Songs For Heroes

What Songs For Heroes does

Songs For Heroes is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2023 and headquartered in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, that provides music therapy through collaborative songwriting to U.S. military Veterans and First Responders at no cost to participants. Its core service pairs each Hero with one or two professional volunteer songwriters over a multi-day intensive event to co-create an original song; the completed song is then professionally recorded, mixed, mastered, and accompanied by high-quality video footage, with the Hero registered as an equal co-writer with a Performance Rights Organization (PRO) to receive any royalties. The program concludes with a public concert where the songs are performed live. Annual events have been held in O'Fallon, MO (2023), Schertz, TX (2024), and Nashville, TN (2025), with each event rotating host cities and partnering with local veterans organizations and venue partners.

The organization is led by Founder and CEO John Eason, an Air Force Veteran and singer-songwriter who himself has PTSD, supported by COO Diana Darr and Director of Development Steven Charles. The technology underpinning the service is human-mediated creative collaboration — professional songwriting and studio production — rather than software. Revenue is generated entirely through tax-deductible donations, collected via Venmo and PayPal, and supplemented by in-kind corporate sponsorships (Mina's Espresso, STRYK TV, Guitar Center, Viking Bags, and others). Distribution is event-driven and geographically rotating, with awareness built through social media (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube), earned media (WVTF, NewsChannel 5), and word-of-mouth in the veteran and first responder communities. The addressable customer base is two personas (Veterans and First Responders) treated as equally primary target segments.

Name

Songs For Heroes

Legal name

Songs For Heroes

Website

https://songsforheroes.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Songs For Heroes is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2023 that provides free music therapy through collaborative songwriting programs for U.S. military Veterans and First Responders, delivered via annual multi-day events held in rotating U.S. cities and funded entirely by donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Therapy Services

NAICS

Record Production and Distribution (51225), Sound Recording Studios (51224)

akta.pro primary industry

Music Therapy (Educational/Developmental Programs) (EDAMANAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC)

Keywords

• Music therapy programs
• Veteran support services
• First responder wellness
• Songwriting workshops
• Nonprofit therapeutic arts

Headquarters

HQ city

Mount Juliet

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: Songs For Heroes is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that relies on tax-deductible donations from individuals and organizations. The organization accepts donations via Venmo and PayPal, and participants receive music therapy services at no cost to their families.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Songs For Heroes is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers free music-therapy songwriting programs to U.S. Veterans and First Responders. Volunteer professional songwriters collaborate with participants at annual multi-day events to co-write original songs, which are then professionally recorded, mixed, and mastered. Heroes are registered as equal co-writers with a Performance Rights Organization to receive any royalties, and the program concludes with public concerts where the songs are performed live.

Product overview

Songs For Heroes is a nonprofit organization that provides music therapy services to Veterans and First Responders at no cost to their families. The core offering consists of structured songwriting sessions pairing participants with professional songwriters to create original songs as a therapeutic tool. These services are delivered through annual multi-day events (SFH 2023, 2024, 2025) held in different cities. The organization provides wraparound services including professional song production (recording, mixing, mastering), video production, PRO registration for royalty collection, and ongoing music promotion. The program concludes with public concert events where the created songs are performed live.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Songs For Heroes Music Therapy Songwriting Program Annual free music-therapy songwriting program for U.S. Veterans and First Responders in which professional volunteer songwriters collaborate with participants over multiple days to co-write original songs. Includes professional studio recording/mixing/mastering, video production, registration of Heroes as equal co-writers with a Performance Rights Organization for royalty collection, ongoing song promotion, and connection to additional support resources. Delivered to participants at no cost.
• Songs For Heroes Concert Events Public live concert events (including Writer's Round concerts and main SFH concerts) where songs created during the songwriting sessions are performed live for the first time, open to the public and used to showcase the work produced by participating Heroes and songwriters.

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Red River NomadcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRed River Nomad is a lifestyle brand with its own independent label and booking agency, founded by John Eason (CEO of Songs For Heroes). The organization appears to provide operational support and is connected through shared leadership.
• St. Charles County Veterans Museum (now Mid America Veterans Museum)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProceeds from Songs For Heroes 2023 benefited this museum. The organization partners with local and regional organizations to provide resources for ongoing support to participants.
• Blue Bonnet PalaceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner for SFH 2024 Writer's Round Concert in Schertz, TX
• Various Sponsors (Mina's Espresso, STRYK TV, TenH, Benekeith Beverage, Guitar Center, VRSB, Viking Bags, and others)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsors providing financial and in-kind support for Songs For Heroes events, including venue donations, equipment, and promotional support

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Honor Flight Network: Nonprofit that transports U.S. military veterans to visit memorials in Washington, D.C. Comparable as a high-emotional-impact, experience-based veteran-services nonprofit reliant on donations and volunteers, though with a different therapeutic modality.
• Rebuilding Warriors: Nonprofit that pairs veterans and first responders with service dogs as a form of therapeutic support. Comparable as a small, donation-funded nonprofit delivering experience-based therapy to the same beneficiary population, with similar operational scale.
• Cohen Veterans Network: National nonprofit providing mental health care to veterans, active-duty service members, and their families. Comparable in addressing veteran PTSD/mental health needs, though via clinical care rather than creative-arts therapy.
• Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS): Nonprofit providing bereavement support to families of America's fallen military and first responder heroes. Comparable in mission-adjacent veteran and first responder population served, with overlapping donor and partner audience.

Broad incumbents

• Wounded Warrior Project: Large, well-established veteran-services nonprofit offering physical and mental health programs. Comparable in serving the same veteran demographic, but operates at vastly greater scale with broader programmatic scope and a much more developed fundraising apparatus.
• MusiCares (MusiCares Foundation): The Recording Academy-affiliated charitable organization providing health and human services to music people in need. Comparable in being a music-industry-aligned nonprofit, but its beneficiary population is music professionals rather than veterans.
• Creative Forces: NEA Military Healing Arts Network: National initiative of the NEA and DOD/VA delivering creative arts therapies (including music) to military veterans and service members with traumatic brain injury and PTSD. Comparable mission and population, but operates as a federally-backed network rather than a grassroots nonprofit.

Direct peers

• Guitars for Vets: Nonprofit that provides free guitar lessons and instruments to veterans as a form of music-based therapy. Closely comparable in target beneficiary (U.S. veterans), therapeutic framing, and donation-funded model, though it uses instrument instruction rather than songwriting.
• Music for Veterans: Nonprofit delivering music-based therapeutic programming to veterans, including songwriting and recording components. Directly comparable to Songs For Heroes in mission, beneficiary population, and creative-music therapy modality.
• SongwritingWith:Soldiers: Nonprofit that pairs professional songwriters with military veterans and service members in collaborative songwriting workshops — nearly identical mission and delivery model to Songs For Heroes, though operating at a longer-established and larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UChf1y2MnyQ-o62hzMqkQytg
• Facebookfacebook.com/songsforheroesusa
• Instagraminstagram.com/songsforheroesusa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/songs-for-heroes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 For Heroes