The OneBeat program is the result of a partnership between Found Sound Nation, Bang on a Can and the US Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The first program was held in 2012 and as a release states:
"OneBeat is an incubator for music-based social entrepreneurship where innovative musicians from around the world launch collaborative projects designed to make a positive impact on local and global communities. OneBeat is cultivating a groundbreaking international network of sonic change-makers, leading artistic, technological, and social innovation in music."
The program selects around 25 musicians from hundreds of international applicants to participate in a two-week residency where they experiment with sounds, record and produce tracks, and implement workshops through brainstorming with local educators, organizers and entrepreneurs. These compositions and workshops are taken on the road for a two-week-long tour of performances, youth workshops and public music making.