Miami, June 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Playing For Change Foundation (PFCF), the global nonprofit transforming lives through music and arts education, is excited to announce its partnership with The Shawn Mendes Foundation (SMF) to bring music education and creative opportunities to youth worldwide.
Over the past six months, the Shawn Mendes Foundation and Playing for Change have been working together around Shawn Mendes’ recent performances in Latin America and India, where he engaged with youth music programs and experienced firsthand how PFCF’s global network is fostering creativity and opportunity in underserved communities.
To support long term music education goals in each community, Shawn and SMF provided grants in each country of the tour. Where possible, he also visited programs or brought students to his shows to experience what was, for many students, their first concert. While in India, he visited The Sound Space in Mumbai, India, a PFCF-affiliated program providing free music education to children from diverse and challenging backgrounds, where he spent time with students in interactive workshops, performances, and discussions centered around creative expression and empowerment through music. Instruments were generously donated to the program by Martin Guitar.
Mendes notes, “As musicians, we get to travel to so many places. You get to see what makes people so different, and the beautiful thing is that music seems to be the one thing that, no matter where you go, whether we’re dancing or we’re singing, connects us and unites us. Music has the power to change lives, and every child deserves the opportunity to explore their creativity and express themselves.”
As Mendes embarks on his newly announced tour Shawn Mendes - On The Road Again, he will continue to work with local music education programs in each country, provide grants to support PFCF and affiliated music programs, meet directly with young musicians, join workshops, and witness the power of music to inspire confidence, connection, and change.
For nearly two decades, Playing For Change Foundation has worked to break barriers and provide free music and arts education to children in communities rich in culture but lacking access to resources. With more than 100 locations across 27 countries, PFCF has reached thousands of youth, using music as a tool for social and economic change. This partnership with Shawn Mendes amplifies the foundation’s mission and continues to build bridges between artists and young musicians worldwide.
"Shawn’s commitment to using his platform for good aligns perfectly with our mission," said Jake Groshong, CEO of Playing For Change Foundation. "By engaging directly with our students and supporting our programs, he’s helping to inspire the next generation of musicians and changemakers. We’re thrilled to partner with him and his foundation on this journey."
The partnership builds upon Shawn - On The Road Again, which kicks off on August 5th and continues through the fall. The newly announced dates span Europe and North America, and follow his previously announced European festival headline appearances this August. The European leg will begin in Kraków, with stops in London, Amsterdam, Madrid, and more. The tour heads to North America in late September, with shows including Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco before closing the run at the iconic Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. For a full list of upcoming shows and territories, visit shawnmendesofficial.com/live.
For more information on Playing For Change Foundation, visit www.playingforchange.org. To learn more about the Shawn Mendes Foundation, visit www.shawnmendesfoundation.org.
About Playing For Change Foundation
For 18 years, Playing For Change Foundation (PFCF) has helped youth rise up through their own culture using music and the arts to create social and economic change in areas that are economically poor, but that hold vast cultural wealth. With 100+ locations across 27 countries and growing, the positive impact of PFCF on youth, families, and communities in need is truly extraordinary. We engage more than 800 staff, teachers, and cultural leaders around the world, with program locations in: Mali, Morocco, Barbados, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda, Jordan, Ukraine, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Kumiai territory in Mexico, Brazil, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Colombia, Panama, Peru, Argentina and Mapuche Territory, India, Oglala Lakota Territory and multiple other United States locations like Las Vegas, Santa Ana, California, and Miami.
About The Shawn Mendes Foundation
The Shawn Mendes Foundation (SMF) was established in 2019 to inspire and empower young people to create positive change. Through grants, advocacy, and partnerships, SMF supports initiatives focused on mental health, music education, civic engagement, and sustainability, with past and current programs including Wonder Grants to empower young activists cause-related work, the “Wonder of Music” musical therapy program at Toronto’s SickKids Hospital, and a climate education cohort with Future Coalition designed to teach young climate activists business & life skills to empower their work. This collaboration with PFCF continues SMF’s dedication to uplifting youth-led movements and providing opportunities for creative growth. The Shawn Mendes Foundation is a fiscally sponsored project of The Social Impact Fund.
Media inquiries: Chloe Gonzalez The Press House chloe@thepresshouse.com
