Looking Out 10101 / 13
Looking Out 101
The fan-powered grantmaker Brandi Carlile and Phil and Tim Hanseroth built. How it funds, who it funds, and the part that is yours.
“The Looking Out Foundation amplifies the impact of music by awarding grants, engaging community, and creating powerful partnerships.”
Their mission, in full
Their shorthand for it: make music mean more.
LOF is a grantmaker. It raises money from a fan base and moves it to vetted organizations doing the work on the ground. It does not run the programs itself, which is why one gift can reach a cause anywhere in the world.
LOF does not spend most of what it raises on itself. It grants it out, to organizations that apply, in two decision windows a year.
Three things decide who gets funded.
Grants go only to tax-exempt public charities under Section 501(c)(3). Not individuals, not scholarships, not endowments, not fundraising galas.
The average grant runs between $5,000 and $25,000. Small on purpose, so it reaches groups the big institutional funders skip.
Decisions are made twice a year, in May and November. Every cycle, far more requests come in than the budget can support.
In their own words, LOF generally does not support “endowment programs, fund raising events, annual appeals of well-established organizations, scholarships, or grants to individuals.” The money is aimed at working charities, not overhead.
granted since 2008, to social justice and humanitarian causes across the US and the world. Most of it raised in small gifts from fans, then handed to the groups already on the ground.
“2025: A Breakthrough Year of Making Music Mean More!” - Looking Out Foundation on YouTube
The grantmaking follows need, and need moves. These are the three priorities LOF is funding against right now.
Through a partnership with Procter & Gamble, LOF funds five organizations delivering, in their words, essential, life-affirming services to LGBTQ+ communities. Open each.
Backs a nationwide network of local LGBTQ+ community centers, the front doors people actually walk through.
Pushes for fair, accurate LGBTQ+ representation across news and entertainment media.
Grants to queer-led organizations across Asia, Africa and Latin America, where local groups know the terrain.
Serves LGBTQ+ elders through its centers, reaching thousands of older adults a year with meals and wellness programs.
Runs crisis intervention and suicide prevention for LGBTQ+ young people.
We’re Only Human. Built around Brandi’s album Returning to Myself, celebrating the human impact fans can make together.
We’ll Find a Way. Raising funds to provide free legal assistance to people in detention.
Children in Conflict. A long-term partnership with War Child UK, delivering aid to children in war-affected regions.
About $25. In their words: “With an average donation of $25 per campaign, we are able to send funds to organizations making a difference on the ground worldwide.”
That is the whole model. Not a handful of big cheques. A large crowd, giving small amounts, over and over.
“We activate our dedicated coalition of fan volunteers to uplift humanitarian causes, organizations, and advocates.”
You are the coalition. The $25, the volunteer shift, the campaign you share, is the platform.
A fan-powered grantmaker: over $9M since 2008, in gifts that average $25, moved to the groups already doing the work. The easiest way in is on Propeller.
Join Brandi’s monthly club →On Propeller, members take on the Looking Out campaigns and unlock experiences and rewards with Brandi and the artists she champions.
Finished the course? Copy your code, then paste it on the action code page to claim your points.
A Propeller course, built about the Looking Out Foundation