SONGS BY HEART FOUNDATION

What SONGS BY HEART FOUNDATION does

Songs by Heart Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2015 by internationally acclaimed opera singer Nancy Gustafson, who established the foundation after observing that singing with her mother during advanced Alzheimer's helped her mother reconnect and communicate. The organization delivers an interactive sing-along program to residents of memory care communities, in which a professional-level singer leads sessions up to five days per week, 45 minutes per day, with live piano accompaniment. Singers employ therapeutic techniques including mirroring, verbal and gestural prompting, direct eye contact, and hand-holding to engage residents with dementia and age-related memory issues on intellectual, physical, social, spiritual, and emotional levels. The organization is co-founded by two-time Grammy Award-winning soprano Sylvia McNair, and the advisory board includes Suzanna Guzman and Darby Morhardt of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

The foundation's core product is the on-site Songs by Heart Interactive Sing-Along Program, supplemented since COVID-19 by remote programming delivered via Skype/Zoom, pre-recorded YouTube and Patreon content, and live outdoor sessions. Add-on "Gift a Song" products (private serenades at $100-$250, song dedications at $25, and dedicated piano solos at $25-$50) allow individuals to purchase personalized music experiences at active program locations. Reach extends to over 40 memory care communities across Arizona, California, Illinois, Ohio, Texas, New York, and Oklahoma, with collaborative partnerships through Opera Saratoga and Tulsa Opera and grant support from the National Endowment for the Arts, Illinois Arts Council, and Evanston Arts Council.

The business model is donation- and sponsorship-driven rather than fee-for-service. Revenue streams include tax-deductible donations, tiered corporate sponsorships ranging from $15,000 (Jazz Age, three months at one location) to $250,000 (Chairman of the Board, supporting national city-level programming), benefit concert ticket sales ($125 per general admission), Amazon Smile and iGive passive contribution programs, and Gift a Song unit sales. The organization is led by a small team of one to ten employees with headquarters/mailing address at c/o Eric R. Fox, Treasurer, 1717 K Street NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC. No venture capital or private equity investment is indicated.

Name

SONGS BY HEART FOUNDATION

Legal name

Songs by Heart Foundation

Website

https://songsbyheart.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Songs by Heart Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers interactive sing-along music programs led by professional singers to residents of memory care communities, using therapeutic techniques to engage people with dementia across multiple U.S. states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Memory Care Music Services

NAICS

Musical Groups and Artists (71113)

akta.pro primary industry

Music Therapy (Educational/Developmental Programs) (EDAMANAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Session Musicians & Vocalists (MPAIAHAC), Memory Care Adult Day Programs (Dementia/Alzheimer’s) (HSABANAC)

Keywords

• Memory care music programs
• Dementia therapy services
• Interactive sing-along sessions
• Music therapy elderly
• Memory care engagement

Headquarters

HQ city

S Central Washington Co

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sponsorship: Tax-deductible donations from individuals and organizations at various sponsorship levels ranging from $15,000 to $250,000 to support programming at memory care communities.
2. Gift a Song Products: Private serenades ($100-$250), song dedications ($25), and dedicated piano solos ($25-$50) available at active Songs by Heart locations.
3. Benefit Concert Tickets: Ticket sales for benefit concerts such as the Shine On Harvest Moon event at $125 per general admission ticket.
4. Corporate Partnerships: Partnership with Amazon Smile and iGive programs where a percentage of purchases are donated to the foundation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Songs by Heart Foundation delivers interactive sing-along music programs for residents of memory care communities. Professional-level singers lead 45-minute sessions up to five days per week with live piano accompaniment, employing therapeutic techniques such as mirroring, verbal and gestural prompting, direct eye contact, and hand-holding to engage people with dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Programs are offered on-site at partner facilities, with remote delivery via Skype/Zoom and pre-recorded content available.

Product overview

Songs by Heart Foundation operates as a single, unified service offering — an interactive music therapy program for people with memory loss. The core product is the Songs by Heart Interactive Sing-Along Program, which uses professional singers and piano accompaniment with therapeutic techniques. This is supplemented by Remote Programming options (virtual sessions, pre-recorded content, outdoor sessions) developed during COVID-19. The organization also offers Gift a Song products (Private Serenade, Song Dedication, Dedicated Piano Solo) for personalized music gifts. Sponsorship tiers (Chairman of the Board, Timeless Classic, Big Band, Roaring '20s, Jazz Age) fund programming at memory care communities, while benefit concerts like Shine On Harvest Moon provide additional fundraising. The organization is a 501(c)(3) non-profit established in 2015.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Songs by Heart Interactive Sing-Along Program Engagement-centered music program for Memory Care Communities where professional singers lead interactive sing-alongs up to five times per week, 45 minutes per session, with piano accompaniment, using therapeutic techniques such as mirroring, verbal and gestural prompting, direct eye contact, and hand-holding.
• Remote Programming Remote music programming including virtual sessions via Skype or Zoom, pre-recorded sessions broadcast via YouTube and Patreon, and live outdoor sessions, developed during the COVID-19 pandemic to maintain engagement with memory care residents.
• Private Serenade A private performance where a Songs by Heart artist delivers a chosen song to a loved one, priced between $100-$250.
• Song Dedication A song dedication during a session where the singer announces and spends the full song with the loved one, priced at $25.
• Dedicated Piano Solo A piano solo of choice dedicated to a loved one by a Songs by Heart artist, priced between $25-$50.
• Big Band Sponsorship A $50,000 donation providing Songs by Heart five days per week to one location for twelve months, or to sponsor a new city including start-up costs and administration. Tax-deductible under 501(c)(3).
• Roaring '20s Sponsorship A $25,000 donation providing Songs by Heart five days per week to one location for six months. Tax-deductible under 501(c)(3).
• Jazz Age Sponsorship A $15,000 donation providing Songs by Heart five days per week to one location for three months. Tax-deductible under 501(c)(3).
• Timeless Classic Sponsorship Sponsorship supporting donated services throughout the United States, fully tax-deductible under 501(c)(3).
• Chairman of the Board Sponsorship Top-tier $250,000 sponsorship supporting donated services in cities throughout the United States, fully tax-deductible under 501(c)(3).
• Shine On Harvest Moon Benefit Concert Annual benefit concert to support Songs by Heart programming in memory care communities, hosted by Grammy Award-winning soprano Sylvia McNair, priced at $125 per general admission ticket.
• General Donation Tax-deductible donation to help keep dementia sufferers connected to the world around them across the United States.

Quantifiable outcome

• Non-verbal residents begin singing along and communicating in words and short phrases after about a month of programming
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered collaborative and minor.

• Opera SaratogacollaborativeStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership bringing Songs by Heart program to memory care communities. Opera Saratoga features Songs by Heart programming as part of their community outreach initiatives.
• Tulsa OperacollaborativeStrategic or Co-development PartnerTulsa Opera partnership to bring the nationally-renowned Songs by Heart program to memory care communities in the Tulsa area. Extension of opera company's community engagement mission.
• Evanston Arts CouncilminorOthersGrant support from Evanston Arts Council, a city agency supported by the City of Evanston. Partially supports programming at Illinois locations.
• Illinois Arts CouncilminorOthersGrant support from Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. Partially supports programming at Illinois locations.
• National Endowment for the ArtsminorOthersFederal grant support from National Endowment for the Arts, a Federal agency. Partially supports programming at Illinois locations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Music Mends Minds: Nonprofit that builds musical support groups and ensembles for individuals with Alzheimer's, dementia, Parkinson's, and other neurological conditions. Overlapping beneficiary population and music-based therapeutic engagement model.
• Music & Memory: 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides personalized music programs to people with dementia and cognitive conditions in care settings. Most direct comparable in mission, beneficiary population, and nonprofit delivery model.
• Alzheimer's Music Project: Nonprofit providing personalized music to individuals with Alzheimer's and dementia, often via curated playlists and digital devices. Overlapping beneficiary population and direct-to-care-facility philanthropic distribution.
• Concerts in Motion: Nonprofit that brings live music performances to seniors and other isolated individuals in care facilities and homes. Comparable service: deploying professional musicians to vulnerable populations in care settings.
• Musicians on Call: Nonprofit that brings live and recorded music to patients in healthcare settings. Similar volunteer-professional-musician delivery model and nonprofit structure, though the primary beneficiary population is hospital patients rather than memory care residents.
• Institute for Music and Neurologic Function: Founded in the wake of Dr. Oliver Sacks' work, this organization uses music therapy and music-based interventions for individuals with neurological conditions including dementia. Closely aligned in therapeutic music mission and beneficiary population.
• Music for Seniors: Nonprofit that provides interactive music programs to senior living communities, including memory care. Overlaps in the use of volunteer/professional musicians delivering engaging sessions to memory care residents.

Emerging players

• Sing for Hope: Nonprofit that mobilizes artists to serve communities, including seniors and people with illness, through performances and arts programming. Broader beneficiary population but comparable artist-deployment model and nonprofit arts-and-health mission.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/songs-by-heart-foundation

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 SONGS BY HEART FOUNDATION