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Ordinary Magicannmasten.org · giving portal

Give · in honor of Navid Izadi

Fill Navid Izadi’s school with music.

The Navid Izadi School of Music + Art stands finished in Sanandaj, the cultural capital of Kurdistan, “known for its artistry.” Now it needs instruments, tools and supplies.

Aden and Mamani built it with Moms Against Poverty to honor Navid Izadi, and chose music and art “so girls could also attend!” Hundreds of students aged 12–18 will learn to play there, and to build instruments of their own.

Give now (opens the Moms Against Poverty campaign page in a new tab) Choose your gift

Quoted words are from Aden and Mamani on the campaign page, as of Oct 29, 2026.

In honor of Navid Izadi · Moms Against Poverty

The Navid Izadi School of Music + Art

Sanandaj, Kurdistan

  • Built. Announced on what would have been Navid Izadi’s 37th birthday.
  • For girls, too. Music and art, chosen “so girls could also attend!”
  • Hundreds of students, ages 12–18, will learn to play instruments, and to build them.
Give on the campaign page (opens the Moms Against Poverty campaign page in a new tab)

You give on the Moms Against Poverty campaign page. Gifts go to Moms Against Poverty, a 501(c)(3) public charity (EIN 20-8865521); the campaign page says they are tax-deductible. annmasten.org never sees or handles your money. Campaign details as of Oct 29, 2026.

Choose your gift

Every gift is something a student can hold.

Pick a gift here. You complete it on the Moms Against Poverty campaign page, in a new tab.

$25 “Missing You” The tools of every lesson Provide students with metronomes, music stands, tuners, footstools, and more. Give $25 on the Moms Against Poverty campaign page (opens in a new tab) $75 “Good Life” Toward a traditional instrument Contribute toward buying beautiful traditional instruments for the students. Give $75 on the Moms Against Poverty campaign page (opens in a new tab) $200 “On My Mind” Santoors, ouds and setars Help us get Santoors, Ouds, Setars, and other beautiful Iranian instruments. Give $200 on the Moms Against Poverty campaign page (opens in a new tab) $500 “Feelin Purple” A piano, and tools to build Contribute toward the big costs of keyboards, tars, a piano, and important carpentry tools for building musical instruments. Give $500 on the Moms Against Poverty campaign page (opens in a new tab)

Any amount helps, from $5 up. Level names and descriptions are quoted from the campaign page as of Oct 29, 2026; you choose your gift there.

“The dollar goes a long way in Iran, so even a ‘small’ donation will help us do big things for the students.”
— Aden and Mamani, campaign page

Hear Navid Izadi

Ayande. Future.

Ayande, meaning “Future” in Farsi, is Navid Izadi’s debut album. It is out November 13, 2026.

His cousin Lily and his brother Aden restored his laptop and hard drive to recover the work-in-progress files. Dave Aju completed the record with a “gathering of musical family collaborations,” and executive produced and mixed it. It is dedicated to his son, Tesla.

“…equal parts an incredible debut album and a true family affair tribute to one of the most inspired creative souls we’ve ever known.”
— Bandcamp album notes
Pre-order Ayande on Bandcamp (opens Bandcamp in a new tab) Navid Izadi on Bandcamp (opens Bandcamp in a new tab)

Buying the album supports Navid Izadi’s music. It is separate from the school fundraiser: gifts to the school go only through the Moms Against Poverty campaign page.

Listen to Ayande on Bandcamp (opens Bandcamp in a new tab)

12 tracks

  1. Birds Of Prey
  2. Diagnostics/Escape
  3. Andromeda
  4. Islands
  5. Chica Go
  6. IMX
  7. Keep It Movin
  8. Space Race
  9. Fingertips
  10. Stardust
  11. Mm Mm
  12. Never

How giving works

Three steps. No middleman.

annmasten.org is a signpost, never a payment processor.

  1. You choose a giftEvery Give button opens the official Moms Against Poverty campaign page in a new tab.
  2. The charity receives itYou give on their page and they send your receipt. This site never sees your payment details.
  3. Students get instrumentsThe campaign buys instruments, tools and supplies for the school in Sanandaj.

Verified recipient

Recipient
Moms Against PovertyBurlingame, California · momsagainstpoverty.org
Tax status
501(c)(3) public charityExempt since Jan 2008 · IRS data via ProPublica · legal disclosure
EIN
20-8865521Matches IRS data and the charity’s own disclosures
Independent rating
Four-Star Charity95% on Charity Navigator, as of Oct 29, 2026

Why it matters

The science of ordinary magic.

“Resilience does not require extraordinary resources in most cases, but instead is the result of what might be called ‘ordinary magic’.” — Ann S. Masten, Education Canada, 2009

01 Caring adultsPositive relationships with other nurturing and competent adultsMasten’s “short list” of resilience factors
What a music and art school offers

A music teacher is a steady adult who knows each student by name, and hears them get better, week after week.

02 MasteryPositive self-perceptions; self-efficacy (mastery motivation system)Masten’s “short list” of resilience factors
What a music and art school offers

An instrument rewards practice in small, audible steps: a scale, then a phrase, then a song. Her advice for schools: “create opportunities for successful mastery experiences, building a sense of mastery in graduated steps.”

03 BelongingBonds to effective schools and other prosocial organizationsMasten’s “short list” of resilience factors
What a music and art school offers

A school that opens its doors to girls and boys aged 12–18 is a place to belong: to practise, to perform, to make friends.

04 CultureCultures that provide positive standards, rituals, relationships, and supportsMasten’s “short list” of resilience factors
What a music and art school offers

Santoors, ouds, setars and tars carry centuries of Iranian musical tradition. Here, students learn to play them, and to build them.

The top of each card is quoted from Ann S. Masten, “Ordinary Magic: Lessons from Research on Resilience in Human Development,” Education Canada 49(3), 2009, pp. 28–32 (read the article, PDF). The bottom is this site’s own reading of how a music and art school can offer that factor. Professor Masten has not studied, reviewed or commented on this school or this campaign.

For funders · foundations, corporate philanthropy & family offices

Help build the next school.

This portal is made to feature more children’s music and art schools, each one backed by the same resilience science.

We welcome conversations with private and family foundations, corporate giving programs, and the charitable arms of technology and AI companies that support children, education and the arts. A larger gift could cover:

  • Instruments for The Navid Izadi School
  • Teacher and program time
  • New children’s music and art schools
  • Gifts go to Moms Against Poverty through its campaign page. This site handles no money.
  • Professor Masten’s research is cited as general evidence about what helps children. She is not part of the campaign and has not endorsed it.
  • No company or foundation funds or partners with this site today, and we promise no outcomes we cannot show.

Funder inquiries are not connected yet. To talk about a larger gift to this school today, please use the contact details on the Moms Against Poverty website.

UK research and funding links: Oxford & Cambridge → An independent list of university research centers, giving pages and UK funders with open calls. None is affiliated with this site.

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Questions

Before you give

Where does my money go?

To Moms Against Poverty, through its own campaign page. It is a 501(c)(3) public charity (EIN 20-8865521) in Burlingame, California. annmasten.org never receives, handles or sees your gift.

Is my gift tax-deductible?

The campaign page says gifts are tax-deductible, and IRS data lists Moms Against Poverty as a 501(c)(3) organization whose donations are tax-deductible. Your receipt comes from Moms Against Poverty. For your own situation, ask a tax professional.

What will my gift buy?

Instruments, tools and supplies for the school: metronomes, music stands and tuners; traditional Iranian instruments such as santoors, ouds and setars; and keyboards, tars, a piano and carpentry tools for building instruments.

Who was Navid Izadi?

In the words of Aden and Mamani on the campaign page, Navid Izadi was “an incredibly talented and dynamic artist” who “never stopped learning,” and “a dreamer with big ambitions.” The school carries his name. His debut album, Ayande, is out November 13, 2026.

Is Professor Masten involved?

No. Professor Masten and the University of Minnesota are not affiliated with this campaign and have not endorsed this site. Her published research is cited here as evidence for why such schools matter.

Who runs this site?

annmasten.org is an independently curated site about Professor Masten’s resilience research. It takes no fee, collects no donations and stores no personal data.

The Navid Izadi School of Music + Art

Help “fill the school with art, instruments, tools, joy, and hope.”

— Aden and Mamani, campaign page

Give an instrument (opens the Moms Against Poverty campaign page in a new tab) Choose your gift