It’s that time of year again when we all proudly proclaim, “I live here, I give here.” Amplify Austin Day runs March 1st–2nd.
An annual tradition, Amplify Austin Day is the largest day of giving in Central Texas, where Austinites and Central Texans raise $82 million for more than 700 nonprofits from 6 p.m. March 1st to 6 p.m. March 2nd. It’s a big deal (and one of the best ways to give back). You can choose a specific nonprofit to donate to on AmplifyATX.org, or to the I Live Here I Give Here Amplify Fund, which gets distributed across all participating organizations. Plus, several companies and local donors are pledging to match donations to certain causes, making your gifts go even further.
What’s near and dear to your heart? Here are just a few organizations we recommend if you want to help in these categories.
Animals
Emancipet provides veterinary care to pets whose families can’t access affordable, high-quality care, from spay/neuter surgeries to heartworm treatment. Their veterinarians never turn away anyone for an inability to pay, and a donation as low as $25 can provide a family with annual vaccinations for a beloved pet.
Austin loves its bat population—look at our “Bat City” nickname. But sometimes, they need some help getting off the ground. For more than a decade, Austin Bat Refuge has been rehabilitating bats in Central Texas. Their focus this year is building capacity to respond to more frequent emergencies that affect bats—floods, freezes, and heatwaves.
Match opportunity: An anonymous donor is offering a $25,000 matching grant to be distributed among all participating Animal Care & Services organizations during Amplify Austin.
Housing
Austin is an expensive city, and finding accessible and affordable housing for those experiencing disabilities is exceptionally difficult. Accessible Housing Austin! provides integrated housing for low-income people with disabilities. In 2021, the organization opened AHA! at Briarcliff, a 27-unit, integrated apartment complex for people with and without disabilities and households that make below 50 percent of the median family income.
Match opportunity: Longtime Amplify Austin Day supporters Lee & Roger Kintzel are sponsoring the Housing, Shelter, and Homelessness cause category with a $20,000 matching grant.
Health Care Accessibility
Austin’s live music scene is one of our many draws, but being a musician in Austin is getting increasingly hard. The Health Alliance for Austin Musicians provides access to affordable health care services for our city’s low-income, working musicians. HAAM has helped 5,600 musicians in Austin access over $98 million dollars in health care services since 2005.
Match opportunity: Cirrus Logic is supporting Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM) with a matching gift of $10,000.
LGBTQIA+ Causes
Equality Texas has been working for more than 30 years to fight for the equality of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer Texans through political action, education, and community organizing. As a political advocacy organization, Equality Texas is especially busy during legislative years (like 2023) fighting discriminatory bills. That advocacy defeated 75 out of 76 anti-LGBTQ+ bills during the 2021 legislative session.
Match opportunity: On March 2, JuiceLand’s Central Texas locations are giving 100% of all net sales proceeds to LGBTQIA+ nonprofits.
Our Environment
The Save Our Springs Alliance has worked to protect the water quality of Barton Springs, the Edwards Aquifer, and Texas Hill Country creeks and rivers since 1992. As Central Texas’ population continues to grow, Save Our Springs is asking for donations to continue their efforts to keep our water clean and flowing.
Match opportunity: H-E-B is providing a matching gift of $10,000 for the Environment, Conservation, & Sustainability cause category during Amplify Austin.
Education
Working to enhance educational and economic opportunities for African Americans and minorities in the city, 100 Black Men of Austin, Inc. provided books, backpacks, mentorship, and scholarships to students in the area, sponsored educational extracurricular activities for students, and donated $7,000 to families in Uvalde in 2022.
Match opportunity: Reissa Foundation is providing a matching $25,000 gift to BIPOC-led organizations in the small budget category during Amplify Austin.
Arts and Culture
The Austin Creative Alliance serves more than 3,000 artists in Austin and sponsors more than 400 cultural events annually, helping professional artists access materials and funding that allow them to keep creating. ACA established the Artists Emergency Fund on March 18, 2020, in response to the pandemic and has raised more than $200,000 to provide direct support to more than 300 artists who need it.
Match opportunity: Tito’s Handmade Vodka is working with I Live Here I Give Here to add $25 to your donations within the Arts and Culture category. Enter #LoveTitos in the public message box at checkout, and Tito’s will help maximize donations up to $15,000 during Amplify Austin.
