Charity Mix: A Sampling of Musician Philanthropy

Joe Cocker
Type of music: Rock, pop
Area: Western Colorado
Charity work: The singer and his wife, Pam, who live in Crawford, Colo., started the Cocker Kids Foundation to support educational, athletic, and cultural activities for children.

Faith Hill and Tim McGraw
Type of music: Country
Areas: Louisiana and Mississippi
Charity work: The singers, who are married, last year set up the Neighbor’s Keeper Foundation, in Nashville, to help victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Ms. Hill hails from Mississippi, Mr. McGraw from Louisiana.

Hootie and the Blowfish
Type of music: Rock
Area: South Carolina
Charity work: The band created a fund at the Central Carolina Community Foundation, in Columbia, S.C., to provide money to music-education programs in its native South Carolina.

Rita Marley
Type of music: Reggae
Area: Jamaica
Charity work: Ms. Marley, a singer and the widow of the singer Bob Marley, established the Rita Marley Foundation and the Bob Marley Foundation, both in New York, to support children and poor people in Jamaica and other nations.

Bette Midler
Type of music: Pop
Area: New York
Charity work: The singer and actress founded the New York Restoration Project in 1994 to restore neglected parks throughout the city. She is also an active supporter of AIDS charities in New York and Los Angeles.

The Neville Brothers
Type of music: Rhythm and blues, pop
Area: New Orleans
Charity work: The native New Orleanians have played benefit concerts to help victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Stevie Nicks
Type of music: Rock
Area: Phoenix
Charity work: Ms. Nicks, lead singer of the group Fleetwood Mac, raises money for the Arizona Heart Foundation, in Phoenix, where her father, who died last year of heart disease, served as chairman. The foundation is currently building a cardiovascular research facility at Arizona Heart Hospital, in Phoenix, that will be named for the Nicks family.

Conor Oberst
Type of music: Rock
Area: Nebraska
Charity work: Mr. Oberst, an Omaha native who fronts the band Bright Eyes, released a Christmas album in 2002, the proceeds of which support the Nebraska AIDS Project, an AIDS prevention, education, and patient- care program in Omaha.

Phish
Type of music: Rock
Area: Vermont
Charity work: The band broke up in 2004, but royalties from merchandise deals continue to raise money for its WaterWheel Foundation, in its hometown of Burlington, Vt. The foundation gives to environmental groups, especially those focused on preserving Lake Champlain.

Queen Latifah
Type of music: Hip-hop, pop
Area: New Jersey
Charity work: Queen Latifah, who was born Dana Owens, created the Lancelot H. Owens Scholarship Foundation, in Jersey City, to provide college scholarships to students in New Jersey, where she was born, and in New York and Connecticut. The fund is named for her brother, who died in 1992 as the result of a motorcycle accident.

Henry Rollins
Type of music: Punk
Area: Los Angeles and Washington
Charity work: Mr. Rollins, who was born Henry Garfield, has raised money for youth groups in Los Angeles, where he lives, and in his hometown of Washington.

Shakira
Type of music: Pop
Area: Colombia
Charity work: The singer, whose full name is Shakira Mebarak Ripoll, founded the Fundación Pies Descalzos, or Bare Feet Foundation, in Bogotá, to help children affected by civil war in her native country.

Barbra Streisand
Type of music: Pop
Area: Los Angeles
Charity work: The Barbra Streisand Foundation, in Los Angeles, has given nearly $15-million since 1986, and while primarily focused on national causes, it began supporting Los Angeles charities in the early 1990s in response to both the riots following the Rodney King verdict and state budget cuts. The foundation’s local giving is focused on arts and music programs that serve young people.

Usher
Type of music: Hip-hop, pop
Area: Atlanta
Charity work: The singer, born Usher Raymond IV, raises funds for his organization, the New Look, which runs a children’s camp.

Neil Young
Type of music: Rock, folk
Area: Northern California
Charity work: Mr. Young has hosted an annual benefit concert for the past 20 years to raise funds for the Bridge School, in Hillsborough, Calif., which serves children with severe disabilities, using technology to help them learn to communicate. The school was co-founded by Mr. Young’s wife, Pegi, and was attended by the Youngs’ son, who has cerebral palsy.