NAZARETH, Pa. — The Martin Guitar Charitable Foundation celebrated 30 years of philanthropy Wednesday evening, bringing together nonprofit organizations from across the Lehigh Valley and beyond to honor decades of community support.

The celebration was held at the Martin Guitar Factory and Museum in Nazareth, where foundation leaders reflected on the impact the organization has made since its creation in 1996.

“We’re celebrating 30 years of giving,” said Sharon Beals, executive director of the foundation.

According to Beals, the foundation awarded 95 grants this year alone to organizations locally and nationally. The grants support programs focused on homelessness, food insecurity, arts and culture, education and music initiatives.

Many of the national organizations supported by the foundation also have ties to acoustic music, Beals said.

Over the past three decades, the foundation has distributed more than $6.1 million to more than 205 organizations.

“I think it’s amazing. It was the vision of Chris and Diane Martin to start the foundation. And ever since, we’ve been giving to the community,” Beals said.

Chris Martin, a sixth-generation leader of C.F. Martin & Company, started the foundation nearly 30 years ago.

“All the people here this evening are running these impactful nonprofits that the foundation supports,” Martin said during the celebration.

Martin said the foundation was designed not only to provide charitable support, but also to ensure company resources directly benefited communities.

“That money can grow tax free. And so that to me was the real advantage of starting the foundation is that as that corpus grew, we weren’t paying the government taxes. We were paying it back locally,” Martin said.

Beals said the organization remains committed to supporting communities while also helping introduce music to younger generations and people who may not otherwise have access to it.

As the foundation looks toward the future, Beals said its mission of community support and philanthropy will continue for years to come.