The long-term goals are to revitalise the study and performance of traditional music and to make local festivals artistically and financially self-sustaining.

Introduction to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and the Aga Khan Music Initiative
The 2002 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, to be held 26 - 30 June 2002 and July 3 - 7 2002 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C, USA, features 350 traditional artists - musicians, dancers, craftsmen, storytellers, artists, cooks, and more - from 20 nations including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, China, India, Iran, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, the United States and Uzbekistan.

The Silk Road Project
The Silk Road Project, an ongoing series of concerts and festivals. The Trust is the lead funding agency and creative partner of the Silk Road Project, which was founded by reknowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma to "study the ebb and flow of ideas among different cultures along the Silk Road" and "plant the seeds of new artistic and cultural growth...".

For more information, please see the Silk Road Project website and the Aga Khan Music Initiative.