MusiCares

What MusiCares does

MusiCares Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity founded in 1989 by the Recording Academy to provide financial assistance and preventive health and human services to music professionals in the United States and Puerto Rico. The organization serves musicians, songwriters, engineers, producers, session players, live crew, artist managers, independent promoters, composers, and other industry workers, with eligibility requiring five years of music industry employment or credits on at least six commercially released recordings (reduced to three years during designated disaster relief efforts). All services are provided free of charge.

MusiCares operates a six-pillar service platform: Financial Assistance (emergency grants for rent, utilities, insurance, medical bills, funeral costs, and gear); Mental Health Support (therapy, psychiatric care, and a digital mental health hub with suicide prevention training launched with The Jed Foundation in April 2026); Addiction Recovery Support (inpatient and outpatient treatment, sober living, virtual support groups, and Safe Harbor Rooms at major music events since 1997); Preventive Health Services (nationwide dental, vision, physical therapy, hearing health via Tuned, nutrition, smoking cessation, and women's health via Maven); Financial Wellness Resources (1-on-1 coaching and YNAB budgeting tool); and Disaster Relief (historic responses to Hurricane Katrina, COVID-19, and the 2025 LA Wildfires). Supporting infrastructure includes the annual Wellness in Music Survey (the largest dataset on music community well-being), the MusiCares Coalition (Visionary-tier: Amazon Music, Sony, Universal, Warner; plus Illuminator and Champion tiers), The Chorus monthly donor program, and the annual Person of the Year gala held during Grammy Week since 1991.

The organization is funded exclusively through donations, corporate sponsorships, and fundraising events; it does not sell products or services. Since inception it has distributed over $135.8 million in financial assistance grants to more than 200,000 music professionals, with an 88% program expense ratio and 40+ employees. It operates from Los Angeles under CEO Harvey Mason Jr. (also CEO of the Recording Academy) and Executive Director Theresa Wolters. The 2004 acquisition of the Musicians Assistance Program (MAP) extended its addiction recovery footprint.

Name

MusiCares

Legal name

MusiCares Foundation

Website

https://musicares.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MusiCares is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1989 by the Recording Academy that provides free financial assistance, mental health, addiction recovery, preventive health, and disaster relief services to music professionals across the United States and Puerto Rico.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Monica

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Donor Contributions: Individual and corporate donations from supporters of the music community, including monthly donor program 'The Chorus' and one-time gifts
2. Person of the Year Gala: Annual benefit gala honoring prominent music artists, featuring live performances, auctions, and donations. The 2026 gala honoring Mariah Carey raised millions for MusiCares programs.
3. Corporate Partnerships: Partnerships with major music industry companies (Recording Academy, Amazon Music, Sony Music, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group) and brands providing financial support
4. Coalition Membership: MusiCares Coalition brings together leading philanthropists at various membership levels (Leadership, Visionary, Illuminator, Champion) providing annual support
5. Alternative Giving: Stock donations, cryptocurrency donations, legacy/bequest giving, and honor/memorial gifts

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

MusiCares is a 501(c)(3) charity that provides free, comprehensive health and human services to music professionals in need. Its core offerings span emergency financial assistance, mental health and addiction recovery support, preventive health services (dental, vision, hearing, nutrition, physical therapy, women's health), financial wellness coaching, and disaster relief. All services are provided at no cost to eligible music professionals in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

Product overview

MusiCares is music's largest nonprofit provider of financial assistance and preventive services for music professionals. The organization operates as a unified platform offering comprehensive support across multiple interconnected services organized into six core program areas: Financial Assistance (emergency grants for basic living needs, healthcare costs, gear replacement), Mental Health Support (therapy, psychiatric care, digital mental health hub with suicide prevention training), Addiction Recovery Support (treatment programs, sober living, support groups, Safe Harbor Rooms), Preventive Health Services (nationwide dental, vision, and physical therapy clinics, plus telehealth for hearing health, nutrition, smoking cessation, and women's health), Financial Wellness Resources (1-on-1 financial coaching and budgeting tools), and Disaster Relief (emergency support for natural disasters and crises). Supporting these programs are signature initiatives including the annual Wellness In Music Survey (data-driven research informing programming), the Person of the Year Gala (major fundraising event), Mindful May (wellness event), The Chorus (monthly donor program), and the MusiCares Coalition (philanthropic partnership network). The organization also acquired the Musicians Assistance Program (MAP) in 2004 to expand addiction recovery services. MusiCares serves musicians, songwriters, engineers, producers, live crew, managers, agents, and all other music professionals in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, having distributed over $135 million to music professionals since its founding in 1989.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Financial Assistance Emergency financial assistance for music professionals facing unforeseen circumstances, covering basic living needs including rent/mortgage, utilities, insurance premiums, medical and dental bills, funeral expenses, and gear replacement or repair.
• Mental Health Support Financial assistance for mental health treatment including inpatient and outpatient care, therapy, psychiatric care, community referrals, and a digital mental health hub with suicide prevention training in partnership with The Jed Foundation.
• Addiction Recovery Support Comprehensive addiction recovery services including inpatient and outpatient treatment, sober living, aftercare resources, 1:1 therapy, and weekly virtual support groups led by licensed behavioral health practitioners.
• Preventive Health Services Biannual nationwide clinics for dental, vision, and physical therapy, plus telehealth services for hearing health, nutrition coaching, smoking cessation, and women's health.
• Financial Wellness Resources Free 1-on-1 tailored financial coaching for music professionals facing irregular income challenges, plus a Financial Wellness Budgeting Tool in partnership with You Need A Budget (YNAB).
• Disaster Relief Emergency and long-term disaster support for music professionals, including immediate financial assistance for evacuation, lodging, food, supplies, and equipment replacement. History includes Hurricane Katrina, COVID-19, LA Wildfires, and regional disasters.
• Digital Mental Health Hub Dedicated digital hub in partnership with The Jed Foundation offering suicide prevention and mental health resources tailored for music professionals, featuring articles and a self-paced suicide prevention training course.
• Safe Harbor Rooms Substance-free environments for music professionals in recovery, offered at major music events including award shows, festivals, and conferences, staffed by qualified chemical dependency and intervention specialists.
• Support Groups Weekly virtual emotional and addiction recovery support groups led by licensed behavioral health practitioners, with specialized groups for LGBTQIA+, Women's, Black Music Community, and Music Professionals.
• Hearing Health Services (MusiCares x Tuned) Hearing health services through the Tuned platform including advanced online hearing health screening, virtual consultations with credentialed audiologists, and ongoing personalized care.
• Women and Family Health (Maven) Women's health telehealth platform support for family planning, navigating midlife changes, and raising kids while touring.
• Nutrition Coaching One-on-one nutrition coaching partnership with Onpoint Nutrition's registered dietitians, providing personalized feedback on nutrition practices and guidance for sustainable healthy habits.
• Smoking Cessation Program Smoking cessation program providing 5 one-on-one coaching sessions with certified tobacco cessation specialists, nicotine replacement therapy, and online support groups.
• Financial Coaching Free 1-on-1 tailored financial coaching for music professionals to overcome challenges of irregular income, fluctuating gig availability, and retirement planning uncertainty.
• Financial Budgeting Tool (YNAB) Personal finance app in partnership with You Need A Budget (YNAB) designed to help music professionals proactively manage money using zero-based budgeting.
• Vision Clinics Nationwide vision clinics hosted every March and September, providing free screenings and sessions for music professionals with fluctuating income and limited insurance.
• Dental Clinics Nationwide dental clinics hosted every May and November, providing free dental care and sessions for music professionals.
• Music Pros as Athletes (Physical Therapy Clinics) Physical therapy clinics nationwide hosted every April and October, providing wellness support for music professionals.

Quantifiable outcome

• $135.8M+ in total financial assistance grants distributed since inception
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and leadership.

• The Jed Foundation (JED)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 April 2026MusiCares partnered with JED to create a digital mental health hub offering suicide prevention and mental health resources tailored for music professionals. The microsite provides articles, self-guided learning, and a suicide prevention training course designed to address industry-specific challenges including financial instability, touring pressures, and grief.
• TunedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Tuned, a virtual audiological platform, to provide on-demand hearing health services to music professionals across the country. MusiCares clients can access advanced online hearing health screenings, virtual consultations with credentialed audiologists, and ongoing personalized care. MusiCares is also onsite at select music festivals and awards shows providing free earmolds and custom earplugs.
• You Need A Budget (YNAB)supportingTechnology or IntegrationPartnership with You Need A Budget, a personal finance app designed to help users proactively manage money using zero-based budgeting. Offered as part of MusiCares Financial Wellness Resources.
• Recording AcademyleadershipStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding organization. The Recording Academy founded MusiCares in 1989 as an independent 501(c)(3) charity to serve as a vital safety net for the music community.
• MavensupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerWomen and Family Health through Maven provides telehealth services for women and families in the music industry, supporting family planning, touring with kids, and midlife changes.
• Onpoint NutritionsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Onpoint Nutrition's award-winning team of registered dietitians to provide one-on-one nutrition coaching to eligible music professionals.
• Optum Quit 4 LifesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to help music industry professionals quit smoking, offering 5 one-on-one coaching sessions with certified tobacco cessation specialists, nicotine replacement therapy, and online support groups.
• SweetwatercoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner for Mindful May annual event in New Orleans, providing mental health and wellness support to music professionals. PJ Morton serves as speaker for the third annual event.
• TogetherallsupportingTechnology or IntegrationPartnership to expand mental health support for music people through Togetherall's peer support platform.
• Vivid SeatssupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for Humans of Hip Hop program providing services and resources to the hip-hop community.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MusiCares
• YouTubeyoutube.com/MusiCaresFoundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/MusiCares
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/musicares-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/musicares
• TikToktiktok.com/@musicaresfoundation

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MusiCares