Mozart’s Annual Festival of Lights Giving Campaign is Back!

* Update 12/11*

We had 750 nominations and such wonderful organizations nominated in the Austin area, thank you to everyone who took the time to submit them. We have selected and reached out to the finalists for each category and our winners will be announced on 1/4.

This year we are expanding our charitable contributions to give a total of $50,000 to four deserving organizations in the Central Texas area.

Nominate a local Austin nonprofit here:

Nonprofit submission form

Applications open November 4th, 2024 - December 6th, 2024.

We are excited to announce the launch of our annual Festival of Lights Giving Campaign which has been fundraising for local nonprofits for over four decades!

Mozart’s has been part of the Austin community for 30 years, “living here and giving here.” For the ‘24 holiday season, we plan to boost our efforts five-fold from last year by donating $12,500 each to four local nonprofits, helping them accomplish even more this year!

This year’s campaign will focus on four key areas of support:

Community Service
Arts & Entertainment
Education
Central Texas Wildlife & Conservation

OVERVIEW

Mozart’s will collect nominations for nonprofit organizations of Austin from 11/4 through 12/6.

We will be requesting that every nomination include the name of the organization, a link to their website, their mission, the audience/cause they support and any contact information (if available).

Once we receive the nominations, our team will reach out to the nonprofits via email to collect any additional information, allow a space for the nonprofit to provide context on the potential impact of this donation and provide their registered 501c3 form.

Mozart’s Nonprofit Selection Committee will then review and evaluate each nonprofit’s submission based on a defined set of criteria (below) and reach out for final interviews before selecting the four recipients of the 2024 Festival of Lights Give Back Campaign.

WHO PARTICIPATES

Central Texas 501c3 nonprofits only
Active Austin initiatives (the organization is actively working/volunteering in the Austin area)

HOW TO SUBMIT

FIRST ROUND:

The public is encouraged to fill out the Festival of Lights Giving Campaign Submission Form.

SECOND ROUND:

Mozart’s Nonprofit Selection Committee will review the forms submitted by the nonprofit’s themselves and select three finalists from each category to complete a virtual interview. These five finalists will be announced on December 11th, 2024.

Once all interviews have been completed, the committee will select the four recipients for the 2024 Festival of Lights Giving Campaign. The checks will be presented to each of the awardees on January 4th, 2025 during the closing ceremony of the 2024 Lake Austin Festival of Lights.

SUBMISSION DATES : 11/4/24 - 12/6/24

IMPORTANT DATES:

12/6 - Submissions close

12/11 - Finalists announced

12/16 - 12/20 - Finalist interviews

1/4 - Check presented to nonprofits on Mozart’s 2024 Festival of Lights Final Day’s Closing Ceremony

CRITERIA

Our criteria for judging:

The nature of the ask (i.e. - what you will do with the funds).

The localized impact to/for our community here in Austin (i.e. - who this will impact and how).

The passion for your cause we "hear" in your communication with us (i.e. - why you do what you do).

Mozart's ability to make a meaningful impact with your organization's expressed need (i.e. - our confidence that our gift can help you in your cause).

For any additional questions regarding the Festival of Lights Giving Campaign please contact giving@mozartscoffee.com.

Thank you for your continued support and assistance in giving back to the local Central Texas community!