A year after the death of New York City nightlife fixture Billy Jones, a foundation has been launched in his honor.
The newly announced Billy Jones Forever Foundation encompasses a scholarship and mentorship fund that will annually award a group of emerging music professionals with direct financial support to use for relocation, housing, equipment, travel and more. Recipients will also receive long-term mentorship and access to a network of industry relationships intended to create lasting support.
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Donations and scholarship applications are now open here. The Billy Jones Forever Foundation is a fund of Make Something, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
A musician, curator, club owner, manager and more, Jones died last June at age 45 after facing glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. He is remembered by friends, family and colleagues as someone who loved music, nightlife, culture and New York City. He co-founded and owned beloved Brooklyn indie venue Baby’s All Right, a 280-capacity club that opened in 2013 and hosted performances by a host of luminaries including SZA, Cypress Hill, Lil Yachty, Blood Orange, Charli xcx, Mac DeMarco, James Murphy, David Byrne, Hot Chip, Courtney Barnett, Willow Smith, Jack White and Billie Eilish.
“Billy was devoted to music, to New York and to the creative, talented dreamers and risk takers who make this city what it is,” Jones’ sister BreAnn Tassone said in a statement. “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.”
“Billy was one of the most true blue real rockers I have ever met in all my travels,” adds his close friend David Jacobs, “and because he lived with such integrity and unwavering commitment to his music community, we wanted to honor that spirit forever, and this scholarship felt like the perfect way to pay it forward, just as Billy did every day we were lucky enough to have him around.”
