Brooklyn Conservatory of Music: Building a New Home for Music and Healing

Discover how a Guided Feasibility Study with Capital Campaign Pro helped the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music prepare for its most ambitious expansion in more than a century.

For more than 125 years, the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music (BKCM) has strengthened communities through music education, music therapy, cultural programming, and support for musicians.

The organization reaches more than 10,000 New Yorkers each week through its programs, at its campus in Park Slope, Brooklyn and at nearly 100 partnership sites across all five boroughs.

The Challenge:

Around 2018, BKCM reached an inflection point. Demand for fee-based onsite programs had grown to a point where the organization’s historic headquarters was bursting at the seams. Simply put, BKCM had run out of space.

Simultaneously, the need for BKCM’s offsite programming – where music education and music therapy are provided for low or no cost to low to moderate income New Yorkers – continued to outpace BKCM’s fundraising capacity.

BKCM’s unique business model – where revenue generated by onsite programs is invested into partnership work – meant that these two challenges were interrelated. If BKCM could expand its physical footprint, it could leverage the resulting income streams to sustain and scale community-based music education and therapy programs citywide. To meet rising demand and plan for future growth, BKCM began exploring a major expansion that would double its teaching and therapy capacity.

BKCM’s leadership team wanted to understand whether a campaign of this size was achievable. They needed clear answers to two questions:

1. Could their community support a major capital campaign?
2. What story would inspire donors to invest in a larger, citywide vision?

They turned to Capital Campaign Pro for a Guided Feasibility Study. Advisor and Chief Happiness Officer Sarah Plimpton worked closely with BKCM’s staff and board to measure philanthropic potential and assess readiness for a two-phase campus expansion.

The Solution:

The Guided Feasibility Study provided structure, data, and an experienced outside perspective. Through confidential interviews and collaborative discussions, Sarah helped BKCM:

• Clarify its long-term goals for both the new site and its historic headquarters
• Align leadership around a realistic and inspiring campaign target
• Strengthen board engagement by involving trustees directly in donor conversations
• Refine a case for support that highlighted BKCM’s impact on music education and therapy throughout New York City

Sarah’s guidance helped the team test assumptions and build confidence. By the end of the study, BKCM had a clear and achievable plan for expansion, along with a deeper understanding of donor priorities and motivations.

“The Guided Feasibility Study helped us aim high and gave our board the confidence to get there. We entered the campaign knowing what our donors believed in and what it would take to succeed. The feasibility process gave us clarity and credibility. It turned our excitement into a solid plan and showed our board that this vision is both bold and achievable.”

Adam Johnston, Senior Campaign Advisor / Interim Director of Development

The Impact:

The study results gave BKCM the green light to move forward. In 2024, the organization announced plans for a new 12,000-square-foot facility at One Prospect Park West, featuring 13 studios, a second concert hall, and a community room for students and families.

The new space will become the home of the BKCM Music Therapy Institute, expanding access to culturally responsive music therapy across the city. By the groundbreaking, BKCM had already raised $14 million of its $16 million Phase I goal, supported by The Joel Foundation, the Morris and Alma Schapiro Fund, and more than a dozen public partners.

“This campaign has never been about simply creating more space. BKCM understood from the very beginning that expanding its physical footprint could unlock much greater impact across New York City. The feasibility process helped them connect those dots in a way that donors could understand, believe in, and get excited about.”

Sarah Plimpton, VP & Chief Happiness Officer, Capital Campaign Pro

Construction is now underway, with an opening planned for Fall 2026. The groundwork laid during the feasibility study continues to guide BKCM’s planning for Phase II, ensuring that BKCM’s Park Slope campus will support the organization as it strives to meet its mission for the next generation.