On January 24, Friends of Veritones announced its inaugural grant to the Harvard-Radcliffe Veritones. Friends of Veritones is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports the Veritones’ undergraduate activities and promotes connections between the a cappella group and its alumni. The $7,000 grant celebrates the Veritones’ 40th year, and will help cover costs associated with last November’s anniversary concert and the Veritones’ upcoming Jam on April 2 in Harvard’s Sanders Theater.
November’s anniversary concert saw over 100 Veritones alumni taking the stage to mark the milestone, and the formation of Friends of Veritones was announced during the weekend’s alumni brunch. Because Harvard does not provide direct assistance to student groups, Friends of Veritones shared their plan to establish an endowment that can support the Veritones in perpetuity. Alumni responded, and to date Friends of Veritones has raised about $90,000 toward the $150,000 goal.
Future grants made by Friends of Veritones will be funded by income from the endowment. However, the inaugural grant was directly funded by alumni donors, including Veritones co-founder Inger Dewey-Golob ’89, who split her leadership gift between the inaugural grant and the new endowment. Future grant decisions will be made in close collaboration with the current group, who each year will select a representative to Friends of Veritones. Also planned for the spring is the launch of a Friends of Veritones advisory board, comprised of alumni from all eras who will provide expertise, networking, and mentorship opportunities to undergraduates and fellow alumni.
Friends of Veritones Treasurer Judith Solberg ’96 presented the 2025-2026 grant to Veritones Business Manager Brynn Coady ’29 at a dinner held during the group’s annual stay in New Hampshire. The January retreat has been hosted by honorary Veritones Chris and Maggie Mumford for more than 15 years.
“The amount of this first grant is symbolic,” Solberg notes. “Our goal is to establish an endowed fund that can support grants of this amount every year, and we’re about two-thirds of the way there. We hope to raise the final $60,000 this spring.”
Immediately after the presentation, the Veritones expressed their thanks with an impromptu performance of the Alicia Keys song Fallin’. There followed a lively, forward-facing conversation over dinner. Naveen Schwartzkopf ’29 and Barbara Hou ’27 described being inspired by the warmth they observed from and between alumni in November. Eleni Livingston ’26 and Ava Maha ’28 emphasized the current group’s intention to use grant funds responsibly, and to deepen relationships with the alumni over time. Livingston hopes to be one of the first Veritones to work with Friends of Veritones as an undergrad and then join the advisory board as a young alumna.
It was a celebratory evening, and a milestone moment in the relationship between the current Veritones and their alumni. Our thanks to all those who have come together to support the Veritones—in the past, present, and (now) into the future! Alumni and friends can make tax-deductible endowment contributions online, or visit the Friends of Veritones giving page for FAQs and more.