Grant and Funding Programs Offered by PLUS1 (PLUS1)

PLUS1 is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that emerged from the band Arcade Fire’s desire to support Haiti by adding a $1 donation to every concert ticket sold. Building on this model, PLUS1 now partners with hundreds of artists, events, and brands to embed charitable giving into live entertainment and cultural campaigns. Funds raised are pooled and granted to vetted grassroots and community-based nonprofits around the world.

The organization reports having granted more than $35 million to over 1,000 nonprofits globally. Its work emphasizes justice, access, and equity, using culture and live events as a vehicle to mobilize resources rapidly and at scale.

PLUS1 manages several thematic funds designed to respond to urgent and ongoing needs. The LGBTQ+ Equality Fund supports grassroots organizations advancing equal rights and inclusive care for LGBTQ+ communities. The Mental Health Access Fund provides grants to direct service organizations delivering mental health treatment and wellbeing initiatives for people facing high barriers to care. A Rapid Relief Fund channels donations to nonprofits responding to natural disasters and humanitarian crises, while the Reproductive Health Access Fund (in partnership with Noise for Now) supports organizations across the United States working on the full spectrum of reproductive health and rights.

Beyond these funds, PLUS1’s granting activity has supported humanitarian relief, education and school infrastructure, land and biodiversity conservation, safety and community for LGBTQ+ people, refugee support, and the strengthening of healthcare systems in underserved regions.

PLUS1 operates primarily through structured partner programs for artists, events, and brands. Its keystone charity ticket add-on program directs an additional amount from each ticket—typically $1—to designated nonprofit beneficiaries, with PLUS1 handling vetting, compliance, and operational tasks. The organization also offers philanthropic advising and strategy, helping partners identify cause areas and regions, and leverage PLUS1’s network of thousands of nonprofit partners.

Artist Funds allow individual artists to create their own philanthropic vehicles without having to establish a new charity, while campaign and community-building initiatives connect artists to specific projects that need funding to reach concrete goals. In all cases, PLUS1 positions itself as a trusted intermediary that aggregates small contributions and redistributes them as impactful grants.

PLUS1’s funding primarily targets grassroots and community-based nonprofit organizations, including those working in human rights, mental health, reproductive health, LGBTQ+ inclusion, disaster response, and community resilience. The beneficiaries are located across the globe, with specific emphasis on communities facing structural barriers to resources and care. Through regular granting and annual reports, PLUS1 demonstrates how cultural influence can be converted into sustained financial support for social change initiatives.