The Foundation was conceived in 2007 by family members (Hanna Kebbede, Daniel Assefa) and Lucy Gebre Egziabher. Three other members, Alula Kebede, Atamenta Tsige and Ayuberhan Tizazu. In 2008, the Foundation organized a live performance of Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru at the Jewish Community Center in Washington, DC. Initially, the Foundation struggled financially and the board was divided on the target group for its mission. Consequently, the Foundation went through a slump and the board disbanded in 2010.

 

In 2014, the Foundation was reinstated with Hanna Kebbede as the Executive Director, Daniel Assefa, and Lucy Gebre Egziabher as board members. Since then, the Foundation has made much progress both in its music programs and its community outreach. In 2016, the Foundation commissioned to produce a documentary film that is now in the last stages of completion.

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The Foundation has operated with limited funds and limited staff, but it has made great contributions to the Alexandria/Arlington community as well as to the Ethiopian community in Jerusalem, Israel. In the interest of being a sustainable organization, the Foundation has created a subsidiary corporation, the Emahoy Tsege Mariam Music Publisher, Inc. in 2021. The Publisher will conduct commercial business and sell/license Emahoy’s music compositions to provide funds to the Foundation. This will enable the Foundation to fulfill its mission of extending music education to children in underserved communities without being restricted as a nonprofit on the commercial activities regarding the music works of Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru.

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Currently, the Foundation is expanding its music program to students in Ethiopia and in the Washington DC metro area through collaboration with nonprofit organizations and educational institutions in these communities.