Belongó | Afro Latin Jazz

What Belongó | Afro Latin Jazz does

Belongó, legally Afro Latin Jazz Alliance of New York Inc, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organization founded in 2007 by GRAMMY-winning pianist and composer Arturo O'Farrill and headquartered in East Harlem, New York — the recognized birthplace of Afro Latin Jazz. The organization operates three integrated program verticals: Present & Produce (live and recorded Afro Latin Jazz performances by The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra and The Fat Cats ensemble), Educate & Inspire (free K-12 music education across 21 NYC public school districts, plus The Fat Cats Youth Orchestra Program and programs for seniors and marginalized communities), and Protect & Advance (a music library and archive of 750+ scores spanning 16+ genres, plus commissioning of new works). Since founding, Belongó has delivered 870+ performances reaching over 1M viewers and instructed more than 20,000 K-12 students.

The organization's product surface is intentionally low-tech and human-capital-driven. Performance and education programs are delivered directly — live at venues including The Pocket (weekly residency), Carnegie Hall, and Segerstrom Center for the Arts, and in classrooms across the NYC public school system. Digital distribution (launched in 2020 in response to the pandemic) consists of Virtual Birdland, a weekly free online performance series, and ALJA Digital Village, an online awareness and education platform. Merchandise, recordings, and apparel are sold through a dedicated e-commerce storefront at shop.belongo.org. Underlying technology is standard web/video streaming and donation processing via GiveLively — no proprietary AI, ML, or platform infrastructure is disclosed.

Belongó's revenue model is donation- and grant-driven, typical of a 501(c)(3) performing arts nonprofit: individual contributions processed through GiveLively, foundation and government grants, corporate sponsorships, earned income from ticketed performances, and merchandise sales. The organization is in a capital expansion phase: in 2022 it was selected as the cultural partner at Timbale Terrace, a 340-unit affordable housing project in East Harlem, where it is developing Casa Belongó — a permanent state-of-the-art performance, education, and cultural hub scheduled for inauguration in 2026. The organization rebranded from the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance to Belongó around 2022–2024 as part of a stated mission expansion from Afro Latin Jazz specifically to broader Latin music, arts, and cultures.

Name

Belongó | Afro Latin Jazz

Legal name

Afro Latin Jazz Alliance of New York Inc

Website

https://belongo.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Belongó is a New York-based nonprofit founded in 2007 by Arturo O'Farrill that presents Afro Latin Jazz performances, delivers free K-12 music education across 21 NYC school districts, and preserves a 750-score archive, while developing Casa Belongó, a permanent East Harlem arts center scheduled to open in 2026.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Arts & Cultural Services

NAICS

Musical Groups and Artists (711130), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts & Culture Service/Support Organizations (Networks, Advocacy, Capacity Building) (BPAGAHAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Live music performances
• Music education programs
• Jazz orchestra performances
• Arts nonprofit organization
• Music archive preservation

Headquarters

HQ city

West New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: Nonprofit organization relying on donor support, grants, and charitable contributions. Website features a donate button linking to GiveLively platform for accepting donations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Belongó is a nonprofit arts organization that presents live Afro Latin Jazz performances featuring The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra and The Fat Cats ensemble, delivers free music education programs to K-12 students across NYC public schools, and preserves the genre through a music library archive of 750+ scores spanning 16+ genres. The organization operates weekly concerts at venues including The Pocket and Carnegie Hall, school-based curricula, the Virtual Birdland online series, and is developing Casa Belongó, a permanent music and arts center in East Harlem scheduled to open in 2026.

Product overview

Belongó (formerly Afro Latin Jazz Alliance) is a nonprofit arts organization founded in 2007 by Arturo O'Farrill, offering a portfolio of interconnected cultural programs: live jazz performances featuring The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra and The Fat Cats; free K-12 music education programs and The Fat Cats Youth Orchestra Program; a music library archive of 750+ scores across 16+ genres; and the online ALJA Digital Village/Virtual Birdland streaming series. The organization is developing Casa Belongó, a permanent music and arts center planned for East Harlem (2026). Its offerings serve both in-person audiences (870+ performances since 2007) and online viewers, with an e-commerce shop for merchandise.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra: The primary performing ensemble led by Arturo O'Farrill
• The Fat Cats Youth Orchestra Program
• Casa Belongó
• ALJA Digital Village
• Virtual Birdland

Products and services

• Live Performances (The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra) Live concerts featuring The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra led by Arturo O'Farrill at venues including The Pocket (NYC weekly), Carnegie Hall, and Segerstrom Center for the Arts, reaching audiences of thousands. Over 870 performances delivered since 2007, reaching 1M+ viewers as of 2022.
• Music Education Programs (ALJAM) Free, tailored music education programs delivered to K-12 public schools, seniors, and marginalized groups across New York City. Serving over 20,000 K-12 students since 2007 across 21 NYC school districts.
• The Fat Cats Youth Orchestra Program A youth orchestra program providing musical training and performance opportunities to the next generation of aspiring young musicians. Performs publicly at venues including Harlem Rose Garden.
• Music Library and Archives An archive collection of over 750 scores spanning 16+ musical genres along with music-related memorabilia, preserved to commission new works and big band arrangements across genres.
• Virtual Birdland & ALJA Digital Village Online series created in 2020 to raise awareness for Afro Latin Jazz through performance and education. Virtual Birdland is a weekly free online event featuring musicians playing from diverse locations globally.
• Online Store (Shop) Online shop offering unique collections including recordings, apparel, accessories, and other merchandise to supporters and fans worldwide.

Quantifiable outcome

• 870+ performances since 2007 reaching 1M+ viewers
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Timbale Terrace (cultural partner)coreOthers · 1 January 2022Selected as cultural partner for Timbale Terrace, a 340-unit affordable housing project on Park Avenue at 118th Street in East Harlem. This partnership supports the development of Casa Belongó Music & Arts Center, bringing a state-of-the-art performance space, music education, and cultural hub to the birthplace of Afro Latin Jazz.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• SFJAZZ: San Francisco nonprofit presenting organization that produces a jazz festival, concerts, and education/outreach programs. Mirrors Belongó's presenting-and-educating operating model, donor-funded structure, and large-scale annual programming.
• Jazz at Lincoln Center: New York-based nonprofit that presents, produces, and educates around jazz through a resident orchestra, performances (incl. Rose Theater, Dizzy's Club), and education programs. Most direct comparable to Belongó's combination of GRAMMY-level jazz orchestra, education mission, and East Harlem programming footprint.
• Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance: Jazz-focused education nonprofit supporting collegiate-level performers and global programs. Comparable to Belongó's talent-development (Fat Cats) and artist-training mission within the jazz genre.
• Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz: National nonprofit dedicated to jazz performance, education (incl. peer-instruction programs in public schools), and competitions. Directly comparable to Belongó's K-12 education arm (ALJAM) and GRAMMY-adjacent artist network.
• National Jazz Museum in Harlem: Harlem nonprofit dedicated to preserving, exhibiting, and educating about jazz heritage. Strongly comparable to Belongó's 'Protect & Advance' preservation, archive, and education mission within the same Harlem cultural ecosystem.

Broad incumbents

• Carnegie Hall: Iconic presenting nonprofit that produces and presents thousands of concerts annually plus large-scale education and community programs. Comparable as a venue/presenter relationship Belongó relies on (Belongó performs at Carnegie Hall Citywide), and as a model for nonprofit concert presenting and education at scale.
• Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts: Large NYC-based presenting nonprofit encompassing multiple resident orchestras and education initiatives. Operates at much larger scale but addresses the same donor, education, and presenting ecosystem Belongó competes within for funding and audiences.
• The Apollo Theater Foundation: Historic Harlem performing arts nonprofit that presents programming and runs education/workforce initiatives. Comparable NYC cultural anchor with similar African-American/Latin cultural heritage positioning and donor base overlap.

Regional players

• Harlem School of the Arts: Harlem-based nonprofit providing music, dance, and visual arts instruction to children and seniors. Shares Belongó's geographic catchment (East/Central Harlem), education-for-marginalized-groups mission, and tuition-assisted/free programming model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xfacebook.com/pianitis
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@afrolatinjazzalliance
• Facebookfacebook.com/belongony
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/afrolatinjazzalliance
• Instagraminstagram.com/afrolatinjazz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Belongó | Afro Latin Jazz