Tennessee · Nonprofit
SOCIETY FOR THE PRESERVATION & ENCOURAGE OF BARBERSHOP QUARTET SINGING IN AMERICA
SOCIETY FOR THE PRESERVATION & ENCOURAGE OF BARBERSHOP QUARTET SINGING IN AMERICA (Tennessee) receives grants from 11 organizations whose IRS filings report $117,550 to it, the largest being THE INDEPENDENT CHARITABLE GIFT FUND ($32,398). 5 of them have funded it in more than one year, and 99% of the money arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors rather than from an institution directly.
- Revenue FY2024
- $4.4M
- Funders on record
- 11
- Grants received
- $118k
- Net assets
- $1.1M
What Society for the Preservation & Encourage of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America does
Mission
The barbershop harmony society brings people together in harmony and fellowship to enrich lives through singing.
As stated on its FY2024 Form 990.
Programs
Events: the barbershop harmony society orchestrates a spectrum of event programs, providing platforms for singing communities to showcase their talents both locally and on a global scale. Through these programs, we have observed multifaceted outcomes: singing communities experience growth both in musical proficiency and administrative capacity, thereby increasing their overall impact and sustainability. The formation of new singing communities proliferates, fostering a vibrant ecosystem of shared harmony. Participation in these communities swells as more singers are drawn to the joy of collective singing. Singing groups evolve into integral components of their local communities, fostering a sense of belonging and cultural enrichment. Key activities and outcomes encompass the production of local, regional, and international convenings, encompassing contests, educational sessions, participatory singing events, and celebratory showcases. Our flagship event, the summer international convention, stands as a pinnacle gathering, featuring world championships for both quartet and chorus performances, alongside youth contests, educational workshops, and community outreach endeavors.…
$1,309,716 spentof which $35,442 as grants$1,369,176 earned by the program32% of program spendingOutreach: the barbershop harmony society undertakes robust outreach initiatives targeting music educators, youth, and diverse singing communities. By creating relationships, providing free resources, and organizing events, our efforts aim to: cultivate an environment where young individuals receive music education and engage in collective singing, nurturing their holistic development. Break down perceived barriers and bridge generational and cultural divides through shared musical experiences. Provide support mechanisms for individuals facing significant challenges, empowering them to navigate adversities with resilience and strength. Empower music educators to attract and retain students, thereby enriching the vitality of choral music programs and positively impacting young lives. An exemplary program under our outreach umbrella is next generation barbershop (ngb), tailored to singers aged 25 and under. Through immersive experiences like the ngb junior chorus invitational and the ngb varsity quartet contest, participants not only discover the joy of harmony singing but also develop essential life skills such as confidence, discipline, and teamwork. The immersive experience of the…
$1,972,906 spentof which $30,682 as grants$1,838,833 earned by the program48% of program spendingSinging community support: the barbershop harmony society champions the advancement of artistic and leadership skills within singing communities, while also diversifying revenue streams to ensure sustainability. Through our initiatives, we strive to achieve the following outcomes: elevate the overall quality of life for singers and communities alike through the fellowship and creative expression fostered by harmony singing. Enhance the artistic prowess of individual singers and musical leaders, enabling them to make a profound impact on their audiences and attract more individuals to the transformative power of collective singing. Equip volunteer leaders with the necessary skills to guide singing communities toward long-term sustainability. At the heart of our efforts lies harmony university (hu), a multifaceted education program offering courses tailored to directors, music educators, youth, and performing artists. Whether through intensive summer sessions, local festivals, or online modules, hu serves as a nexus for skill development and knowledge dissemination, benefiting thousands of participants since its inception. Our hu one-week summer intensive program has served more…
$682,241 spentof which $114,819 as grants$425,889 earned by the program16% of program spendingOther program services, not described on the e-filed return.
$182,140 spent$358,161 earned by the program4% of program spending
The 4 programs described on its FY2023 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $4,147,003.
The organization over time
Each line starts at 100 in 2017, so what you read is the shape rather than the size: 150 means half as much again as 2017, 50 means half. The number beside each label in the key is where it ended. The shaded band is where the middle 50% of its peers' revenue would sit, given their growth.
Balance sheet
Total assets and total liabilities at each year end, in dollars. The largest one-year move in total assets was 2022 to 2023, from $4.2M to $6.7M (+59%).
How it's funded, over time
Each bar is one year's revenue split into where it came from, and every bar is the same height — these are shares, not amounts, so a year that raised twice as much looks the same size. Hover a bar for the split.
Government-grant reliance: 2020 16% · 2021 23% · 2022 13%. Grants only. Government contracts and fees sit inside program revenue.
1% of SOCIETY FOR THE PRESERVATION & ENCOURAGE OF BARBERSHOP QUARTET SINGING IN AMERICA’s revenue is contributions — more earned-revenue than three-quarters of its peers (63% for the typical peer).
Surplus & reserves
Operating surplus or deficit each year, and months of liquidity in hand. 7 of the last 8 reported years ran a deficit.
reserve
Leadership and staff
The officers, directors, trustees and key employees listed on each return. Joined and no longer listed compare each filing with the year before, matching people by surname and first initial; a year after a gap, or a roster under three people, has no comparison.
The chief executive listed changed between the FY2023 and FY2024 filings.
Who funds it, year by year
2017 → 2023: the base broadened from 1 funder to 6 funders, grant income rose $595 → $37k.
8 of 11 of your funders are donor-advised or pass-through sponsors (tagged DAF) — 99% of grant dollars received. That money is really individual donors directing a sponsor; the institutions to cultivate are the non-DAF funders.
Left out of every figure on this page: $4.3M from one payer (the payer shares this organization's board, largest Harmony Foundation International Inc). These are real filings, and they are not money SOCIETY FOR THE PRESERVATION & ENCOURAGE OF BARBERSHOP QUARTET SINGING IN AMERICA raised.
From the IRS filings of SOCIETY FOR THE PRESERVATION & ENCOURAGE OF BARBERSHOP QUARTET SINGING IN AMERICA’s funders (the co-funder graph). Association, not causation. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How concentrated its funding is
SOCIETY FOR THE PRESERVATION & ENCOURAGE OF BARBERSHOP QUARTET SINGING IN AMERICA leans on a few funders — its largest provides 28% of grant income and the top three 68%; half comes from just 2 funders.
the vertical line marks half of all grant income — 2 funders to its left
99% of the income these shares are computed over arrives through pass-through sponsors or from payers whose filings do not say what kind of payment it is. Concentration is still measured over all of it, because the money is real; what it does not support is a claim about how many institutions have chosen to fund SOCIETY FOR THE PRESERVATION & ENCOURAGE OF BARBERSHOP QUARTET SINGING IN AMERICA.
Largest funder’s share by year: 2017 100% · 2020 80% · 2021 95% · 2022 53% · 2023 28% — diversifying over time.
“Effective funders” = inverse Herfindahl index (1 / Σ shareᵢ²) — the number of equal-sized funders that would give the same concentration. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
How long its funders stay
25% of SOCIETY FOR THE PRESERVATION & ENCOURAGE OF BARBERSHOP QUARTET SINGING IN AMERICA's funders are still giving 3 years after their first grant; 45% give in more than one year at all.
Share of funders still giving k years after their first recorded grant, pooled across every acquisition cohort. A funder counts as retained in a year only if it made a grant that year. Measured to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving — a funder cannot be counted as lapsed in a year most filers have not reached.
Where its funders are
99% of SOCIETY FOR THE PRESERVATION & ENCOURAGE OF BARBERSHOP QUARTET SINGING IN AMERICA's grant income arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors, whose addresses record where the money is held rather than where the donor is. Of the $2k that is directly attributable, 100% of it comes from funders outside Tennessee, across 3 states.
In-state vs out-of-state, by year
Funder states come from each funder’s own filing. $116k arriving through sponsors registered in 8 states is excluded from the map and the split above: a sponsor holds money on a donor’s behalf, so its registered address would place those dollars somewhere no donor need ever have been. Trends are read to FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving. FY2024–FY2026 are still being filed and are shown unshaded; they do not move any figure on this page.
Against its field
SOCIETY FOR THE PRESERVATION & ENCOURAGE OF BARBERSHOP QUARTET SINGING IN AMERICA receives grants from 11 organizations whose IRS filings report $118k to it.
this organization peer median middle 50% of peers· 5,127 arts & culture nonprofits $1M–$10M, FY2024
Organizations like SOCIETY FOR THE PRESERVATION & ENCOURAGE OF BARBERSHOP QUARTET SINGING IN AMERICA
Organizations whose mission and program text most resemble this one, by semantic similarity over every organization in the US filings — the closest peers, and often the clearest route to shared or prospective funders.
In Tennessee
Nationally
Read directly from this organization’s own Form 990, as neutral context.
Where the money goes
79% of spending goes to programs.
Governance
Public support
92%
Share of support from the public (Schedule A) — the basis for its public-charity status.
Footprint & structure
Files a return copy in 38 states
Screen this organization
A dated, signed PDF of the compliance screen for SOCIETY FOR THE PRESERVATION & ENCOURAGE OF BARBERSHOP QUARTET SINGING IN AMERICA: IRS status (Business Master File, Publication 78, auto-revocation), the OFAC sanctions lists, the Internal Revenue Bulletin, and California registration, with the Rev. Proc. 2018-32 §8.01 reliance elements stated element by element. Generated from the current files at the moment you download it.
Screens are triage, not determinations; a source that cannot be read reports not screened, never clear. Screen this nonprofit · How the screen works · on the API as GET /api/screening/{ein}?format=pdf
Questions and answers
- Who funds SOCIETY FOR THE PRESERVATION & ENCOURAGE OF BARBERSHOP QUARTET SINGING IN AMERICA?
- SOCIETY FOR THE PRESERVATION & ENCOURAGE OF BARBERSHOP QUARTET SINGING IN AMERICA (Tennessee) receives grants from 11 organizations whose IRS filings report $117,550 to it, the largest being THE INDEPENDENT CHARITABLE GIFT FUND ($32,398). 5 of them have funded it in more than one year, and 99% of the money arrives through donor-advised or pass-through sponsors rather than from an institution directly.
- How many funders does SOCIETY FOR THE PRESERVATION & ENCOURAGE OF BARBERSHOP QUARTET SINGING IN AMERICA have?
- IRS filings report 11 organizations giving $117,550 in grants to SOCIETY FOR THE PRESERVATION & ENCOURAGE OF BARBERSHOP QUARTET SINGING IN AMERICA, 5 of which have funded it in more than one year.
- Who is the largest funder of SOCIETY FOR THE PRESERVATION & ENCOURAGE OF BARBERSHOP QUARTET SINGING IN AMERICA?
- THE INDEPENDENT CHARITABLE GIFT FUND is the largest funder on record, with $32,398 in grants. The full list of funders is on this page.
- How can an organization like SOCIETY FOR THE PRESERVATION & ENCOURAGE OF BARBERSHOP QUARTET SINGING IN AMERICA find more funders?
- Start with the funders already giving here, then look at the foundations that back similar organizations in Tennessee. The funding by cause and by state pages list the largest funders for a given area and how to approach them.
These figures are read directly from IRS Form 990 / 990-PF e-file XML: this organization’s own return for FY2024 (financials across 2017–2024), and the filings of 11 funders that report grants to it. “On record” means captured in the filings we have parsed — a funder that does not e-file, or whose grant detail is not itemized, will not appear. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind. Trends on this page end at FY2023, the last fiscal year that has finished arriving; later years are shown and marked, and move no figure. Data on this page was exported October 14, 2026. What this page cannot tell you · view filing