Harper House Music Foundation

Harper House Music Foundation (HHMF) was founded by Stephen Sullens in response to the chronic undercapitalization of contemporary musicians and their field. Through grantmaking and partnerships, HHMF helps musicians share their work, lead stable and healthy lives, and preserve their unique legacies.

Mr. Sullens approached Advance Collaborative in early 2024 seeking support to design, plan for, and launch a new philanthropic endeavor fueled by his lifelong passion for music and longstanding support of music charities. With experience gleaned during a 25-year career at The Blackstone Group, and a personal financial commitment to seed the organization, Mr. Sullens sought field knowledge, nonprofit expertise, research acumen, project management, and strategic leadership to bring his vision to life.

Advance Collaborative led a nine-month organizational design process divided into three distinct phases. We began with in-depth research and stakeholder insight collection through interviews and landscape analysis. We then facilitated a steering committee comprising artists, industry professionals, nonprofit leaders, and funders. Over the course of three strategy sessions, we collaborated to synthesize our findings into an organizational wireframe. Finally, we used this foundational work to build out the essential materials, infrastructure recommendations, and implementation workplan to successfully launch the Foundation.

HHMF formally launched in early 2025, guided by a strategic roadmap outlining organizational goals, strategies, and tactics for the organization's first five years. The organization has hired a Managing Director, and, in its first year, distributed grants to 15 partner organizations.