The Grateful Dead community has undergone vast and profound change in the past year and one area where this change has been felt most palpably is at The Rex Foundation. Always unconventional as foundations go, Rex now is in a process of reinvention and renewal, and developing ways to keep the good work and positive energy flowing in the absence of the band.

The Rex Foundation is the embodiment of that generous spirit of altruism that has evolved in the culture surrounding Grateful Dead concerts for the past thirty years. From the beginning the Grateful Dead performed more benefits than anyone. The circumstances of Jerry's death point up the dark side of the Grateful Dead experience. Rex is a living part of the light side. We feel it is vitally important to continue the living, breathing example of wholesome good works, and preserve the Grateful Dead's cultural legacy.

By keeping up the good work in unpredictable ways, we can put the tools directly into the hands of people who need them most. Unfettered by knee-jerk establishment rules, needs can be felt and filled that would be passed over by more conventional foundations.

We are now engaged in a revisioning process, experimenting with new ideas and choosing our pathways for the future. We have decided to begin fundraising, in the absence of concert revenues, proceeding one step at a time into the new avenue. We are starting with a few specially developed products, including a T-Shirt and totebag bearing artwork which was the last design of a brilliant artist and good friend of the Grateful Dead, Bob Thomas. (Order through Grateful Dead Merchandizing).

The list of projects and people we have funded in the past defines our legacy. We now have a wonderful opportunity to grow from that foundation. We hope to approach change creatively, have some fun, and facilitate good works in many places. Our past years' work speaks for us clearly (Grants).