The Painted Turtle staff, volunteers, Board of Directors, and supporters work year-round to give all children in our programs the chance just to be kids and have fun in a safe camp environment specifically built for their needs. Without The Painted Turtle, many of these children would never know the simple yet profound experience of camp, an experience that often has a life-long impact. Thousands of campers and family members have a chance to come together each year to sing, dance, laugh, grow and discover their potential.

Our Mission

The Painted Turtle seeks to reach beyond illness, to inspire children with life-threatening diseases to become their greater selves. It is our mission to provide a year-round, life-changing environment for these children and their families – one that allows children to participate in an authentic camp experience by supporting their medical needs and offers their families care, education, and respite.

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Mission
HeadCount is a non-partisan organization that uses the power of music to register voters and promote participation in democracy. We reach young people and music fans where they already are – at concerts and online – to inform and empower.

Our message is not about what party you support or where you land on an issue. It’s that you must speak to be heard.

Our Vision

Bonnie wants us to vote ! - 2016

Musicians and their fans can be leaders in worldwide social movements. HeadCount is focused on harnessing that ability and translating it into real action. Our goal is to help shape policy and culture in America by galvanizing the music community into a politically influential force.
Organizational Objectives

• Inspire participation in democracy through the power of music
• Provide artists and fans with the tools to be active in democracy
• Harness the music community’s potential to make a positive contribution to society
• Mobilize the music community into a force capable of influencing policy and culture

Methods Of Achieving Objectives

• Voter registration
• Get out the vote activity
• Issue education
• Supporting volunteerism
• Enabling direct participation in democracy
• Promoting sustainable living
• Facilitating communication and community-building among socially conscious music fans
• Working directly with artists and the music industry to serve their philanthropic and cause-related objectives in a manner consistent with HeadCount’s mission
• Staging specific advocacy campaigns

Follow @HeadCountOrg

Bonnie Raitt - Vote Local - HeadCount.org

Bonnie Raitt - Register To Vote - Headcount.org

A Big Thank You After a Crazy Year 2016

The Rhythm & Blues Foundation is the only non-profit organization solely dedicated to preserving Rhythm & Blues music and celebrating the artists who create it.

The Rhythm & Blues Foundation is committed to:

• Assisting Rhythm & Blues artists in need
• Honoring pioneering Rhythm & Blues artists
• Educating the next generation of Rhythm & Blues fans
• Building appreciation of Rhythm & Blues music through performances and concerts

If you love Rhythm & Blues music and want to honor Rhythm & Blues artists, please support the Rhythm & Blues Foundation.

Bonnie Raitt and Ruth Brown attend The Rhythm & Blues Foundation's Fifth Annual Pioneer Awards on March 2, 1994 at Roseland in New York City, New York. © Ron Galella /Getty Images

The Rhythm & Blues Foundation had its beginnings in 1987, when legendary performer Ruth Brown brought demands for royalty reform to the attention of Atlantic Records and its founder, Ahmet Ertegun. Ms. Brown’s early hits had put Atlantic Records on the recording industry map and earned the fledgling company the moniker, “The House that Ruth Built.” Sadly, like numerous other pioneering Rhythm & Blues artists, Ms. Brown received little financial compensation for her recordings; and, as a result, suffered deprivations and degradation for several years, at times working as a domestic and at one point being forced to apply for welfare to feed her children. Determined to address the inherent unfairness that characterized so many early contracts and refusing to suffer further indignities, Ms. Brown and her tenacious attorney Howell Begle sought the assistance of Congressional Representatives John Conyers and Mickey Leland, Rev. Jesse Jackson, and the Black Entertainment and Sports Lawyers Association to make her case. Ertegun responded to their compelling presentation by donating $1.5 million to address the needs of Ms. Brown and other early Rhythm & Blues artists. Ertegun’s initial donation seeded the formation of the Rhythm & Blues Foundation.

Rhythm & Blues Foundation Pioneer Awards - Fats Domino, Little Richard and Bonnie Raitt - Hollywood, Calif - 1995 © Alan Clark

The Foundation’s roster of founding directors was a veritable “who’s who” of the entertainment industry. In addition to Brown and Ertegun, early members of the Foundation’s board included Ray Charles, Dan Aykroyd, Dionne Warwick and Bonnie Raitt. Together, they forged programs that provided a much-needed safety net for the Rhythm and Blues performers of the 40s, 50s and 60’s. The Doc Pomus Artist Assistance Fund was established as the Foundation’s first grant program to address the immediate needs of distressed performers. Later, Motown founder Berry Gordy bequeathed $750,000 to the Foundation to establish the Gwendolyn Gordy Fuqua Fund in honor of his sister. The Foundation administers the Gwendolyn Gordy Fuqua Fund to meet the needs of Motown artists of the 1960’s and 1970’s. Soon after, Universal Music Group followed suit, donating $2 million to the Foundation to provide financial assistance to Rhythm & Blues artists affiliated with Universal or one of its labels. The Foundation has since disbursed over $3 million in grants to needy members of the Rhythm & Blues community.

John Lee Hooker is presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award from singer Bonnie Raitt during the Rhythm and Blues Foundation's 10th annual Pioneer Awards in Culver City, Calif., Thursday, Feb. 25, 1999. © E.J. Flynn /AP

Since its founding, the Foundation has launched several award winning programs to educate the public and to provide opportunities for Rhythm & Blues artists to work. The National Endowment for the Arts funded its first Rhythm & Blues program when it supported the Foundation’s Performance Grant program in 1996.   The Performance Grant program matched veteran Rhythm & Blues performers from the 40’s through the 60’s with schools, community-based organizations and arts programs across the country where they performed before appreciative audiences. In 2004, the Foundation’s radio, “Let the Good Times Roll” received the prestigious Peabody Award. Produced in conjunction with National Public Radio, the 26-part series used interviews and historic recordings to explore the evolution of Rhythm and Blues.

Today, the Foundation continues to provide its programs and services from its Philadelphia offices. The Foundation remains committed to its founding mission, on-going services to its constituents, and the presentation of outstanding programs.

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Safety Harbor Kids is formed and operated with the mission to enrich the lives of orphans, foster and homeless children through education in the areas of College, Career, Music and the Arts.
With the goal of promoting the general health and well-being of children in need with our primary emphas is on our Personal Enrichment Programs where the children receive tutoring to help them excel at Academics, How to Get Into College, How to Get a Job, Music, Art and Personal Growth.

Trips for Kids Marin’s mission is to provide transformative cycling experiences for underserved youth. Our programs aim to build self-esteem, inspire healthy lifestyles and instill environmental values. Founded in 1988, we have introduced over 38,000 bay area youth to the joys of mountain biking at our local, state and national park trails.

Marin blues singer Bonnie Raitt has joined the honorary board of the youth cycling program, Trips for Kids.

The Trips for Kids' honorary board also includes several other luminaries from Marin, Sonoma, and Napa counties: Huey Lewis, Carlos Santana, Peter Coyote, Robin Williams, Thomas Weisel, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart and Bob Weir.

Trips for Kids Marin currently offers Trail Rides, Mobile Bike Workshops, and Earn-a-bike youth development programs, as well as operates the Re-Cyclery Bike Shop that refurbishes and sells donated bikes, parts and accessories at bargain prices to our local community.

Trips for Kids Marin is a chapter of Trips for Kids, a national 501c3 nonprofit youth development and education umbrella organization. Trips for Kids’ mission is to give every kid in every community the opportunity to know the joy of riding a bike and the freedom to explore the natural world on two wheels.

Since 1988 Trips for Kids has grown into a vast network of chapters located throughout North America. Trips for Kids has enriched the lives of more than 230,000 youth through Discovery Rides, Adventure Clubs, Mobile Bike Clinics, Earn-a-Bike Workshops and Youth@Work programs that help youth to be more active, experience natural places, gain environmental and STEM-based knowledge, build confidence and develop job readiness skills.
To learn more about Trips for Kids, please visit: tripsforkids.org.

Follow @tfkmarin

OUR MISSION:

We are a Colorado 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with the mission to change women’s lives by providing stepping stones to self-sufficiency through social enterprise.

OUR VISION:

We believe that all women have the power to transform their lives through employment. So we hire women who are chronically unemployed and we teach them to work by making nourishing products. They learn to stand tall, find their purpose and break the cycle of poverty. Because when you change a woman’s life, you change her family’s life.

OUR VALUES:

Bonnie Raitt with Bean Project founder, Jossy Eyre

As we grow and prosper, we promise to hold to the following guiding principles:

OPPORTUNITY: We help women help themselves. We provide opportunities for our participants to discover their talents and develop skills to join the workforce and build a better life.

SERVICE: We strive to “do well by doing good.” We are a social enterprise that believes it is a basic human right to live a stable, healthy life. We serve our supporters, partners, participants and communities by delivering quality products with innovation and efficiency.

TRANSFORMATION: Our efforts transform more than the individual woman. The seeds of hope in one-woman weave threads of success that expand to families and communities with a reach that touches individuals worldwide. From participants and customers to vendors, donors and volunteers, their transformations make a difference.

EMPOWERMENT: Using the tools we provide, women are empowered to change their lives. Our supporters are empowered with the knowledge that they have contributed, not only to the self-worth and self-sufficiency of disadvantaged women, but also to the broad-reaching benefits our communities reap.

SUSTAINABILITY: Instead of a one-time handout, women acquire the tools needed to sustain themselves and their families for a lifetime. We believe in nurturing economic sustainability for our program participants and partners, being ever-mindful of our impact on the environment.

Bonnie Raitt with program participants at meet-and-greet.

Follow @womensbean

Dream Foundation - Adopt a Dream.

The mission of Dream Foundation is to enhance the quality of life for individuals and their families during the end of life’s journey.Dream Foundation helps adults find peace and closure with the realization of a final wish.

 Dream Foundation’s Dreams touch lives, meet essential needs and provide inspiration, comfort and closure at the end of life. Over the past two decades, our Dreams have provided psychosocial and emotional support tailored to thousands of terminally-ill adults and their families.
Our work plays a critical role in the special end-of-life care that focuses on improving quality of life for patients and their families. With the support of a nationwide network of volunteers, hospices, health care organizations and committed donors, Dream Foundation has given life to more than 30,000 Dreams over the past two decades.

Every resource donated, minute volunteered and story shared, enhances the quality of life for terminally-ill adults and their families. You can make a meaningful social impact by supporting our programs.
Thank you for considering a contribution to Dream Foundation, a 501(c)(3), nonprofit, charitable organization. We are proud to maintain Charity Navigator’s four-star rating—its highest—for sound fiscal management ensuring our donors and partners that your investment will be used wisely.
For more information, please contact development@dreamfoundation.org.

Follow @dreamfound

MusiCares provides a safety net of critical assistance for music people in times of need. MusiCares' services and resources cover a wide range of financial, medical and personal emergencies, and each case is treated with integrity and confidentiality. MusiCares also focuses the resources and attention of the music industry on human service issues that directly influence the health and welfare of the music community.

Follow @musicares

Bonnie won the MusiCares Person of the Year Award in 1992.

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Corporations have their lobbyists in Washington, D.C. The people need advocates too.

Public Citizen is a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization that champions the public interest – your interests – in the halls of power. Since our founding in 1971, we have defended democracy, resisted corporate power and worked to ensure that government works for the people – not for big corporations.

We have 400,000 members and supporters throughout the country. We do not participate in partisan political activities or endorse any candidates for elected office. We take no government or corporate money.

We use every tool at our disposal to take on big fights – and win. We mobilize activists to grow democratic movements, watchdog Congress, sue the government when it fails to do its job, petition regulatory agencies to safeguard the public and engage in cutting-edge research that effects change.

With President Donald Trump in office, our work is more urgent than ever. We are one of the leading voices calling for Trump to divest from his business interests, highlighting his conflicts of interest and fighting his destructive agenda.

June 6, 2006

Bonnie Raitt Donates Concert Tickets and Holds Aftershow Reception to Benefit Public Citizen

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and Nine-Time Grammy Winner Urges Opposition to Nuclear Power and Advocates Renewable Energy Resources

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In keeping with her concern about the nation’s energy future, best-selling artist and accomplished songwriter Bonnie Raitt has donated 75 seats for her sold-out July 3 concert to benefit Public Citizen. The VIP tickets, which range from $250 to $500, include excellent concert seats and an invitation to a backstage post-concert reception with Raitt and fellow Grammy-winning singer/songwriter/guitarist Keb’Mo’.

Public Citizen’s energy program will be the beneficiary of the concert. It is devoted to safeguarding consumers from the impacts of electricity deregulation, educating the public about the dangers of nuclear power, encouraging responsible nuclear waste management and promoting clean energy alternatives. With energy prices at an all-time high, Public Citizen supports stronger fuel economy standards and a windfall profits tax on oil companies, with the proceeds used to finance clean energy alternatives to fossil fuels, increased investment in mass transit, bigger incentives to individuals and small businesses for energy efficiency.

“Public Citizen is extremely honored to be selected by Bonnie Raitt to be a beneficiary of her social activism,” said Public Citizen President Joan Claybrook. “Donations and events like these are especially important to us because Public Citizen does not accept corporate or government funds. This enables us to maintain our fierce independence.”

Raitt is as known for her lifelong commitment to social activism as she is for her music. In addition to performing at hundreds of benefit concerts supporting numerous causes over the course of her career, Raitt integrates fundraising activity into her regular touring schedule. For the Souls Alike Summer Tour 2006, Bonnie is offering premium concert tickets and post-performance passes to her like-minded fans interested in supporting the greater good. For more information about Bonnie’s tour dates and activism, please visit www.bonnieraitt.com.

I know that the work Public Citizen is doing today is critical to our future. Please join me in supporting Public Citizen and make a generous contribution now. I support Public Citizen -- I hope you will, too. -- Bonnie

Follow @Public_Citizen

Bonnie was one of Little Kids Rock’s earliest supporters, lending her name, time, and musical expertise when Little Kids Rock was just a small, nameless program in San Francisco in the 1990′s. Since then, the blues legend has visited classrooms, met with students at her soundchecks, and been a proud member of our honorary board.

Honoree Bonnie Raitt speaks onstage during the Little Kids Rock Benefit 2017 at PlayStation Theater on October 18, 2017 in New York City.  © Kevin Mazur /Getty Images for Little Kids Rock

“Little Kids Rock does a great job getting kids excited about music, picking up the slack from budget cuts to put music programs in our schools. They deserve our support.”  -Bonnie

Little Kids Rock transforms lives by restoring, expanding, and innovating music education in our schools. Our network of thousands of K-12 teachers across 45 states leads a national movement that brings innovative and inclusive music education to students.

Using genres including rock, pop, Latin, and rap, our program empowers teachers to build music programs as diverse as the kids they serve. Our students see themselves reflected in their classes, which strengthens their connection to their school, their peers, and their community. Little Kids Rock also donates necessary instruments, and curriculum, meeting a key need of many school music programs.

The world of music expands through innovation. We ensure that music education does as well.

More than 450,000 kids currently participate in Little Kids Rock programs nationwide. Since 2002, the organization has reached more than 850,000 students with highly-inclusive and culturally relevant music education. 

Follow @littlekidsrock
 
 

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Tom Waits (far right), Bonnie Raitt, Norton Buffalo, Austin Willacy and Jason Newsted - Bonnie Raitt told the kids at Spring Valley Elementary about learning guitar when she was 8 years old. Her hands weren't large enough to span the fretboard and make an F chord, so she learned to do it with her thumb.
"Tell Bonnie what we call the F chord," said their guitar teacher, Laura Chinn-Smoot.
"The ouch chord," a couple of dozen young public school guitar students said in unison.
Raitt inveigled her old pal Tom Waits to join her on piano and sing a duet of "Sweet and Shiny Eyes," a song they knew from touring together a few years back when Jerry Ford was still president. Former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted, currently playing with Ozzy Osbourne, picked up his bass, and Norton Buffalo added a little harmonica . . . Raitt, Waits, Buffalo jam with S.F. schoolkids - 10/21/2003 © David Paul Morris

Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal with Jersey City Kids © Little Kids Rock

David Wish and Bonnie Raitt

The Guacamole Fund is a non-profit organization with a 501(c)(3) tax status. It assists environmental, social change, cultural and service organizations by facilitating, organizing and producing benefit concerts, rallies, special ticket sales, receptions and media campaigns.

These activities serve to publicize and raise consciousness about issues that are important and timely to the social change and environmental process, as well as raise funds.

We research organizations that are actively involved in these issues and bring this information to the attention of members of the entertainment community.

Best of the West 2018 Lifetime Achievement in Community Service: The Guacamole Fund and Tom Campbell

Folk musicians have a very long history of delivering social commentary plus messages of activism and unity in their songs and performances. Social justice, end to war, protection of the Earth are just the beginning.

Through 40 years of collaboration with major artists like Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Crosby, Stills and Nash and many others, Tom Campbell and The Guacamole Fund have been there on the front lines, organizing shows, helping artists identify community programs to support as they tour, and much more.

This year, the 2018 Best of the West Awards at the October 13th conference luncheon will honor the Guacamole Fund with its first ever ‘Lifetime Achievement in Community Service Award‘.

Established as a non-profit in 1974, The Guacamole Fund helps publicize, raise funds, and raise consciousness around timely environmental, social, and cultural change issues. The Fund does its work by facilitating, organizing and producing benefit concerts, rallies, special ticket sales, receptions and media campaigns.

The Fund researches organizations that are actively involved in these public issues and brings this information to the attention of the entertainment community in order to stimulate involvement. The Fund also serves as a sounding board for the celebrity community, commercial production entities, musicians, and entertainment managers seeking help with evaluating proposals to support various causes.

Whenever possible, the Fund involves local activists in their efforts and community members may play significant roles in organizing actual events. They also act as the liaison between the local organization, the artist, the venues, and commercial entities.

The list of accomplishments is long, impressive and very unique. Guacamole Fund members have played significant roles in over 1,200 cultural, educational, environmental, social change and service events since 1974. Staff members have coordinated events ranging from very large outdoor rallies with an attendance of 1,000,000 people, to benefit concerts in stadiums accommodating 30,000 to 100,000. They have assisted with arena events hosting 2,500 to 20,000 people, concert halls and theaters seating 400 to 6,400, and receptions for 25 to 250. The Fund’s Ten/Four Club program offers artists an opportunity to raise funds for public interest work while on their commercial tours.

TOM CAMPBELL has organized more that 600 events: concerts, rallies, etc where rock musicians from Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne to Steve Wonder & Bruce Springsteen have played to make money or publicity for everything from hurricane Mitch to the antinuke movement. His nonprofit Guacomole fund has raised tens of millions of dollars with these events in the past 27 years. He is photographed in his office on 5/3/2001. © Gary Friedman /Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

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Seva works with local communities around the world to develop self-sustaining programs that preserve and restore sight.

At the heart of Seva''s vision is a growing perception that western technology and skills must be used in ways that are sustainable and that can be shared with those who do not have access to capital and resources. We call this compassionate capitalism.

Seva is a global nonprofit eye care organization that transforms lives and strengthens communities by restoring sight and preventing blindness.

We train local eye care providers and develop self-sustaining eye programs around the world.

Together we provide critical eye care to underserved communities, especially women, children, and indigenous peoples.

Seva has helped 5 million people regain their sight in more than 20 countries.

36 million people in the world are blind. 80% of them could see again with your help.

Restoring sight is one of the most effective ways to relieve suffering and reduce poverty.

Your $50 donation restores sight with a 15-minute cataract surgery that changes someone's life forever. You can donate to Seva here.

Follow @Seva_Foundation

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In the summer of 2004, designer Hannah Garrison was focused on making jewelry from recycled and found objects. Her island studio was also a gathering place for all kinds of people, especially musicians.  Naturally, she began to pick up the refuse they left, and transform it into art – specifically, guitar string bracelets were born. 

Her initial designs were gifted to and purchased by the girlfriends, wives and families of local musicians. After the initial inventory sold, Garrison moved to Mexico to work for a designer there, and the guitar string bracelet idea lay dormant for a  few years.  Then one day, back in NYC, she stumbled upon a Craigslist ad for someone who did interesting things with guitar strings.  All of her ideas came tumbling back.  Alongside the ex-president and publisher of Relix Magazine, the Wear Your Music concept was born: Bracelets made from guitar strings used and donated by acclaimed musicians with the profits going to the charities of their choosing.

The story begins there and continues.

Today, over 150 acclaimed musicians, from Eric Clapton to John Mayer to Carlos Santana to Bonnie Raitt, donate their used strings. Removed from the waste stream, the materials are handcrafted in Providence, RI and become one-of-a-kind memorabilia. Profits from the sales of these bracelets benefit any charity the musician chooses.

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Sweet Relief Musicians Fund provides financial assistance to all types of career musicians who are struggling to make ends meet while facing illness, disability, or age-related problems.

Who We Are

In 1994 Sweet Relief Musicians Fund was incorporated as a 501C3 nonprofit charity and for the past 24 years has been offering vital assistance to professional musical artists in need. Many prominent musicians, professionals and music fans have contributed enthusiastically to Sweet Relief. Benefits have been performed in venues from Miami to Seattle, with performances donated by many established and emerging artists. Nightclubs, concert halls, radio stations, internet sites, restaurants, clothing and shoe companies, music retailers, athletes, actors, corporations, foundations and music fans have all participated with Sweet Relief to assist struggling musicians.

Music has made all of our lives, and the events in our lives special and memorable. While few find fame and fortune, most musicians remain in the field for their love and passion of music. The choice an individual makes to be a professional musician is one of sacrifice. The average income across the various employment options while accounting for the part time nature of most opportunities is less than $25,000 annually. Over 65% of professional musicians do not have health insurance. Since the mid 1960’s (Post Beatles) the number of individuals choosing music as a career grew exponentially. Previous to this time most professionals were either orchestra and classical players or jazz and blues artists. The explosion of pop, rock and country career musicians over a 20-year period in the U.S. represented an artistic and cultural revolution.

While the financial hardship a musicians faces when dealing with illness or disability may be a constant, we now face a burgeoning elder population of artists with little or no resources available for such emergency situations.

Our Founder

Sweet Relief was founded by singer-songwriter Victoria Williams in 1993. Victoria, while on a career-making tour with Neil Young was forced to drop off mid-schedule after experiencing unexplained debilitating symptoms. A long and painful diagnostic process revealed she had multiple sclerosis.

After her diagnosis, a group of friends assembled an all-star album of Victoria’s songs, Sweet Relief, which alleviated much of her medical debt. Vic, knowing that there are many musicians like her -unable to afford medical expenses and compromised in their ability to work- donated some of her proceeds from the album to found Sweet Relief Musicians Fund.

The name of the fund derives from a song of Victoria’s, Opelousas (Sweet Relief) and the fact that we do provide sweet relief in the form of financial assistance to many musicians who would otherwise be in untenable predicaments.

Follow @SweetRelief