The late Billy Jones, co-founder of the long-running Brooklyn venue Baby’s All Right, was one of the most familiar faces on New York City’s music scene, having worked as a musician, promoter, club owner, record shop proprietor, manager and booking agent at Sin-é, Pianos, the Dance, and Elvis.

Yet he may be best known for Baby’s, the venue he co-founded in 2013, which has helped to launch the careers of countless rising artists, hosting early-career shows by SZA, Billie Eilish, Blood Orange, Gigi Perez and many others.   

He passed away at the age of just 45 after a battle with cancer in June of 2025, but his family has announced the Billy Jones Forever Foundation in his memory: a scholarship and mentorship fund for the next generation of music professionals.

Each year, the 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, alongside long-term mentorship and access to a network of industry relationships, according to the announcement.

Billy’s sister BreAnn Tassone says, “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.”

The Billy Jones Forever Foundation is a fund of Make Something, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Donations and scholarship applications are now open —

To apply for the scholarship: billyjonesforever.org/apply

To donate: make-something.org/billyjonesforever