How ACM Lifting Lives Became An Essential Lifeline to the Country Community
Categoria: Musica
The Academy’s charitable partner celebrates 20 years of supporting the genre.
Por Billboard | 13/05/2026
While the Academy of Country Music has fostered charitable giving for decades, its philanthropic partner, ACM Lifting Lives , was founded 20 years ago to create an entity dedicated to such work. Ever since, it has funded programs to help advance music’s relationship with health and serve members of the country music community. Dating back to its 2006 launch, ACM Lifting Lives has donated over $12 million to more than 150 causes, with highlights including a music camp for those with Williams Syndrome and the Diane Holcomb Emergency Relief Fund, which supports those in the country music space affected by emergency situations like illness, injury or natural disasters. With only three full-time staff members, ACM Lifting Lives is buoyed by the full ACM team. “We couldn’t do it without [the ACM] staff leaning in and providing supplemental support for marketing, finance, events and more,” says ACM Lifting Lives executive director Taylor Wolf, who stepped into the role full-time last summer after joining the organization in 2019 as a coordinator. “But the ACM Lifting Lives team is very small and nimble. We’ve helped thousands of individuals.” As Wolf explains, ACM Lifting Lives has evolved over the years. “Unfortunately, you can’t help everyone at one moment in time,” she says. “So we made it a point to narrow our mission a couple of years back to deepen impact.” Tickets for the 61st ACM Awards and ACM Awards week events are available for purchase on AXS.com. Click here for more information. Related Ella Langley, Zach Top & More Added as Performers on 2026 ACM Awards From Loretta Lynn to Shania Twain, All the ACM Awards Hosts Who Ever Won Entertainer of the Year Megan Moroney & More Women Lead 2026 ACM Awards Nominations: Full List These days, ACM Lifting Lives is focused on two populations in particular. The first is those working within the country music space, no matter the job, who it supports through efforts including the Diane Holcomb Emergency Relief Fund. During the COVID-19 pandemic, ACM Lifting Lives also used its resources to help those in the country community make ends meet, assisting them with expenses such as groceries and rent — an initiative both Wolf and ACM CEO Damon Whiteside point to as a highlight of the organization’s work. “We’ve had so much feedback over the years about that and how that made a difference in people’s lives, helped them stay in Nashville, helped them stay on their career path, all those kinds of things,” Whiteside says. “That’s what I love about ACM Lifting Lives — we can actually help people individually like that in times of need.” Wolf adds, “As soon as they got help from ACM Lifting Lives, it was the catalyst to start seeing some change. The emergency grants are really meaningful to me.” Grace Tyler at the Topgolf Tee-Off in The Colony, Texas, in May 2025 at an event that benefited ACM Lifting Lives. Michael Buckner As Whiteside puts it, mental health is also a “major mission” for