Great American Songbook Foundation

What Great American Songbook Foundation does

The Great American Songbook Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in May 2007 by five-time GRAMMY nominee Michael Feinstein and headquartered at the Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana. Its mission is to preserve, celebrate, and educate the public about the Great American Songbook — the canonical repertoire of American popular music from the early-to-mid twentieth century. The Foundation is a Cultural Affiliate of the Grammy Museum.

The Foundation's operations center on five core programs: the Songbook Academy, a national summer music intensive for approximately 40 high school vocalists featuring mentorship and public performance; Perfect Harmony, a program providing music resources and playlists for caregivers engaging older adults; the Songbook Library & Archives, which preserves more than 500,000 historical items including recordings, arrangements, scripts, costumes, and personal papers; the Traditions Senior Communities Songbook Gallery, a multimedia exhibit space with rotating and traveling exhibits; and the Songbook Hall of Fame, honoring artists such as Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Cole Porter. The Foundation also publishes the monthly eNewsletter 'The Standard' and bi-monthly 'Hit Kit' series, and operates the YouTube web series 'In the Archives with Michael Feinstein.'

Revenue is generated through a mix of ticketed events (typically $5-$30 per ticket), program and application fees for the Songbook Academy ($50-$80 application, $1,000 program fee), tax-deductible donations processed via GiveSmart, and corporate partnerships. Distribution occurs through the Payne & Mencias Palladium at the Allied Solutions Center, online livestreams, the Songbook Gallery, and the Fifth Third Bank Box Office. Underlying technology consists of a digital archive and multimedia exhibit platform supported by third-party SaaS integrations (Acceptd, Formstack, Wordfly, Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager).

Name

Great American Songbook Foundation

Legal name

Great American Songbook Foundation

Website

https://thesongbook.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Great American Songbook Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that preserves and celebrates American popular music through a 500,000-item archive, youth vocal programs, exhibits, and a Hall of Fame, serving students, caregivers, and researchers from Carmel, Indiana.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Heritage Preservation

NAICS

Performing Arts Companies (7111)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Group Music Classes & Ensembles (Band, Orchestra, Choir) (EDAMANAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Music Therapy (Educational/Developmental Programs) (EDAMANAK)

Keywords

• Music heritage preservation
• Music education programs
• Cultural archives
• Youth vocal performance
• Nonprofit performing arts

Headquarters

HQ city

Carmel

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Great American Songbook Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that preserves and celebrates American popular music through archival preservation, educational programming, and public exhibits. It operates a national summer music intensive for high school vocalists (Songbook Academy), caregiver music engagement resources (Perfect Harmony), a 500,000+ item Library & Archives, multimedia gallery exhibits, and the Songbook Hall of Fame, alongside ticketed public performances and concerts at the Palladium in Carmel, Indiana.

Product overview

The Great American Songbook Foundation operates a multi-faceted cultural preservation and education organization focused on the Great American Songbook. Its core offerings include: The Songbook Academy® (a national summer music intensive for high school vocalists), Perfect Harmony® (music resources for caregivers engaging older adults), the Songbook Library & Archives (preserving over 500,000 historical music artifacts), the Traditions Senior Communities Songbook Gallery (multimedia exhibit space), and the Songbook Hall of Fame. The Foundation also produces public events including the Public Masterclass, Songbook Showcase, and Songbook Academy in Concert, along with digital content through the In the Archives web series and eNewsletters (The Standard and Hit Kit). The organization is headquartered at the Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Songbook Academy: A national summer music intensive for young singers who love the music of Broadway, Jazz & the American Songbook.
• Perfect Harmony
• Songbook Hall of Fame
• Songbook Library & Archives

Products and services

• The Songbook Academy® A national summer music intensive for young singers who love Broadway, jazz, and the American Songbook; brings together talented high school vocalists for mentorship, masterclasses, and performance opportunities. Participants apply and audition for one of 40 spots and pay a $1,000 program fee (room and board included, travel not).
• Perfect Harmony® Music engagement resources and curated generational music playlists for caregivers (family and professional) to engage older adults through music. Includes monthly resources and a monthly resource index.
• Songbook Library & Archives A repository preserving more than 500,000 historical items from the foundational era of American popular music, including recordings, arrangements, images, memorabilia, personal papers, and special collections of performers and composers. Researchers, scholars, and music enthusiasts access materials in person and via the 'In the Archives' web series.
• Traditions Senior Communities Songbook Gallery Exhibits Multimedia gallery exhibit space showcasing the Great American Songbook through rotating, online, and traveling exhibits. Gallery is open weekdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and one hour prior to select Center Presents events.
• Songbook Hall of Fame Recognition program honoring legendary artists and songwriters whose music helped define the Great American Songbook, including inductees such as Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Cole Porter.
• Songbook Academy Public Masterclass Free public event in which selected Songbook Academy participants receive real-time feedback and coaching from industry professionals on stage; pay-what-you-can with no minimum.
• Songbook Showcase Annual ticketed public performance where all 40 Songbook Academy participants perform solo selections on the Palladium stage; $5 in-person admission with a free livestream option.
• Songbook Academy in Concert Culminating ticketed performance of the Songbook Academy featuring standout solos and ensemble numbers celebrating the Great American Songbook; tickets starting at $25 for in-person attendees.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability2 records

Feature1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Songwriters Hall of Fame: Organization dedicated to honoring the songwriters and composers behind canonical American popular music, with induction ceremonies, archives, and educational programs. Closely mirrors the Foundation's songwriter-focused mission and Hall of Fame format.
• Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Cleveland-based music heritage museum combining a Hall of Fame, permanent and traveling exhibits, and educational programming — directly comparable operating model to the Foundation's Hall of Fame, exhibits, and Library & Archives.
• Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum: Nashville-based institution operating a Hall of Fame, music archive, and educational programs specifically tied to a single American popular music genre — a tight operational analog to the Great American Songbook Foundation.
• Grammy Museum: The Foundation is a Cultural Affiliate of the Grammy Museum; both organizations share a mission of music preservation, public exhibits, and educational programming around American popular music. They operate as peer institutions in the music heritage nonprofit space.
• Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP): Seattle-based music and pop culture museum offering exhibits, archives, and educational programming centered on iconic American popular music figures and genres — comparable scale and programming mix to the Foundation.
• Jazz at Lincoln Center: Performance, education, and preservation organization focused on jazz and the Great American Songbook canon, presenting concerts, masterclasses, and educational programs from a major performing arts venue — directly comparable to the Foundation's mission and delivery model.
• Motown Museum: Detroit-based heritage museum dedicated to preserving the legacy of Motown music, featuring artifacts, exhibits, and educational programming — a comparable single-genre music heritage nonprofit with archive, exhibit, and education offerings.
• National Jazz Museum in Harlem: Harlem-based museum and education organization preserving jazz history through exhibits, archives, and performance programming — a directly comparable cultural heritage nonprofit focused on a related American popular music genre.

Broad incumbents

• Kennedy Center: National performing arts center presenting concerts, educational programs, and cultural programming at much larger scale and broader genre scope than the Foundation, but serving as the institutional benchmark for performing arts-based cultural education nonprofits.
• Smithsonian National Museum of American History: Federal cultural institution housing major American music archives (including the world's largest collection of jazz recordings) alongside broader American history exhibits — a much larger-scale incumbent in music heritage preservation and public education.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/FeinsteinInitiative
• Facebookfacebook.com/SongbookFoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/songbookfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/songbook-foundation

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Great American Songbook Foundation