Draft:Band Together NC

• Comment: I already improved wikilinks by removing commas and trying to avoid pipes where possible. Generally any one wikilink should appear only once in the article body, the first time it is used. There are too many wikilinks. External links should not be in the article body. Eliminate them, turn them into references, or move them to an External links section at the end. Headings should be in sentence capitalization. —Anomalocaris (talk) 07:47, 6 August 2026 (UTC)

Official Logo of Band Together NC

Check Presentation at Mighty Giveback 2025

Band Together NC is a community-focused registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Established in 2001, the organization is known for its large-scale benefit concerts, close ties to the local music scene, and raising over $1 million annually through the support of corporate and individual sponsors.

Mission

“Connecting communities to nonprofits through the power of live music.”

History

On September 11, 2001, five friends in Raleigh, North Carolina, met to discuss how they might respond to the September 11 terrorist attacks. Because they were located far from New York City and Washington, D.C., they determined that direct on-site assistance would not be possible. Instead, they decided to organize a local fundraising effort to support the families of fallen firefighters.

Over the following weeks, they recruited more than 40 young entrepreneurs from across the Triangle region and formed an organization called Band Together for Our Heroes. In October 2001, the group produced a four-band benefit concert with corporate sponsorship and invited New York City firefighters to Raleigh to be honored at the event. The concert drew more than 1,000 attendees and raised over $60,000 for 9/11 firefighter family relief efforts in New York City and Washington, D.C.

Following the initial fundraising effort, the organization became an urgent-call-to-action group supporting critical need real-time response needs like flooding and tsunamis. In 2006, Band Together focused its mission to support local nonprofit organizations through benefit concerts, partnership philanthropy, and community fundraising, shortening the name to Band Together.

Activities and Programs

Partnership Philanthropy

Volunteers gather before Band Together's 2017 show at Red Hat Amphitheatre.

Band Together’s philanthropic model is centered on partnerships with local nonprofit organizations. Each year, the organization collaborates with selected nonprofits through a year-long engagement designed to support fundraising efforts, build organizational capacity, and increase public awareness of their missions. This approach combines financial support with community engagement and shared resources to help partner organizations expand their reach within the Triangle region of North Carolina.

From the Back of the Crowd at Mighty Giveback 2025 watching Gov't Mule

Each year, Band Together gathers input from the local community to identify a priority area of need within the Triangle region. Based on this input, the organization selects nonprofit partners working in that focus area. In recent years, multiple organizations were chosen to reflect the complexity and interconnected nature of community challenges.

The nonprofit selection process is designed to be community-informed and structured to evaluate factors such as organizational goals, sustainability, and potential impact. Input is gathered from a diverse group of community participants to reduce bias in the evaluation process. Selected partners participate in a collaborative model that extends beyond a single fundraising event, with an emphasis on increasing visibility, strengthening operations, and supporting long-term growth.

Annual Fundraising Events

Celebration after Mighty Giveback 2025

Band Together NC hosts large-scale concerts featuring international, national, and local music acts. Funds raised through these events are presented to the selected nonprofit partners in support of their missions.

Fundraising History

Year	Nonprofit Partner(s)/ Community Impact Focus	Main Act and Venue	Dollars Raised
2025	Mental healthcare (6 partners)	Gov't Mule, Edwin McCain, and Young Gun Silver Fox at Lincoln Theatre (outdoor)	$1,041,439
2024	The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina (Hurricane Helene Relief)	Old Crow Medicine Show, Chatham County Line, BJ Barham from American Aquarium, and Fancy Gap at Red Hat Amphitheater	$1,102,177
2024	Mental Healthcare and Housing Accessibility (5 partners)	Black Pumas, Cory Wong, Young Gun Silver Fox and DJ Terminator X at Red Hat Amphitheater	$1,019,130
2023	Triangle Accessible Housing Fund (20 partners)	Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit, Durand Jones, and Aaron Lee Tasjan at Red Hat Amphitheater	$1,026,993
2022	Triangle Accessible Housing Fund (11 partners)	Turnpike Troubadours, American Aquarium, and The Backsliders at Red Hat Amphitheater	$1,008,723
2021	United Way COVID Recovery Fund (92 partners)	Khruangbin, Lee Fields & The Expressions, and Big Daddy Kane at Red Hat Amphitheater	$1,101,679
2020	Save That Stage	-	$19,327
2020	Anti-Racism Community Fund	Rissi Palmer, Delta Rae, Tyler Butler-Figuero, Autumn Nicholas, G Yamazawa, Joshua Gunn, and special guest appearance from Renée Elise Goldsberry, at the Call for Change Telethon	$200,800
2019	Inter-Faith Food Shuttle	St. Paul and The Broken Bones, Toots and the Maytals, The Connells, and DJ Terminator X at Red Hat Amphitheater	$1,033,833
2018	Triangle Family Services	Walk the Moon, American Aquarium, and Travis Meadows at Red Hat Amphitheater	$1,010,096
2017	YMCA of The Triangle	Ben Folds, The London Souls, and Travers Brothership at Red Hat Amphitheater	$1.3 Million
2016	KidzNotes	Trampled by Turtles, The Devil Makes Three, and Dr. Bacon at Red Hat Amphitheater	$1,011,384
2015	StepUp Ministry	Michael Franti and Spearhead, Big Sam's Funky Nation, Elliot Root, and Fat Cheek Kat at Red Hat Amphitheater	$2 Million
2014	Communities in Schools of Durham & Wake County	Daryl Hall and John Oates along with special guests, Robert Randolph and the Family Band and Jack the Radio at Walnut Creek Amphitheater (Coastal Credit Union Music Park)	$600,000
2013	Tammy Lynn Center	Lyle Lovett, Delta Rae, Chatham County Line, and Mac and Juice Quartet at Koka Booth	$852,000
2012	Urban Ministries of Wake County	The B-52s, Southern Culture on the Skids, and Big Something at Koka Booth	$566,000
2011	Alliance Medical Ministry	Third Eye Blind, Dillon Fence, Lonnie Walker, and I Was Totally Destroying It! at Lincoln Theatre	$482,000
2010	StepUp Ministry	Michael Franti and Spearhead, The Old Ceremony, Anoop Desai, The Holy Ghost Tent Revival, at Lincoln Theatre	$358,000
2009	The Lucy Daniels Center for Early Childhood	Rusted Root, Chatham County Line, Rosebuds, Hobex, at Lincoln Theatre	$141,000
2008	SAFEChild	George Clinton and Parliament Funakdelic, Hobex, Yo Momma’s Big Fat Booty Band, at Lincoln Theatre	$109,000
2007	Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Triangle	Son Volt, Balsa Gliders, Kennebec, Hank Sinatra, and the Wrinkle Neck Mules, at Lincoln Theatre	$68,000
2006	Boys and Girls Club of Wake County	Donna the Buffalo and Indecision, at Cap Fit	$40,000
2005	Food Bank of Eastern NC (Hurricane Katrina Relief)	“14 Band extravaganza” including: Two Dollar Pistols, Six String Drag, Watershed, Vibe Killers, Tres Chicasl Los Pelones, Greg Hobex, Don Dixon Arrogance, Bleeding Hearts, at Lincoln Theatre	$47,000
2005	Stop Hunger Now (Tsunami Relief)	Cracker and Junior Brown, at Cap Fit	$175,000
2005	Music Maker Relief Foundation	The Derek Trucks Band, along with various Music Maker Relief Foundation players like Cool John Ferguson, Captain Luke, Cootie Stark, John Dee Holeman at Fletcher Hall	$8,000
2004	Operation Smile, NC Chapter	The Connells with Stomp, Vamp & Roll, at Cap Fit	$45,000
2003	Special Olympics of NC	Mel Melton & Wicked Mojos, Dominica, and The Countdown Quartet, at Sushi Breeze	$10,000
2001	9/11 Disaster Relief Funds	Blue Dogs, Freeloader, and Andrew Dykers, at North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences at Gateway Plaza	$60,000

Looking Ahead in 2026 - 25th Anniversary

In 2026, Band Together NC marked its 25th anniversary. Since its founding in 2001, the organization has hosted benefit concerts and fundraising events that combine live music with philanthropic initiatives supporting nonprofit organizations across North Carolina. Its flagship event, the annual Mighty Giveback concert, has become one of the longest-running charity concerts in the United States of its size, as well as the largest annual charity concert in the Southeastern United States.