Trey Anastasio’s Divided Sky Foundation Details New Vermont Treatment Center

Courtesy Divided Sky Foundation – Ludlow House
Trey Anastasio’s Divided Sky Foundation selected a facility in Ludlow, Vt., to renovate and develop as a treatment center.

When The Beacon Jams, Trey Anastasio’s livestreamed, audience-less residency at New York’s Beacon Theatre, concluded in late November after eight successful shows, the musician had raised $1.2 million through the Divided Sky Foundation to fund a treatment center in Vermont.

Now, the primary question – where exactly that facility will be – has been answered.

The Divided Sky Foundation, which falls under the larger charitable umbrella of Phish’s WaterWheel Foundation, announced the purchase Thursday of a facility in Ludlow, Vt., and shared that the property will undergo building renovations and program development before a tentative opening at the end of 2021.

As detailed in Pollstar‘s January cover story about The Beacon Jams, Anastasio, sober since 2007, has considered opening a treatment facility for years. But those close to the musician say the concept began to gain steam in late 2019, and observing how the pandemic exacerbated the challenges of those struggling with substance use heightened Anastasio’s urgency.

The $1.2 million earned by Anastasio across the eight Beacon shows, livestreamed on Twitch and facilitated by integrated fundraising platform Tiltify, far surpassed his expectations.

“Everybody came together in the community, and it was beyond our wildest dreams that we would raise $1.2 million in donations,” Anastasio told Pollstar. “It shifted our whole concept of how we were going to open this place. … It’s sort of readjusted our goals, based on the amount raised. Now the goal has become to raise enough money to own the space outright.”

Vermont ranks 11th in the nation for overdose rates but has only four state-certified residential treatment facilities, according to a press release. The nonprofit center will serve people from all income levels and offer job training, workforce reintegration and education opportunities.

For more about The Beacon Jams and the Divided Sky Foundation, revisit Pollstar‘s cover story about the residency and extended interview with Anastasio.