Tom Tom Foundation
Tom Tom Foundation is a Charlottesville-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that convenes an annual Tom Tom Festival and year-round civic programming, partnering with 600+ local organizations to serve residents, entrepreneurs, students, and government leaders in the Virginia region.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersCharlottesville, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Tom Tom Foundation does
Tom Tom Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2012 and headquartered at 100 W South St. #1D, Charlottesville, Virginia (EIN: 46-2048771). The foundation operates as a civic convening platform, producing an annual Tom Tom Festival each April (14th edition in 2026) and a portfolio of year-round programming including Tomorrow Talks (speaker series), the Civic Futures Summit (local civic issues), the Innovation Summit (technology and entrepreneurship), Cville Innovates (regional coalition initiative), Dance Series, Public Art initiatives, the Reentry Summit (criminal justice), and Reflective Jail Tours. The organization's signature value proposition is the co-creation model: 600+ local organizations participate annually, with 120+ organizations producing 170 events for 25,800 attendees in FY2024 and 27,000 attendees in 2025.
The foundation operates with a lean team of one full-time executive director (Paul Beyer, founder) and seven part-time contractors, supported by a board that includes Marty Weiner (former Pinterest founding engineer and Reddit CTO). Its business model combines three revenue streams: donations and philanthropic grants from individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors; ticket sales from events such as Tomorrow Talks (priced at $15 general, $20 members, $25 student) and Festival events; and corporate sponsorships with recognition tiers above $2,500. Distribution is primarily regional (Charlottesville, Albemarle County, broader Virginia, Southeastern US) through in-person venues on the Downtown Mall (Paramount Theater, Vault Virginia, Common House) and digital channels (website, YouTube, Vimeo, newsletter, social media).
The foundation has acknowledged financial headwinds, ending FY2024 with a loss attributed to infrastructure rebuilding and underperformance in sponsor support, and in 2026 announced that the current Festival format may be discontinued pending community listening sessions. Key strategic partners include UVA Darden School of Business, UVA Batten Institute, Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC), United Way of Greater Charlottesville, City of Charlottesville, Albemarle County, and the Charlottesville Area Justice Coalition. The organization does not develop proprietary technology; its platform is a human-coordinated convening function rather than a software product.
Tom Tom Foundation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Tom Tom Foundation
- Legal name
- The Tom Tom Foundation
- Website
- https://tomtomfoundation.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Tom Tom Foundation is a Charlottesville-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that convenes an annual Tom Tom Festival and year-round civic programming, partnering with 600+ local organizations to serve residents, entrepreneurs, students, and government leaders in the Virginia region.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Tom Tom Foundation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Civic and Community Event Programming
- NAICS
- Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Nonprofit, Social Services & Community Development Congresses (THAHAJAO)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Engineering & Technology Congresses (THAHAJAE), Finance, Economics & Public Administration Congresses (THAHAJAL)
Keywords
Where Tom Tom Foundation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Charlottesville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Tom Tom Foundation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Philanthropic Support: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN: 46-2048771), the foundation relies on donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors to fund operations and programming.
- Ticket Sales: The foundation sells tickets to various events and programs including Tomorrow Talks ($15-$30 per ticket) and Festival events.
- Sponsorships: Corporate and organizational sponsors contribute financially or in-kind (such as event space) to support the festival and programs. Sponsors contributing over $2,500 receive recognition.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Per event | General Admission for Tomorrow Talks |
| Subscription | Per event | Tomorrow Society Members |
| Other | Per event | Student Pricing |
| Other | Per event | Scholarship Tickets |
| Other | Per event | Sliding Scale Donation |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Tom Tom Foundation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Tom Tom Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit civic organization that operates the annual Tom Tom Festival in Charlottesville, VA, featuring music, art, and ideas programming. The Foundation also runs year-round programming including summits (Civic Futures, Innovation, Jefferson Innovation, Reentry), the Tomorrow Talks speaker series, Dance Series, Cville Innovates coalition initiative, Public Art installations, Reflective Jail Tours, and a Community Partner Program enabling local organizations to co-create events.
Product overview
Tom Tom Foundation operates as a community-building organization centered around its annual Tom Tom Festival (held each April in Charlottesville, VA) as the primary civic platform. The foundation's portfolio includes core programming tracks: the Civic Futures Summit addressing local civic issues, the Innovation Summit exploring technology and entrepreneurship, Tomorrow Talks (a year-long speaker series continuing festival themes), Dance Series, Cville Innovates (regional coalition initiative), and Public Art. Supporting programs include the Community Partner Program enabling local organizations to host Festival events, the Conference Creator for crowd-sourced session proposals, the Jefferson Innovation Summit focused on Virginia's innovation ecosystem, the Reentry Summit addressing criminal justice reform, and Reflective Jail Tours providing community education on incarceration. The organization functions as a convener and facilitator rather than a technology product company.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Tom Tom Festival Annual signature festival held each April in Charlottesville, VA, featuring music, art, and ideas programming. The festival serves as the foundation's primary civic platform connecting communities to envision and shape a brighter future.
- Civic Futures Summit Annual summit within the festival that brings together leaders from government, business, nonprofits, philanthropy, education, health, housing, and the arts to discuss hyper-local civic issues including affordable housing, urban planning, homelessness, education, and reentry.
- Innovation Summit
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 120 organizations co-created 170 events for 25,800 attendees in 2024 alone
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Tom Tom Foundation
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
Tom Tom Foundation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
Tom Tom Foundation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.
- United Way of Greater CharlottesvillecoreLaunched Cville Innovates initiative together at the 2nd Annual Civic Futures Summit to address regional challenges through multi-sector coalition-based approach. Partnership extends impact through the year with goal of tackling pressing challenges like housing, economic development, and community engagement.
- UVA Darden School of BusinesscorePartnership for the Jefferson Innovation Summit to discuss commercialization and scaling of technologies and entrepreneurship in Virginia. Hosted strategy sessions at the Bradbury and working groups at the Virginia Vault.
- UVA Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship & InnovationcoreCo-host of Jefferson Innovation Summit focusing on innovation ecosystem development and Virginia's entrepreneurial growth strategy.
- Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC)corePartnership for Jefferson Innovation Summit to advance innovation policy and ecosystem development across the Commonwealth.
- Central Virginia Community JusticecoreAnnual partnership for Reflective Jail Tours and restorative justice programming. Co-facilitates reflection sessions after jail tours and promotes alternative justice approaches. Partnership has generated $10,000+ in donations for restorative justice work.
- Fountain FundcoreMulti-year partnership for Reentry Summit series addressing criminal justice reform. Co-convened summits that produced actionable recommendations adopted by Albemarle/Charlottesville Reentry Council.
- Charlottesville Area Justice CoalitioncorePartnership for justice reform initiatives including Reentry Summits and Jail Tours. Coalition provides key community connections and organizational infrastructure for justice programming.
- Venture CentralcorePartnership for Homegrown Innovators' Roundtable to discuss local startup ecosystem. Venture Central convenes follow-up CEO advisory meetings and is developing company directory for regional innovation community.
- UVA Center for Community PartnershipssecondaryAnalyzed feedback from Reentry Summits and produced data-driven recommendations for regional reentry services improvement.
- Equal Justice USAsecondaryCo-architected Reentry Summit series and connected national criminal justice data to local context. Organization was forced to close due to federal funding cuts.
- UVA Law Decarceration and Community ReEntry ClinicsecondaryPresented Reentry Simulation and educational programming during festival, helping bridge academic resources with community needs.
- City of CharlottesvillecoreCollaborates with City leadership including Mayor and City Manager for Civic Futures Summit and regional planning initiatives.
- Albemarle CountycoreRegional partnership for peer city innovation and cross-sector collaboration on challenges including housing and economic development.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Tom Tom Foundation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- TED Conferences: Organizes conferences and curated talks centered on ideas worth spreading across technology, design, science, and culture. Comparable to Tom Tom's Tomorrow Talks and Innovation Summit as idea-driven convening platforms.
- PopTech: Summit-based organization convening innovators, scientists, and social entrepreneurs on technology's impact on society. Highly comparable to Tom Tom's Innovation and Civic Futures programming tracks.
- Sundance Institute: Nonprofit combining an iconic annual festival (Sundance Film Festival) with year-round artist support and programming. Closely mirrors Tom Tom's combination of signature annual festival plus sustained year-round programming under a nonprofit structure.
- Chicago Ideas Week: City-based ideas festival convening thought leaders, artists, and civic innovators across multiple tracks and venues. Closely parallels Tom Tom's city-anchored, multi-topic festival model in a different metro.
- SXSW (South by Southwest): Large multi-track festival combining music, film, technology, and ideas programming. While much larger and for-profit, SXSW shares Tom Tom's core model of a city-based festival convening communities around innovation, culture, and civic dialogue.
- XOXO Festival: Independent festival convening independent creators, technologists, and artists around shared values. Similar scale and independent, mission-driven ethos as Tom Tom's festival programming.
- Aspen Institute: Nonprofit convening organization hosting summits, policy dialogues, and year-round programming across sectors. Shares Tom Tom's nonprofit civic-convening model with much broader national scope and stronger policy focus.
- Citizen University: Nonprofit building a culture of powerful, responsible citizenship through programming, civic ceremonies, and national initiatives. Directly comparable to Tom Tom's civic engagement and community-building mission.
Broad incumbents
- Brookings Institution: Established think tank convening policymakers, scholars, and civic leaders on domestic policy issues. Operates at significantly larger scale than Tom Tom but overlaps with Civic Futures Summit's public-policy programming.
Others
- Idealist (Action Without Borders): Nonprofit organization connecting people with opportunities for civic engagement, volunteering, and nonprofit jobs. Adjacent ecosystem player supporting the community of civic-minded individuals Tom Tom seeks to convene.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Tom Tom Foundation social profiles
Digital presenceTom Tom Foundation compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Tom Tom Foundation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Tom Tom Foundation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Tom Tom Foundation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Tom Tom Foundation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Tom Tom Foundation
What does Tom Tom Foundation do?
Tom Tom Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit civic organization that operates the annual Tom Tom Festival in Charlottesville, VA, featuring music, art, and ideas programming. The Foundation also runs year-round programming including summits (Civic Futures, Innovation, Jefferson Innovation, Reentry), the Tomorrow Talks speaker series, Dance Series, Cville Innovates coalition initiative, Public Art installations, Reflective Jail Tours, and a Community Partner Program enabling local organizations to co-create events.
Is Tom Tom Foundation a public or private company?
Tom Tom Foundation is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Tom Tom Foundation founded?
Tom Tom Foundation was founded in 2012. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Tom Tom Foundation based?
Tom Tom Foundation is headquartered in Charlottesville, United States, in the North America region.
How does Tom Tom Foundation make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Donations and Philanthropic Support is the primary driver. The others are ticket Sales and sponsorships.
Who are Tom Tom Foundation's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are TED Conferences, PopTech, Sundance Institute, Chicago Ideas Week, SXSW (South by Southwest), XOXO Festival, Aspen Institute and Citizen University. Brookings Institution is listed as a broad incumbent. Idealist (Action Without Borders) is listed as an others.
Does Tom Tom Foundation have an API?
No public API is recorded for Tom Tom Foundation.
What industry is Tom Tom Foundation in?
Tom Tom Foundation's product category is Civic and Community Event Programming. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAHAJAO, Nonprofit, Social Services & Community Development Congresses, with a secondary code of THAHAJAE, Engineering & Technology Congresses. Its NAICS code is 8134 and its SIC code is 8600.