Bmi Foundation, Inc.
BMI Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1985 that administers ~25 awards, scholarships, and grants supporting emerging American music creators and nonprofit music organizations, funded primarily by BMI and corporate donors.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1985
- HeadquartersWest New York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Bmi Foundation, Inc. does
BMI Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1985 and headquartered at 7 World Trade Center, 250 Greenwich Street, New York. It is a separate legal corporation from BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.), although it was founded by BMI employees and continues to receive significant financial and in-kind support from BMI each year. The Foundation's mission is to encourage the creation, performance, and study of American music through awards, scholarships, fellowships, commissions, and organizational grants.
The Foundation operates a portfolio of approximately 25 competitive programs segmented into three categories: application-based individual awards (BMI Composer Awards, John Lennon Award, Dolly Parton Songwriters Award, Babyface Award, peermusic Latin Music Award, Chris Trousdale Dream Awards, Kavi Ohri Memorial Award, Pete Carpenter Fellowship), invitation-based awards and scholarships (Charlie Feldman Award, Charlie Parker Jazz Composition Prize, Future Jazz Masters Award, Evelyn Buckstein Scholarship, Theodora Zavin Scholarship, Lionel Newman Conducting Fellowship, Curtis Mayfield Scholarship, Jerry Bock Musical Theatre Award, among others), and organizational grants (New Music Grants providing multi-year operational support to 501(c)(3) nonprofits with budgets under $2 million, plus the Jeffery Cotton Award for reprise concerts). Many programs are co-sponsored or endowed by named industry partners (Yoko Ono, Gibson, John Adams, Babyface, peermusic, Sony Music Publishing, Wells Fargo, NEA, Luke Combs). Aggregate output includes over $250,000 in awards distributed in the 2023-2024 season, over 600 BMI Composer Awards since 1951, and over $400,000 in John Lennon Award scholarships over 20 years.
Revenue is generated through donations (individual and corporate), royalty donations from music creators, in-kind contributions (consulting, judging, mentorship), and significant annual support from BMI. There is no fee to apply, and BMI affiliation is not required for application-based awards. The Foundation is governed by an independent Board of Trustees chaired by BMI executives (Mike O'Neill as Honorary Chair, Deirdre Chadwick as President since 2014). It is not a technology company; its core capability is prestige-based grant administration and ecosystem orchestration across the American music industry.
Bmi Foundation, Inc. firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Bmi Foundation, Inc.
- Legal name
- BMI Foundation, Inc.
- Website
- https://bmifoundation.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1985
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- BMI Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1985 that administers ~25 awards, scholarships, and grants supporting emerging American music creators and nonprofit music organizations, funded primarily by BMI and corporate donors.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Bmi Foundation, Inc. industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Music and Arts Nonprofit Foundation Services
- NAICS
- Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH), Music Therapy (Educational/Developmental Programs) (EDAMANAK)
Keywords
Where Bmi Foundation, Inc. is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- West New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Bmi Foundation, Inc. business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Donations and Contributions: The Foundation relies on the generosity of the music community including individual and corporate giving, and in-kind support in the form of consulting, program judging and mentorship. BMI provides significant financial and in-kind support each year.
- Royalty Donations: The Foundation accepts donations of royalties from music creators as an additional form of giving.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Bmi Foundation, Inc. product offering
Product offeringCore offering
BMI Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports the creation, performance, and study of music by administering competitive awards, scholarships, fellowships, commissions, and multi-year organizational grants. Its offerings include application-based individual awards (BMI Composer Awards, John Lennon Award, Dolly Parton Songwriters Award, Babyface Award, peermusic Latin Music Award, Chris Trousdale Dream Awards, Kavi Ohri Memorial Award, Pete Carpenter Fellowship), invitation-only awards and scholarships, and New Music Grants providing operational support to qualifying 501(c)(3) music nonprofits. Programs are judged by panels of distinguished musicians and industry professionals, with no application fee and no BMI affiliation required.
Product overview
BMI Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit organization (501(c)3) founded in 1985 that operates a portfolio of competitive awards, scholarships, fellowships, commissions, and organizational grants to support music creators. The organization functions as a centralized grant-making and award-administration entity rather than a technology product company. Its core offerings include: (1) Application-based individual awards such as the BMI Composer Awards, John Lennon Award, Dolly Parton Songwriters Award, peermusic Latin Music Award, Babyface Award, Chris Trousdale Dream Awards, Kavi Ohri Memorial Award, and Pete Carpenter Fellowship; (2) Invitation-based programs including the Charlie Feldman Award, Charlie Parker Jazz Composition Prize, Future Jazz Masters Award, and various scholarships (Evelyn Buckstein, Theodora Zavin, Curtis Mayfield, etc.); (3) Organizational grants called New Music Grants providing multi-year operational support to qualifying nonprofits focused on contemporary music; and (4) The Jeffery Cotton Award for reprise concert performances. Most programs are judged by panels of distinguished industry professionals and awardees receive monetary grants, mentorship, and career development support. The Foundation also maintains strategic partnerships with organizations like American Composers Orchestra and International Contemporary Ensemble to present award-winning works.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- BMI Composer Awards Annual competition for young composers of classical music under age 28, offering awards totaling $20,000 for works in any instrumentation and classical genre.
- Babyface Award Provides artistic and business mentorship and a $10,000 career grant to songwriters and composers of R&B, hip-hop, soul, and music of the African diaspora.
- Chris Trousdale Dream Awards Scholarships for high school students pursuing music and musical theater, awarded in partnership with performing arts high schools in New York, California, and Michigan.
- peermusic Latin Music Award Annual competition for student songwriters and composers of Latin music, offering a $5,000 scholarship and mentorship with renowned singer-songwriter Jorge Luis Chacín.
- John Lennon Award Annual competition for student songwriters and composers of contemporary musical genres including alternative, pop, rock, indie, electronica, R&B, and experimental, with three scholarships totaling $20,000.
- Dolly Parton Songwriters Award Annual nationwide competition for aspiring songwriters aged 17-24, offering $20,000 for up to two winners in Americana, blues, bluegrass, country, folk, or roots genres.
- Kavi Ohri Memorial Award Annual scholarship for New York City high school seniors attending college in a music-related major, with preference given to AAPI-identifying students and first-generation college students.
- Pete Carpenter Fellowship Annual competitive residency for aspiring film, television, and video game composers, awarding two $3,000 awards for in-studio mentorship with established composers in New York and Los Angeles.
- New Music Grants Annual grants to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations focused on furthering the creation, performance, and study of contemporary music, providing unrestricted operational support for up to three years.
- Charlie Feldman Award Annual award of $2,000 for emerging BMI songwriters in any genre, established in honor of retired BMI Vice President for Creative Charlie Feldman.
- Charlie Parker Jazz Composition Prize Award for BMI Jazz Composers Workshop members, honoring legendary jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker with a $3,000 Manny Albam Commission for a new work.
- Future Jazz Masters Award $5,000 career grant created in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Jazz Masters Fellowship program, augmented by The Ahrold Family Commission.
- Evelyn Buckstein Scholarship Scholarship for City College of New York music students, paying full tuition for one student annually.
- Theodora Zavin Scholarship Music study prize named after the Foundation's founding president, awarded to New York City high school seniors pursuing music education.
- Lionel Newman Conducting Fellowship Fellowship supporting aspiring conductors in classical music.
- Curtis Mayfield Scholarship Scholarship for high school students pursuing careers in music.
- Jerry Bock Musical Theatre Award Award for outstanding creative achievement in musical theatre.
- Carlos Surinach Commission Award recognizing the youngest winner of the BMI Composer Awards competition each year.
- Ellen Schwartz Award Award for outstanding literary merit in lyric writing within the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop.
- Jean Banks Award Award within the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop.
- Jerry Harrington Musical Theatre Awards Awards for outstanding creative achievement in musical theatre.
- Chuckii Booker Scholarship Scholarship supporting music education.
- William Goldstein Scholarship Scholarship supporting University of Miami Frost School of Music students pursuing graduate-level study in Music Composition for Film and Media, offering $5,000 every other year.
- Jeffery Cotton Award Grant for presenting organizations to defray costs of rehearsing and presenting reprise concerts of previously premiered chamber or orchestral works by American composers.
- John Adams Award Award granted to one BMI Composer Award recipient annually in recognition of compositional excellence, sponsored by a $100,000 donation by composer John Adams and Deborah O'Grady.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 600 awards given through the BMI Composer Awards since 1951, including twenty future Pulitzer Prize winners
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Bmi Foundation, Inc.
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Bmi Foundation, Inc. technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Bmi Foundation, Inc. partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- American Composers Orchestra (ACO)coreFour-year partnership for ACO to perform winning orchestral works from the BMI Composer Awards at their EarShot Reading program. Each year one orchestral work will be performed as permitted by their schedule. ACO has long supported BMI Foundation through New Music Grants.
- International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE)coreFour-year partnership for ICE to perform winning chamber works from the BMI Composer Awards at their concerts. Each year one chamber work will be performed as permitted by their schedule. ICE has long supported BMI Foundation through New Music Grants.
- Yoko OnocoreEstablished the John Lennon Award in 1997 in conjunction with BMI Foundation to honor John Lennon's memory. Ono provides funding through the generosity of her and Gibson Musical Instruments, with three scholarships totaling $20,000 presented annually.
- Gibson Musical InstrumentscoreCo-sponsor of the John Lennon Award alongside Yoko Ono, providing three scholarships totaling $20,000 annually.
- National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)coreCo-hosts the annual Future Jazz Masters Award announcement at their Jazz Masters Awards Dinner. BMI Future Jazz Master Award was created through a gift from BMI in honor of the NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship program.
- peermusic / Ralph Peer IIcoreEstablished the peermusic Latin Music Award in 2003 through the generosity of peermusic CEO Ralph Peer II. Provides $5,000 scholarship annually for best Latin music composition, including mentorship with Jorge Luis Chacín.
- BabyfacecorePartnership to create the Babyface Award for songwriters and composers of R&B, hip-hop, soul, and music of the African diaspora. Includes artistic and business mentorship and $10,000 career grant.
- BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.)coreBMI Foundation is a separate 501(c)3 corporation started by BMI employees in 1984. The Foundation receives significant financial and in-kind support from BMI each year to honor their shared mission to support music creators. Mike O'Neill serves as Honorary Chair.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Bmi Foundation, Inc. competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- New Music USA: Nonprofit funding new music creation and performance through grants to individuals and organizations. Direct peer that shares BMI Foundation's focus on contemporary music creators and nonprofit music presenters.
- Songwriters Hall of Fame: Nonprofit organization recognizing songwriting achievement and providing education programs. Directly comparable as a music-creator-focused nonprofit that combines recognition, education, and grants for songwriters and composers.
- Jazz Foundation of America: Nonprofit providing financial support, housing, and medical care to jazz and blues musicians. Direct peer in genre-specific music creator support, overlapping with BMI Foundation's jazz programs (Future Jazz Masters, Charlie Parker Jazz Composition Prize).
- Sweet Relief Musicians Fund: Nonprofit providing financial assistance to musicians facing illness, disability, or hardship. Direct peer in donor-funded music creator financial support, complementary to BMI Foundation's career-development grants.
- MusiCares (Recording Academy / Grammy Foundation): The charitable arm of the Recording Academy, providing financial and medical assistance to music creators plus grant programs. Direct peer in music-industry-affiliated philanthropy supporting creators across genres with both emergency aid and career development grants.
- American Composers Forum: National nonprofit supporting contemporary composers through grants, commissions, and professional development. Direct peer in composer-focused grantmaking, particularly overlapping with BMI Foundation's New Music Grants and BMI Composer Awards.
- Chamber Music America: National service organization for the chamber music field, providing grants and professional support. Direct peer in supporting small ensemble and contemporary chamber music organizations, mirroring BMI Foundation's New Music Grants program for nonprofit presenters.
- The ASCAP Foundation: The most direct peer — the charitable arm of ASCAP, the other major US performing rights organization. Both BMI Foundation and ASCAP Foundation administer songwriters/composers awards, scholarships, and music education programs funded by their affiliated PROs, serving the same creator demographic with parallel program structures.
Broad incumbents
- SESAC (Performing Rights Organization): The third major US performing rights organization, sibling to BMI and ASCAP. While SESAC does not have a comparably scaled charitable foundation, it is a broad incumbent in the same PRO category that BMI Foundation's programming supports.
Emerging players
- National Music Council: Advocacy-focused nonprofit advancing music policy and supporting musicians across genres. Emerging player with partial overlap in music creator advocacy and education initiatives, adjacent to BMI Foundation's grantmaking mission.
Market position
Weaknesses1 record
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Bmi Foundation, Inc. social profiles
Digital presenceBmi Foundation, Inc. compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Bmi Foundation, Inc. financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Bmi Foundation, Inc. leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Bmi Foundation, Inc. funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Bmi Foundation, Inc. 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 Bmi Foundation, Inc.
What does Bmi Foundation, Inc. do?
BMI Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports the creation, performance, and study of music by administering competitive awards, scholarships, fellowships, commissions, and multi-year organizational grants. Its offerings include application-based individual awards (BMI Composer Awards, John Lennon Award, Dolly Parton Songwriters Award, Babyface Award, peermusic Latin Music Award, Chris Trousdale Dream Awards, Kavi Ohri Memorial Award, Pete Carpenter Fellowship), invitation-only awards and scholarships, and New Music Grants providing operational support to qualifying 501(c)(3) music nonprofits. Programs are judged by panels of distinguished musicians and industry professionals, with no application fee and no BMI affiliation required.
Is Bmi Foundation, Inc. a public or private company?
Bmi Foundation, Inc. is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Bmi Foundation, Inc. founded?
Bmi Foundation, Inc. was founded in 1985. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Bmi Foundation, Inc. based?
Bmi Foundation, Inc. is headquartered in West New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Bmi Foundation, Inc. make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations and Contributions are the primary driver. The others are royalty Donations.
Who are Bmi Foundation, Inc.'s main competitors?
Direct peers on record are New Music USA, Songwriters Hall of Fame, Jazz Foundation of America, Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, MusiCares (Recording Academy / Grammy Foundation), American Composers Forum, Chamber Music America and The ASCAP Foundation. SESAC (Performing Rights Organization) is listed as a broad incumbent. National Music Council is listed as an emerging player.
Does Bmi Foundation, Inc. have an API?
No public API is recorded for Bmi Foundation, Inc..
What industry is Bmi Foundation, Inc. in?
Bmi Foundation, Inc.'s product category is Music and Arts Nonprofit Foundation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAKAJ, Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations, with a secondary code of BPAGAHAH, Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs. Its NAICS code is 813211 and its SIC code is 8200.