Bmi Foundation, Inc.

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.

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

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

• Music scholarships
• Composer awards
• Arts grants
• Nonprofit foundation
• Songwriter fellowships

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

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

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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

Core 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

Named customers2 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

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• American Composers Orchestra (ACO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 February 2025Four-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)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 February 2025Four-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 OnocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished 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 InstrumentscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsor of the John Lennon Award alongside Yoko Ono, providing three scholarships totaling $20,000 annually.
• National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-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 IIcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished 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.
• BabyfacecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership 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.)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBMI 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

Direct 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

• Xtwitter.com/bmifoundation
• YouTubesoundcloud.com/bmifdn
• Facebookfacebook.com/bmifoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/bmifoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bmi-foundation-inc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Bmi Foundation, Inc.