Pop singer Chappell Roan has taken a bold step beyond the stage, unveiling a new philanthropic initiative designed to support trans youth and broader LGBTQ+ communities. In an Instagram announcement on Thursday, October 23, she introduced the Midwest Princess Project, which has already raised more than $400,000 through Roan’s recent pop-up shows.
With a career marked by outspoken support for the LGBTQ+ community, Roan is now translating her advocacy into concrete action. “I am so excited to announce @midwestprincessproject,” she wrote, “an organization we’ve launched to provide support and needed resources for trans youth and LGBTQ+ communities!” In the same post she revealed that the fund has already surpassed the $400 K mark thanks to her series of Visions of Damsels & Other Dangerous Things pop-up shows.
Roan made it clear that every available dollar is destined for organizations serving trans youth, after deducting transaction fees and minimal administrative costs, she pledges that “every dollar possible” will go to the communities who need it most.
The Midwest Princess Project has already earmarked donations for established organisations in the cities where Roan recently performed:
These selections underscore the project’s strategy of targeting local organisations in the very cities where her shows raised funds, aligning fundraising with direct community impact.
Roan specified that each ticket sold at her Visions of Damsels & Other Dangerous Things pop-up events contributed $1 to the Midwest Princess Project. The decision to link her live appearances and fundraising shows how the initiative flows directly from her artistry and audience engagement.
The fund launch is a natural extension of Roan’s identity as an advocate for queer and trans rights. In a 2023 piece for Billboard she described the LGBTQ+ community as integral to her self-acceptance: “To the community that saved me… ‘Thank God I’m gay’ is a sentence I thought I’d never say, but it’s true. Thank God I love women. Thank God you taught me to accept myself…”
Her advocacy has not been mere rhetoric. At the 2024 Governors Ball Music Festival, when asked about a possible performance at the White House’s Pride Month celebration, she revealed she declined the invitation, stating: “We want liberty, freedom and justice for all… That means freedom in trans rights.” With the Midwest Princess Project, Roan now positions herself not just as a vocal ally, but as an instigator of tangible support for trans youth.
Trans youth face unique challenges in accessing support, from mental-health services, peer networks, affirming housing, and community organisations. By directing funds explicitly toward trans-youth-serving organizations, the Midwest Princess Project helps fill critical gaps. The project also holds symbolic weight: coming from an artist with visibility, it signals that trans youth are valued and supported in the wider cultural conversation.
Chappell Roan’s launch of the Midwest Princess Project represents a significant shift, from pop-star statements to structural support for one of the most marginalised segments of her community. Raising over $400,000 so quickly demonstrates both fan engagement and the resonance of her message. If managed with care and community-centred strategy, this initiative could become a meaningful force in supporting trans youth, something Roan herself hinted at when she described the fund as “musical medicine” for deeper struggles.
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