Billy Jones Forever Foundation Launches to Support Emerging Music Professionals

Billy Jones Forever Foundation has launched, establishing a scholarship and mentorship fund in memory of the late New York City music professional.

Backstory:

• Arriving in New York in the early 2000s, Jones became a key player in the city’s music scene as a musician, music curator, promoter, club owner, record store proprietor and manager.

• He booked venues such as Sin-é, Pianos, The Dance, and Elvis Guesthouse, and in 2013 co-founded Williamsburg venue Baby’s All Right, which hosted early shows by SZA, Billie Eilish, Blood Orange and many others.

• He passed away on June 7, 2025, after a battle with glioblastoma. He was 45 years old.

The Foundation:

• Each year, the Billy Jones Forever Foundation will award a cohort of emerging music professionals with direct financial support to help cover relocation, housing, equipment, travel, and other barriers to opportunity.

• They will also receive long-term mentorship and access to a network of industry relationships.

• Billy Jones Forever Foundation is a fund of Make Something, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

• Applications for the scholarship are open here.

• Donations are accepted here.

What they said:

• BreAnn Tassone, Billy Jones’ sister: “Billy was devoted to music, to New York and to the creative, talented dreamers and risk takers who make this city what it is. Though he had to leave us, he still has work to do. We are excited and grateful to know he can still do the work he was so passionate about through the recipients of this organization. We are so proud that Billy's legacy is one of connection, inspiration and community. His positivity, magic and ‘Yeah, let's do it!’ spirit can live on here. For us, his family, that means more than words can say.”