Mozart’s Annual Festival of Lights Giving Campaign


Mozart's Giving Campaign Celebrates Four Area Non-Profits with Donations in 2026

Mozart’s has been“living here and giving here” in the Austin community for 30 years. For the 2025 holiday season, our goal is to donate a total of $10,000, distributed equally to four deserving organizations. This means $2,500 per category will be given to the four winning non-profits.

On January 3rd, 2026, the award ceremony was held at Mozart’s to give the giant checks to the winners of the 2026 donations.  And, the winners are:

Arts & Entertainment:
Blue Lapis Light

Community Service:
Austin Mutual Aid

Education:
The Learning Bridge

Texas Wildlife and Conservation:
The Refugee Collective

Congratulations to each of the winning Non-Profits!

Mozart's Coffee Roasters, located on the banks of Lake Austin, is not the average coffee shop. Since 1993, they have been an in-house coffee roaster and café, all the while continuing to expand their support for the Austin area community by offering live music, cultural events, movies on the lake, paddleboard rentals, ongoing donations of space and monetary support to non-profits, and more! They are open for fun 363 days of the year from 7 am to 12 midnight.

 

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Criteria for the 2025 nomination process:

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 11/24 through 12/8 2025.

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

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 2025 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 Austin public is encouraged to fill out the Festival of Lights Giving Campaign Submission Form for their favorite non-profits in need of funding in the Austin area.

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. Once all interviews have been completed, the committee will select the four recipients for the 2025 Festival of Lights Giving Campaign.

The 12 semi-finalists will be announced on December 15th, 2025. The four finalists will be announced, and the checks will be presented to each of the four awardees on January 3, 2026 during the closing ceremony of the 2025 Lake Austin Festival of Lights.

    SUBMISSION DATES : 11/24/25 - 12/8/25

    IMPORTANT DATES: 

    12/8 - Submissions close

    12/15 - Finalists announced

    12/16 - 12/20 - Finalist interviews

    1/3/2026 - Check presented to nonprofits on Mozart’s 2024 Festival of Lights Final Day’s Closing Ceremony

    CRITERIA

    Our criteria for judging will weigh the decisions for funding:

    • 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!