Beneficiaries
ACM Lifting Lives is proud to support non-profit organizations that are also committed to improving lives through the power of music. These beneficiaries are using funds from ACM Lifting Lives for programs that either serve the Country Music industry or provide music therapy to communities in need.
Vanderbilt KENNEDY CENTER
ACM Lifting Lives has a long-standing partnership with the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, a part of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center focused on facilitating discoveries and best practices to improve the lives of persons with developmental disabilities and their families. ACM Lifting Lives partners with Vanderbilt for programs for people with Williams syndrome and autism spectrum disorder, both of which tie back to our Music and the Mind focus.
Music Camp
ACM Lifting Lives Music Camp in partnership with Vanderbilt Kennedy Center is a week-long residential program for individuals with Williams syndrome. ACM Lifting Lives funds the costs of the camp in addition to providing scholarships to several campers, enabling the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center to advance its mission of improving lives of individuals with developmental disabilities and their families through research, training, and service. ACM Lifting Lives Music Camp has a duel purpose of studying Williams syndrome while providing music enrichment through performance and education.
Each year, thirty campers join ACM Lifting Lives in Nashville, TN where they get to explore the city and get an inside look at the music industry. Campers are joined each day by artists and songwriters who help them along their journey to write, record, and perform a song. After a long week of practice, campers get the opportunity to debut their original song on the Grand Ole Opry stage in front of thousands of audience members.
Have a look at our 2023 ACM Lifting Lives Music Camp here!
Autism Lab Partnership
For the past four years ACM Lifting Lives has gifted funds to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for programs and research demonstrating the healing power of music to improve the lives of children with autism spectrum disorder. This gift created the ACM Lifting Lives Autism Lab at Vanderbilt Kennedy Center and helped establish autism as one of ACM Lifting Lives’ signature initiatives while enabling Vanderbilt to expand the reach and impact of its expertise in the field. Through this gift, ACM Lifting Lives has been able to support programs such as TRIAD, SENSE Theatre, Music Cognition Lab, and the expansion of telehealth treatment.
The SENSE Theatre ACM Lifting Lives Summer Camp was created through a collaborative partnership among SENSE Theatre, ACM Lifting Lives, The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, and the Vanderbilt University Department of Theatre. This summer camp is a unique theatrical intervention research program designed to improve the social and emotional functioning of those on the spectrum. This camp gives children on the autism spectrum a safe place to learn, explore, and practice important life skills. The campers are joined by artists and songwriters throughout the week to help encourage and guide them along their musical journey.
Music Health Alliance
Music Health Alliance is a non-profit committed to providing access to healthcare by removing barriers, finding solutions, and restoring health and hope for music industry professionals nationwide. Music Health Alliance helps protect, direct, and connect people in music with healthcare services with an emphasis on preventing illness and staying well.
ACM Lifting Lives has been a proud supporter of Music Health Alliance for a decade and counting, and the two organizations work closely together to ensure the music community has access to medical care and resources. ACM Lifting Lives expanded the partnership in 2022 with ongoing contributions to the MHA Mental Health Fund which provides access to mental health services including counseling, therapy and screenings for all music industry professionals.
Porter's call
Porter’s Call is a place where music artists can find counsel, support, and encouragement for issues they face in their careers and personal lives, along with their partners, in a safe and confidential setting. The ACM Lifting Lives Benevolence Fund at Porter’s Call provides support for therapy for individuals working in country music.
"Porter's Call has positively impacted mine and my family's lives and continues to help us interact and exist in the music industry in a healthy way. The Porter's Call team and more specifically the ACMLL grant provided some much needed services that we would have never been able to afford on our own. My family and I rely on this crew for our mental health that we are so grateful for day in and day out!" - Anonymous Artist
Operation song
Operation Song empowers veterans, active-duty military, and their families to tell their stories through the process of songwriting.
Operation Song has been a recipient of ACM Lifting Lives over the years. In 2023, ACM Lifting Lives granted funding for Operation Song to launch a virtual songwriting program that will provide 75 virtual writing sessions to veterans, active-duty military, and their families.
TOURING CAREER WORKSHOP
Touring Career Workshop is focused specifically on supporting the individuals and families that are part of the touring music world. TCW hosts several gatherings throughout the year to educate, connect, and provide mental health resources to those in the live entertainment industry.
ACM Lifting Lives is proud to support TCW’s All-Access program that provides touring professionals and their partners several free sessions of mental health support and resources for ongoing care.