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HEAR YOUR SONG INC
New York, NY · EIN 853483842 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE E86 · Health Care · Small ($100K-$1M) · hearyoursong.org
revenue
$212K
expenses
$211K
net assets
$159K
employees
2
volunteers
125
program ratio
86%
mission · from form 990

Hear Your Song empowers children and teens living with serious illnesses and complex health needs to make their voices heard through collaborative songwriting.

profile · synthesized from sources

Hear Your Song empowers children and teens with serious illnesses and complex health needs through collaborative songwriting. The organization pairs youth with volunteer mentors to create original songs, providing creative expression and emotional support. Based in New York City, it operates nationally through virtual programming and partners with hospitals and care centers.

named programs · 3 · from sources

What they call their work

Camp Hear Your Song
Virtual camp connecting youth songwriters across the U.S. to create music with volunteer mentors
Duet-A-Doc
Program enabling youth to co-compose songs with their healthcare providers about shared experiences
Hear Your Song Podcast
Podcast series spotlighting songs and stories created by youth participants
activities · 1 group

What they do

  • Music Therapy for Ill and Vulnerable Populations 5 activities
    • Collaborative songwriting programs for youth with serious illnesses
      Provides free collaborative songwriting programs for children and teens with serious illnesses and complex health needs, supporting self-expression through original music creation. The organization has supported over 800 youth songwriters in creating more than 1,000 songs over six years with the help of over 500 volunteer mentors and musicians.
    • Duet-A-Doc program for medically fragile youth and healthcare providers
      Operates the "Duet-A-Doc" program, which enables medically fragile youth to co-write songs with their healthcare providers, fostering connection and creative expression within clinical settings.
    • Partnership with professional artists and institutions
      Engages professional cast members from Broadway shows such as The Lion King and Dear Evan Hansen, and partners with institutions like Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital and Elizabeth Seton Children’s, to deliver songwriting programs for youth with serious illnesses.
    • Production and archiving of youth-created songs
      Records, produces, and maintains an archive of original songs written and recorded by children and teens with serious illnesses, including a podcast featuring their work.
    • Student chapter program for volunteer engagement
      Operates student chapters at academic institutions, including Wellesley College and Yale University, to engage students in supporting music creation programs for youth with serious illnesses.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$212K
Contributions & grants$211K100%
Program service revenue$3840%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$211K
Program expenses86%
Admin / overhead5%
Fundraising9%
Salaries & benefits$186K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$159K
Cash$159K
Investments$0
Liabilities$0
Net assets$159K
Liquid reserves9.0 mo
4 years on record · 2021–2024 · YoY revenue +9.7%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 1
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
Dan Rubins Executive Director and Co-Founder 40 $68K
board members · 5
  • Carla Hojaiban — Director
  • Dr Veronica LoFaso — Director
  • Max Sauberman — Director
  • Susan Drew — Director
  • Suzanne Clifton Walsh — Director
relationships · 40

Who they work with

  • American Eagle Outfitters Foundation Funder — Receives funding support from the American Eagle Outfitters Foundation.
  • BroadwayWorld Partner — Featured in media coverage highlighting the organization's work with Broadway performers to empower children with serious illnesses.
  • Dear Evan Hansen Partner — Collaborates with cast members from the Broadway production to support music-based programming for children with serious illnesses.
  • Double H Ranch Partner — Collaborates with Double H Ranch to connect medically fragile children with songwriting programs.
  • Elizabeth Seton Children’s Partner — Collaborating organization in the Yale chapter's programming.
  • Elizabeth Seton Children’s Partner — Early partner organization where pediatric residents collaborated on songwriting projects.
  • GEICO Philanthropic Foundation Funder — Receives funding support from GEICO Philanthropic Foundation.
  • Inspired Nation Funder — Receives funding support from Inspired Nation.
  • Instagram Partner — Used as a platform for communication and outreach; the organization encourages followers to connect via Instagram and uses @hearyoursonghys for direct messaging.
  • Jackson Partner — Participant supported in creating an original educational song about the periodic table.
  • McGinnity Family Foundation Funder — Receives funding support from McGinnity Family Foundation.
  • Mildred’s Dream Foundation Funder — Receives funding support from Mildred’s Dream Foundation.
  • New York State Council On the Arts Funder — Receives funding support from New York State Council On the Arts.
  • Northeastern University Partner — Hosts a student chapter of HEAR YOUR SONG INC
  • ONEHOPE Foundation Funder — Receives funding support from ONEHOPE Foundation.
  • Primary Immune Deficiency Foundation Partner — Featured in IDF's news section for bringing musical life to teens through Broadway singers.
  • The Beacon Group Funder — Receives funding support from The Beacon Group.
  • The Colburn-Keenan Foundation Funder — Receives funding support from The Colburn-Keenan Foundation.
  • The Find Your Light Foundation Funder — Receives funding support from The Find Your Light Foundation.
  • The Foundation to Decrease World Suck Funder — Receives funding support from The Foundation to Decrease World Suck.
  • The Greater Sum Foundation Funder — Receives funding support from The Greater Sum Foundation.
  • The Harry and Andrew H. Rosenthal Foundation Funder — Receives funding support from The Harry and Andrew H. Rosenthal Foundation.
  • The Keith Haring Foundation Funder — Receives funding support from The Keith Haring Foundation.
  • The Kenworthy-Swift Foundation Funder — Receives funding support from The Kenworthy-Swift Foundation.
  • The Laura B. Vogler Foundation Funder — Receives funding support from The Laura B. Vogler Foundation.
  • The Les Paul Foundation Funder — Receives funding support from The Les Paul Foundation.
  • The Lion King Partner — Collaborates with cast members from the Broadway production to support music-based programming for children with serious illnesses.
  • The Nora Roberts Foundation Funder — Receives funding support from The Nora Roberts Foundation.
  • The Pollination Project Funder — Receives funding support from The Pollination Project.
  • The Pollination Project Funder — Recognized by The Pollination Project for its work empowering children through songwriting.
+ 10 more
strategies · 4

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Creative Empowerment Through Collaborative Songwriting
    methodology: collaborative_songwriting
    By engaging youth with serious illnesses in collaborative songwriting with professional musicians, the organization amplifies their voices and fosters emotional healing, because the creative process affirms their agency, identity, and humanity in the face of medical and social marginalization.
  • Kid-Driven Creative Control Model
    methodology: kid-driven creative empowerment
    By giving children full creative control over songwriting and music production, the organization empowers medically fragile youth, because autonomy in artistic expression restores dignity, increases engagement, and supports emotional development.
  • Trauma-Informed, Intersectional Inclusion Approach
    methodology: trauma-informed equity approach
    By centering inclusivity across race, illness, and identity—particularly for Black youth facing compounded medical and racial trauma—the organization ensures equitable access to creative healing, because addressing systemic inequities is essential to authentic empowerment and dignity.
  • Virtual Access Model for Medically Vulnerable Youth
    methodology: virtual_program_model_for_youth_expression
    By delivering songwriting programs virtually, the organization enables participation by sick and immunocompromised children who cannot access in-person services, because removing physical barriers ensures inclusion and sustained emotional expression for the most isolated youth.