A Message From Our Co-Founders
Twenty-four years ago, in the days after 9/11, we stood outside our neighborhood firehouse at Lincoln Center — two Juilliard sopranos, singing for survivors and grieving families. We didn’t have a plan. We just knew that music could connect us when words could not.
That simple act of creative service sparked something extraordinary. From those early songs on the sidewalk grew a movement that has now brought the healing power of the arts to more than two million people in hospitals, schools, elder care centers, refugee camps, transit hubs, and public spaces around the world.
“Sing for Hope uses the arts to deliver joy, connection, and humanity directly where they’re needed most.”
At a time when loneliness has become a public health crisis and audiences for live arts have declined dramatically, Sing for Hope is delivering a single, powerful antidote: creative connection.
The year covered in this report — Fiscal Year 2025 — was one of profound growth and deepened purpose for Sing for Hope. We expanded our reach to new communities across the U.S. and abroad, strengthened our role as official musical partner of industry-leading organizations, including NYC Health + Hospitals and Union Station, and launched bold new initiatives further leveraging the arts for education, health, and wellbeing.
Again and again, we see how one song, one piano, one shared moment of artistry can transform a room — and a life. We think of Iris, who came to a Sing for Hope group singing session after losing her husband, and who now says, “Music is what keeps me going.”
We think of 12-year old Milan, a Sing for Hope Lab student who says, “Sing for Hope is where I found my voice. I’ve learned how to sing, but more importantly, I’ve learned how to believe in myself.”
As we approach our 25th anniversary, we are filled with gratitude and determination. Gratitude for our artist partners, community organizations, and donors like you who make Sing for Hope’s work possible day after day. And determination to keep transforming isolation into belonging, uncertainty into creativity, and ordinary spaces into havens of shared humanity.
From the very beginning, Sing for Hope has been about much more than performance. It is about connection, healing, and the unwavering belief that the arts belong to everyone. This belief carries us forward, and we are honored to share this year’s impact with you.
With gratitude and hope,
Monica Yunus & Camille Zamora
Co-Founders, Sing for Hope
Click here for the Annual Report FY2025
To make a donation in support of Sing for Hope and the communities we serve, please click here.
