2024 Annual Report: TOGETHER

TOGETHER was the unifying theme of our 2024 program—a powerful statement of unity and interconnection. It was also an aspiration for co-creation, reflected in a year of programs that garnered tremendous community collaboration. Our animating question was: What could happen if our hometown bridged divides, built relationships, and collectively envisioned the future?

As 2024 comes to a close, we reflect on the strides we’ve made in connecting our community and building a stronger, more collaborative hometown. This annual report outlines the Program Impacts and Financial Performance of the Tom Tom Foundation.

The TOGETHER ethos drove a year-long effort involving hundreds of stakeholders and organizations, culminating in the largest-ever 12th Annual Tom Tom Festival. A vital community ecosystem is catalyzed through April’s Festival, but it extends well beyond.

Over 120 organizations co-created the Festival’s 170 events and performances for the 25,800 attendees! Beyond that, an additional 42 seasonal events engaged a further 3,000 participants throughout the year. Annually, more than 600 organizations -- nonprofits, businesses, and institutions -- participate in Foundation programs. Some of the stories of impact are here in this report. 

The 2024 Festival marked the third year back after the pandemic cancellations of 2020 and 2021, and continued a “re-set” for the Foundation that has focused increasingly on local impact. If the first ten years of Tom Tom envisioned elevating Charlottesville as a national destination -- akin to a festival like SXSW -- these past three years have prioritized the people and institutions in our community. People from across the nation continue to come to Tom Tom, but our success is known when local creators, visionaries, and leaders have come together through, during, and beyond the Festival to build something better, here.

From a programming perspective, FY 2024 was a triumph. Our programs were widely praised for their civic spirit, diversity and creativity, and many programs led to impactful efforts extending beyond the Festival. However, financially Tom Tom faced challenges; and ultimately ended the year with a loss. Parts of that loss are attributed to building back infrastructure lost during COVID and inflationary realities passed along by vendors and venues. A key issue was underperformance in sponsor and philanthropic support, which we must address in 2025 to ensure the Festival’s sustainability.

As we look to the horizon, the stakeholders and sponsors are engaged as are hundreds of collaborators and supporters. On a positive note, the Tom Tom Foundation is regaining its core administrative strength. With one full-time employee and seven part-time contractors, we’ve continued rebuilding the infrastructure that was lost during the pandemic. With the team in place, we are excited to develop and execute a work plan and vision for the 13th Annual Tom Tom Festival.

Paul Beyer,

Executive Director & Founder