Purple Songs Can Fly
Purple Songs Can Fly is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates in-hospital and remote recording studios at Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers, enabling pediatric cancer patients and their siblings to write and record original songs free of charge. Founded in 2006 by Anita Kruse, it has produced over 3,000 songs and expanded to a Japan Branch in 2023.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersHouston, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Purple Songs Can Fly does
Purple Songs Can Fly is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization incorporated in 2005 and operationally launched in 2006, founded by pianist Anita Kruse. It operates an in-hospital songwriting and recording program for pediatric cancer and blood-disorder patients and their siblings at Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers in Houston. The core technical offering is a fixed recording studio on the 14th floor of the Clinical Care Center, complemented by a portable bedside recording studio; both support children without any prior musical experience in writing original songs, recording vocals, and receiving a burned CD. Programs include out-patient studio sessions, in-patient bedside songwriting, a remote songwriting program on the bone marrow transplant floor (BMTL), a remote program at the Vannie Cook Cancer Clinic in McAllen, Texas, and bereavement songwriting for siblings. All services are provided free of charge to families.
The business model is donation-driven: the organization runs a tiered individual donor program (Purple Friend through Purple Partner, $50 to $2,500+), receives grants and matching gifts from corporations and foundations (including the National Endowment for the Arts, Texas Commission on the Arts, Periwinkle Foundation, Clayton Fund, and others), accepts tribute and memorial gifts, and generates modest merchandise revenue through iTunes recordings and the children's book 'Purple Song' distributed via LongTale Publishing. Since 2006 the program has produced over 3,000 original songs, whose symbolic 'flights' have reached 50+ countries, multiple NASA Space Shuttle missions, Carnegie Hall, the Titanic wreck site, and the Mount Everest summit. The organization is governed by a small board, relies on a lean core staff supplemented by volunteers, interns, and guest artists, and in 2023 established a wholly-owned Japan Branch in Tokyo as its first international footprint.
Purple Songs Can Fly firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Purple Songs Can Fly
- Legal name
- Purple Songs Can Fly
- Website
- https://purplesongscanfly.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Purple Songs Can Fly is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that operates in-hospital and remote recording studios at Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers, enabling pediatric cancer patients and their siblings to write and record original songs free of charge. Founded in 2006 by Anita Kruse, it has produced over 3,000 songs and expanded to a Japan Branch in 2023.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Purple Songs Can Fly industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Pediatric Music Therapy and Arts in Medicine Services
- NAICS
- Sound Recording Studios (51224), Record Production and Distribution (51225), Child and Youth Services (62411)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Music Therapy (Educational/Developmental Programs) (EDAMANAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Children’s & Youth Theatre (MPAGABAE), Children’s Audio Publishing (Audiobooks & Podcasts) (MPAJAFAI)
Keywords
Where Purple Songs Can Fly is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Houston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices6 records
Markets served
Purple Songs Can Fly business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Individual Donations: Purple Songs Can Fly relies on individual donations from the public, with contributions made online via PayPal, by mail using personal checks, or by credit card. The organization maintains a tiered donor recognition program (Purple Partner, Purple Patron, Purple Benefactor, Purple Supporter, Purple Friend, Purple Pal) with gift thresholds ranging from $2,500+ down to $50-99.
- Corporate and Foundation Grants: The organization receives grants and gifts from corporate donors and foundations, including the National Endowment for the Arts, Texas Commission on the Arts, The Periwinkle Foundation, The Clayton Fund, The George Link Jr. Charitable Trust, Stand Out for Good, Steen Family Foundation, and others. Matching gift programs from employers are also encouraged.
- Merchandise Sales: Purple Songs Can Fly sells merchandise including the children's picture book 'Purple Song' (available through LongTale Publishing), and special recordings such as 'It's Out There Waiting' and 'Hope Is Always Here' available on iTunes. Proceeds from all merchandise sales benefit Purple Songs Can Fly.
- Tribute Gifts: Donors can make gifts to honor extraordinary people, memorialize a loved one, or celebrate a special occasion. The organization acknowledges these tribute gifts and notifies appropriate persons of the support.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Free Services for Pediatric Cancer Patients |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels8 records
Purple Songs Can Fly product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Purple Songs Can Fly runs in-house and portable digital recording studios at Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers where pediatric cancer patients and their siblings work with professional singer/songwriters to write, record, and mix their own original songs, with each child receiving a CD of their recording. The program also extends to bedside songwriting, remote/virtual sessions on the bone marrow transplant floor and at the Vannie Cook Cancer Clinic in McAllen, TX, and a Tokyo, Japan Branch. Adjacent offerings include original children's musicals (Journey to Hope, Hope Can Happen), a children's book, and a children's choir performance program.
Product overview
Purple Songs Can Fly is a non-profit organization that operates a suite of music therapy and creative programs centered on its core in-hospital songwriting and recording service. The primary offering is an in-house and portable recording studio program (both out-patient and in-patient variants) where pediatric cancer patients and their siblings write and record original songs with professional singer/songwriters. Adjacent offerings include two original stage productions (Journey To Hope and Hope Can Happen), a children's book (Purple Song), a former radio show (2012-2015), children's choir performances, and bereavement programming. The organization partners with Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers and the Periwinkle Arts in Medicine Program to deliver these services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Purple Songs Can Fly Radio Show: Online radio show produced with Voice America Kids Network from 2012 to 2015, featuring songs recorded by children and interviews with doctors, nurses, special guests, and children of Purple Songs Can Fly
- Bringing Melodies To Life (BMTL)
Products and services
- Purple Songs Can Fly Core Songwriting Program In-hospital songwriting and recording program where pediatric cancer patients and their siblings work with professional singer/songwriters to write and record original songs in an in-studio or bedside setting; each child receives a CD of their recording.
- Out-Patient Songwriting Program Recording studio program on the 14th floor of Texas Children's Hospital's Clinical Care Center for children treated in the out-patient clinic and their siblings.
- In-Patient Songwriting Program Portable recording studio program enabling bedside songwriting and recording for children being treated as in-patients at Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers.
- BMTL Remote Songwriting Program (Bringing Melodies To Life) Remote/virtual songwriting program serving children on the bone marrow transplant unit and patients at the Vannie Cook Cancer Clinic in McAllen, Texas.
- West Campus Studio Songwriting Program Recording studio program at Texas Children's Hospital West Campus near Katy, TX, expanding the in-hospital songwriting program to additional patient populations.
- Bereavement Songwriting Program Songwriting program for siblings of children who have passed away, creating recordings as a comforting outlet for expression of loss and love.
- Purple Songs Can Fly Children's Choir Concert program providing children who have written and recorded songs at Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers an opportunity to perform their songs with singer/songwriters and guest musicians.
- Purple Song (Children's Picture Book) Children's picture book written and illustrated by founder Anita Kruse and Lisa Sheinbaum, available through LongTale Publishing, with proceeds benefiting Purple Songs Can Fly.
- Journey to Hope (Musical and Documentary) Award-winning musical and documentary film created and performed by pediatric cancer survivors, inspired by songs they wrote during treatment at Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers.
- Hope Can Happen (Musical Sequel) Musical sequel to Journey to Hope, created during the COVID-19 pandemic and premiered in June 2023.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 3,000 original songs written and recorded by pediatric cancer patients and survivors since 2006
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Purple Songs Can Fly
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Purple Songs Can Fly technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Purple Songs Can Fly partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology CenterscorePurple Songs Can Fly operates its in-hospital recording studio within Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers, the largest pediatric cancer center in the United States. The organization works closely with doctors, nurses, and staff who support the program and believe in its mission.
- Periwinkle Arts in Medicine Program at Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology CenterscorePurple Songs Can Fly is a formal partner with the Periwinkle Arts in Medicine Program. The program provides art and music activities for children at the cancer center, and Purple Songs Can Fly participates in the Making A Mark exhibit displaying art by children touched by cancer and blood disorders.
- Houston SymphonycorePurple Songs Can Fly partners with the Houston Symphony to provide musical accompaniment to children's songs. Symphony musicians visit the Purple Songs Can Fly studio and collaborate with children on recordings. Children have also performed songs with the Houston Symphony at concerts.
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)flagshipSongs have been flown on multiple NASA Space Shuttle missions, including STS-120 Discovery with Astronaut Scott Parazynski (2007) and STS-126 Endeavor with Astronaut Heide Stefanyshyn-Piper (2008). The organization participated in NASA's Global Spacesuit Art Project, UNITY, sharing songs with crew members aboard the International Space Station from Johnson Space Center's Mission Control.
- The Periwinkle FoundationcoreThe Periwinkle Foundation supports Purple Songs Can Fly through the Periwinkle Arts in Medicine Program at Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers. The foundation also presents the annual Making A Mark exhibit of art by children touched by cancer.
- Voice America Kids NetworkminorFrom 2012 to 2015, Purple Songs Can Fly partnered with Voice America Kids Network to produce an online radio show hosted by pediatric cancer survivors, featuring children's songs and interviews with doctors, nurses, and special guests. The show aired internationally to over 10,000 listeners.
- KTSU 90.9 FM HoustonminorOn December 25, 2011, KTSU 90.9 FM in Houston presented a Purple Songs Can Fly holiday radio show featuring children's songs, interviews with founder Anita Kruse, staff, and child songwriters, with live performances in the studio.
- ZapBoomBang StudiosminorIn June 2012, Purple Songs Can Fly was invited to participate in the launching of ZapBoomBang Studios in Houston. Six children who had previously written songs with Purple Songs Can Fly collaborated with Grammy-winning producer Andres Levin and recording artists to create 'It's Out There Waiting.'
- OceanGate / Titanic Research MissionflagshipIn 2021, astronaut Scott Parazynski and scientist Meenakshi Wadhwa traveled over 12,500 feet below sea level to the Titanic wreck site aboard the OceanGate submersible Titan, carrying children's songs on a small fly drive as part of the first Titanic Research Mission.
- B.I.G. Love Cancer CareminorCommunity partner organization collaborating on events, services, and programs of mutual benefit.
- Bus 52minorBus 52 is a nonprofit that produces videos about causes; they produced a feature on Purple Songs Can Fly that aired on their platforms.
- Music Doing GoodminorCommunity partner organization supporting music programs for children.
- Kids Rock Cancer (Maryville University)minorInspired by Purple Songs Can Fly, Maryville University's music therapy department created Kids Rock Cancer, providing songwriting and recording opportunities to children being treated for cancer in three St. Louis children's hospitals.
- Writers in the Schools (WITS)minorPurple Songs Can Fly collaborated with Writers in the Schools on programming, including participation in radio show episodes.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves16 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Purple Songs Can Fly competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Musicians On Call: Large national nonprofit bringing live and recorded music to patients in hospital beds; overlapping beneficiary (hospitalized patients) and volunteer-musician model, but broader scope (all ages and conditions, live performance) rather than pediatric oncology songwriting.
- Project Sunshine: Nonprofit providing volunteer-led creative and educational programs (including arts) to pediatric patients and their families in hospitals; comparable mission (creative engagement for sick children) at a much larger national scale.
- Starlight Children's Foundation: Established nonprofit delivering entertainment, gaming, and distraction programs to hospitalized children across the U.S.; same pediatric hospital beneficiary and donation-based funding but a broader programmatic portfolio rather than a focused songwriting offering.
Direct peers
- Sing Me a Story Foundation: Nonprofit that pairs children with professional songwriters who turn each child's written story into an original song; very similar create-original-songs-with-children mission and nonprofit donor-supported model.
- Songs of Love Foundation: National nonprofit that creates personalized original songs for children facing serious illnesses and challenges; directly comparable activity (children co-create songs), population (chronically ill children), and nonprofit donation-driven model.
- Kids Rock Cancer (Maryville University): Maryville University's music therapy program explicitly inspired by Purple Songs Can Fly; provides songwriting and recording for pediatric cancer patients at three St. Louis children's hospitals — same core model, same population, served by a university-based music therapy program.
Others
- American Music Therapy Association: Professional membership body for board-certified music therapists, including those working in pediatric oncology like Purple Songs Can Fly staff; not a competitor, but the closest institutional reference point for the field of practice that PSCF operates in.
- Periwinkle Foundation: Houston-based nonprofit that runs the Periwinkle Arts in Medicine Program at Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers where Purple Songs Can Fly operates; while the organization itself is a direct program partner (not a competitor), its Making A Mark exhibit and broader arts-in-medicine portfolio give it a comparable lens on pediatric oncology patient engagement.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Purple Songs Can Fly social profiles
Digital presencePurple Songs Can Fly financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Purple Songs Can Fly leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Purple Songs Can Fly subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Purple Songs Can Fly funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Purple Songs Can Fly 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 Purple Songs Can Fly
What does Purple Songs Can Fly do?
Purple Songs Can Fly runs in-house and portable digital recording studios at Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers where pediatric cancer patients and their siblings work with professional singer/songwriters to write, record, and mix their own original songs, with each child receiving a CD of their recording. The program also extends to bedside songwriting, remote/virtual sessions on the bone marrow transplant floor and at the Vannie Cook Cancer Clinic in McAllen, TX, and a Tokyo, Japan Branch. Adjacent offerings include original children's musicals (Journey to Hope, Hope Can Happen), a children's book, and a children's choir performance program.
Is Purple Songs Can Fly a public or private company?
Purple Songs Can Fly is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Purple Songs Can Fly founded?
Purple Songs Can Fly was founded in 2006. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Purple Songs Can Fly based?
Purple Songs Can Fly is headquartered in Houston, United States, in the North America region.
How does Purple Songs Can Fly make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Individual Donations are the primary driver. The others are corporate and Foundation Grants, merchandise Sales and tribute Gifts.
Who are Purple Songs Can Fly's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Musicians On Call, Project Sunshine and Starlight Children's Foundation. Direct peers are Sing Me a Story Foundation, Songs of Love Foundation and Kids Rock Cancer (Maryville University). Others are American Music Therapy Association and Periwinkle Foundation.
Does Purple Songs Can Fly have an API?
No public API is recorded for Purple Songs Can Fly.
What industry is Purple Songs Can Fly in?
Purple Songs Can Fly's product category is Pediatric Music Therapy and Arts in Medicine Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMANAK, Music Therapy (Educational/Developmental Programs), with a secondary code of MPAGABAE, Children’s & Youth Theatre. Its NAICS code is 51224.