Olivia Rodrigo’s Daisy Chain Fields Festival Raises $20 Million in Irvine for Women’s Nonprofits, With Chappell Roan, Doechii and Bikini Kill on the Bill
IRVINE, CA — Olivia Rodrigo turned her Daisy Chain Fields benefit into a major fundraising moment, announcing that the festival had already brought in $20 million for women’s well-being. Half of that total will go to 10 nonprofit partners, including Planned Parenthood, the National Women’s Law Center and Black Mamas Matter Alliance.
The Irvine festival paired Rodrigo with a women-led lineup that also included Chappell Roan, Doechii and Bikini Kill. The event centered not just on performances, but on access to health care, workplace protections and legal rights, giving fans a chance to connect the music to the mission behind it.
A benefit built like a festival fans would actually line up for
Rodrigo said the name Daisy Chain captured the idea of separate pieces linking together into something stronger. That message fit the festival’s structure, which included a “philanthropy village” where guests could visit nonprofit booths, learn about services and collect pins as they moved from table to table.
The lineup was designed to feel multigenerational. Rodrigo, 23, has built a career on songs that channel the frustration and intensity of young love, but here she aimed that same emotional pull toward activism, using her stage to draw in Gen Z audiences that nonprofits often struggle to reach.
Fans seemed to understand the point. One attendee, Grace Slevin, said people mobilize when they feel connected to the group doing the mobilizing, and she liked that the festival used music as the entry point. Attendees were not just donating; they were being invited to learn, ask questions and see the work up close.
Melinda French Gates added another $10 million as the cause took the spotlight
The total grew even bigger when Melinda French Gates made a surprise appearance at the start of Rodrigo’s set and pledged another $10 million through Pivotal Ventures. She called Rodrigo “a force” and praised her for showing younger people how much their voices matter.
Several nonprofit leaders said the money mattered as much for its form as for its size. The grants are unrestricted general operating support, which means the organizations can decide how to use them for staffing, advocacy, training and day-to-day needs instead of being locked into one narrow project.
That flexibility was especially welcome for groups working on reproductive health, sex discrimination and caregiving. Leaders from Planned Parenthood, the National Women’s Law Center, Black Mamas Matter Alliance and the National Domestic Workers Alliance said the festival offered both resources and a reminder that younger audiences can be part of long-term movement building.
Rodrigo’s charity push echoes Lilith Fair and a newer generation of fan activism
Rodrigo’s event also reached back to a classic model of women-centered music activism: Lilith Fair. Sarah McLachlan, who founded that touring festival in the 1990s, is listed as a special guest, and Rodrigo has said the earlier benefit run helped inspire her own approach.
That history resonated with people who attended with family members. Melissa Shaw traveled from Tucson with her 8-year-old daughter and said she wanted the day to be about more than close-up views of the stage. She liked that the festival mixed big names with causes tied to Black maternal health, baby formula access and other issues families can talk about together.
For the nonprofits, that intergenerational energy was part of the appeal. Organizers said the festival created a joyful setting for serious work, one where music could help normalize conversations about reproductive health, caregiving and women’s rights while still feeling like a genuine fan event.
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