Joe Beasley Foundation

What Joe Beasley Foundation does

Joe Beasley Memorial Foundation Inc. is a non-profit organization founded in 2018 and headquartered at 431 Woodland Rd, Bessemer, Alabama. It is operated by a small team (1–10 employees per firmographics) and was established by the brothers and sisters of Joseph Jackson Beasley (1929–1995) to preserve and expand his legacy of reviving Sacred Harp and shape-note singing traditions, particularly in New York and New England where he had reintroduced the practice. The foundation's stated mission is charitable, educational, and artistic, focused specifically on the niche American folk music tradition of Sacred Harp and shape-note singing.

The foundation operates two core programs. The Growth and Preservation Program provides financial support and material resources — including housing, transportation, food, books, music, and singing master materials — to struggling or new Sacred Harp and Shape-Note singing groups and performances. The Scholarship Program grants monetary scholarships to students enrolled in accredited higher-education institutions who demonstrate financial need and a commitment to preserving Sacred Harp traditions. Beneficiary outreach is conducted via community networks, educational institutions, and cultural organizations within the Sacred Harp community, primarily in the Southeastern United States.

The foundation's revenue model is donation- and fundraising-driven, with supplementary income from a BigCartel online merchandise storefront. Pricing is not applicable in a commercial sense — beneficiaries receive grants and resources at no cost. The organization is currently constructing a Music and Cultural Center in Bessemer, Alabama, intended to serve as a venue for music, art, cultural, educational, civic, and family activities. No institutional investors, external ownership, M&A activity, funding rounds, or technology platform have been disclosed; there are no AI/ML components, patents, or third-party integrations identified in the source material.

Name

Joe Beasley Foundation

Legal name

Joe Beasley Memorial Foundation Inc.

Website

https://joebeasleymemorialfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Joe Beasley Memorial Foundation is a small Alabama-based non-profit (founded 2018, 1–10 staff) that supports Sacred Harp and shape-note singing through scholarships for students and financial/material aid to singing groups, and is constructing a Music and Cultural Center in Bessemer.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Heritage Non-profit

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAHAL

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

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Arts, Culture & Heritage Nonprofits

SECONDARYBPAGAKAJ

Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

Keywords

• Sacred Harp preservation
• Shape-note singing tradition
• Music scholarship program
• Cultural heritage nonprofit
• Arts education funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The foundation raises money through donations and fundraising activities to support its charitable, educational, and artistic purposes including Sacred Harp music preservation and student scholarships.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

The Joe Beasley Memorial Foundation is a non-profit that supports the growth and preservation of Sacred Harp music and shape-note singing by providing monetary scholarships to deserving students in accredited higher education institutions and by supplying financial support and material resources (housing, transportation, food, books, music, and singing master materials) to struggling or new Sacred Harp and Shape-Note singing groups. It is also developing a Music and Cultural Center in Bessemer, Alabama, to serve as a venue for music, art, and cultural activities.

Product overview

Joe Beasley Memorial Foundation operates as a unified non-profit organization offering two interconnected programs: a Growth and Preservation Program that supports Sacred Harp/Shape-Note singing groups through financial and material assistance, and a Scholarship Program that provides financial aid to students pursuing higher education in these musical traditions. The Foundation is also developing a Music and Cultural Center in Bessemer, Alabama as a physical venue to host these cultural activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Growth and Preservation Program of Sacred Harp Music and Shape-Note Music A foundation program that provides financial support and donates material resources — including housing, transportation, food, books, music, and singing master materials — to struggling or new Sacred Harp/Shape-Note singing groups and performances (singings) to promote the growth and preservation of Sacred Harp and shape-note singing as American art and culture.
• Scholarship Program A non-profit scholarship program that grants monetary scholarships and other assistance to deserving students enrolled in accredited institutions of higher learning who are involved in Sacred Harp music and Shape-Note Music, demonstrate financial need, and are committed to preserving and expanding the tradition.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Folk Alliance International: A broad folk-music service and advocacy organization supporting folk, roots, and traditional music practitioners. Comparable because it operates in the same folk/traditional music preservation space, though across all folk genres rather than Sacred Harp specifically.

Direct peers

• National Sacred Harp Singing Convention: An annual national gathering dedicated to Sacred Harp singing. Directly comparable because it operates within the same shape-note tradition the foundation preserves, serving overlapping communities of singers and organizers.
• Sacred Harp Publishing Company: The publisher of The Sacred Harp tunebook and related shape-note editions. Comparable because it sustains the core musical materials the foundation distributes to singing groups and students.

Others

• Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage: A Smithsonian program documenting and presenting living cultural traditions including folk and traditional music. Comparable as a major institutional supporter and documenter of the same kinds of traditional American musical practices the foundation is working to preserve.
• American Folklife Center (Library of Congress): A federal research and preservation center within the Library of Congress dedicated to documenting American folklife traditions. Comparable because it preserves the broader cultural heritage of which Sacred Harp is a part, though as a federal institution rather than a community foundation.

Regional players

• Old Town School of Folk Music: A Chicago-based folk music school offering classes, concerts, and community programs in traditional and folk music. Comparable because it preserves and teaches traditional American music forms through educational programming, though as a tuition-based school rather than a grantmaking foundation.

Emerging players

• Country Dance and Song Society: A nonprofit preserving traditional English and Anglo-American folk music, song, and dance through camps, programs, and publications. Comparable because it preserves a niche American folk tradition and runs educational and community programs similar in spirit to the foundation's scholarship and group-support work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/joe-beasley-foundation-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Joe Beasley Foundation