will simply involve the traditional qualitative and quantitative methods we used in the past.

1. Surveys at each date of the concert series;

2. Focus groups before and after each concert to measure success; and

3. Evaluation outreach that determines if value was provided for the experience that all participants had(good or bad) The African American Forum, Inc. has historically tracked and measured participation meticulously through surveys (administered by our staff and event volunteers), analytic data collected on each day of the event and through collaborative participation by our corporate partners & sponsors, Horizon Society members and community partnerships (i.e. Jazz Art Foundation, Inc., Kentucky Arts Council, LexArts, Inc./LAN, VisitLEX, Kentucky Tourism, Kentucky Agriculture Department/Kentucky Proud Program, and Black Soil KY to name a few).

In all facets of the marketing and promotion campaign… once the event is announced, we collect and gather information that allows us to pivot and adjust leading up to the start of the Smooth Jazz Concert Series. Notwithstanding, all the relationships are intentionally engaged throughout the campaign. In addition, they provide rich input that is SO beneficial to our Post-Event Analytics… that chronicle outcomes.

In 2027, we propose integrating the "International Jazz Appreciation Month" and "Summer Breeze Saturday" concert events into the Cultural Pass program as a preview meet-and-greet opportunity.

In the case of the International Jazz Appreciation Month Concert, there will be a Master Class component that will provide an opportunity for students who are in the gifted and talented, band, and vocal performance programs in Fayette County Public Schools. The featured artists for the Kick-Off concert will be on stage and prepared to fully engage students in the artistic merits of a career in the music business and the Smooth Jazz genre specifically.

In short, through the LexArts Cultural Pass program, it is our objective to reach as many students who have an interest in the performing arts as a means of appreciation and experiencing what Smooth Jazz has to offer in all facets of this genre of music as an art form.

As part of the launch of the 2027 LEX Smooth Jazz Concert Series a Master Class will be a key feature that will be of interest to students as well as teachers. The African American Forum, Inc. has made this component an integral part of the series over the past three (30 years.

By utilizing the Arts Everywhere for Students -A Teacher's Guide, the organization aspires to reach students and cultivate an interest in the performing arts with the primary objective of inspiring students to pursue a career in the Smooth Jazz genre... as a result of being exposed to the best international Smooth Jazz artists who will be performing in the Lexington-Bluegrass Region as part of the concert series heretofore.