Support The Sun Radio Foundation

The Sun Radio Foundation’s mission is to preserve the heritage of Texas music with a minimal impact on the environment. Sun Radio creates and distributes solar-powered radio programming to owned and operated, as well as non-commercial, member stations with a focus on saving local community radio. Sun Radio helps foster new radio broadcasting careers for the residents of the Texas hill country and provide 24/7, free, local radio for the communities we serve. Proceeds are used to provide relief to local musicians, expand local programming, create resident jobs, support other non-profit radio stations, broadcast Central Texas musicians and events, and fund new capital projects designed to increase our coverage area.

Sun Radio Foundation’s Month of Giving

Supporting Musicians and Community Radio Stations in Need

This November, the Sun Radio Foundation is proudly launching our Month of Giving, a dedicated effort to uplift our local artists and other community radio stations in need. We are bringing back our Recharge Program to provide direct support to Central Texas musicians and artists, while also extending relief to Appalachian radio stations affected by Hurricane Helene.

Recharge Program: Helping Artists Stay Afloat

Since 2020, our Recharge Program has helped more than 1,000 artists and community members meet essential needs, providing over $300,000 in grants during challenging times like the pandemic and the severe winter storms. This November, we’re giving away $30,000 raised during our Radiothon and Tom Petty Day concert, offering $100 grants to Central Texas musicians and artists to help cover their utility bills. The Recharge Program application will remain open until November 30th or until all funds have been distributed.

New Relief Efforts for Appalachian Community Radio Stations

To support local radio stations impacted by Hurricane Helene, the Sun Radio Foundation is expanding its Month of Giving efforts beyond Texas. We’re sending $500 relief checks to several Appalachian community radio stations to help with recovery and continue providing essential information and uplifting the listeners of their regions.

How YOU Can Help

You can play a part in our Month of Giving! Donate to the Sun Radio Foundation here and help support local musicians and radio stations in need.

About the Sun Radio Foundation: Sun Radio is a nonprofit 501C (3) charitable organization for the Arts. The Sun Radio mission is to (1) preserve the heritage of Texas music with a (2) minimal impact on the environment. Sun Radio creates and distributes solar-powered radio programming, to owned and operated as well as non-commercial member stations with a focus on (3) Saving Local Community Radio. Ten of the twelve radio stations on the Sun Radio Network were once off the air. The Sun Radio Foundation is a Guide Star Platinum Charity.

The Sun Radio Foundation

Our mission is to save community radio and to preserve the culture of Texas music with a minimal impact on the environment. Sun Radio creates and distributes solar-powered radio programming to non-commercial member stations sharing the “Best Music Under The Sun”.

Our Mission Objectives

Preserving the Heritage of Texas Music

The 2024 Sun Radiothon combined the Sun Radio Foundation’s commitment to local people and local music with its get up and go attitude in a three day live broadcast that showcased various performances and raised over $30,000 in donations. With the Sun Radio Recharge program, Sun Radio raised over $300,000 and provided financial relief to over 500 Central Texas musicians, sound techs, and roadies (and counting). Beyond raising money, Sun Radio also promotes Central Texas musicians by featuring them on air every day. Programs like Pioneers of Sun Radio, Texas Radio Live, The Sound of Our Town, Off the Grid Programming and A Hill Country Saturday pays respect, teaches, curates and supports Texas music culture.

Having a Minimal Impact on the Environment

Sun Radio is the largest solar-powered station in the world thanks to the foundation and its solar partners installing over 125,000 watts of clean energy solar panels (and Green energy offsets) at our studios in Austin, tower site in Westlake, and KCTI-FM in Gonzales. The Sun Radio Foundation aims for all Sun Radio affiliates to be powered with green energy sources by 2025. The Sun Radio Foundation also provides electric, hybrid and high-MPG vehicles as alternative sources of transportation to some employees whose automobiles do not reach their desired emissions and gas mileage standards.

Saving Local Community Radio

Since it’s conception, the foundation has saved 11 Central Texas community radio stations that were once off the air. Expanding outside the U.S., the foundation has also donated time, money, and expertise to local stations abroad in Haiti and Puerto Rico to give a voice back to these community lighthouses who do not receive funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Most recently, as part of the Sun Radio Recharge program, the Sun Radio Foundation gifted five COVID-19 relief grants to non-commercial radio stations nationwide to help stay afloat during the tumultuous times of 2020. In total, the foundation has donated over $250,000 back to community radio nationwide.

Supporting Central Texas Communities

In 2024, the Sun Radiothon added over $30,000 in funds to the Sun Radio Foundation, and $50,000 during the 2023 Sun Radiothon. In 2022, the foundation raised over $30,000 with $13,000 of that plus $100 gas cards going to local touring musicians. Several thousand dollars also went to community causes like the Operation Blue Santa Program and PAWS Shelter of Central Texas. In 2021, over $50,000 across 500 checks were given to locals by the foundation in just five days following historic severe winter storms. The Sun Radio Foundation is dedicated to Central Texas communities.

Few words from our President

“Our goal with the Sun Radio Foundation is to help grow a sustainable model of broadcasting; creating mininal impact on the environment while maximizing our support of local musicians. We believe community radio stations are an integral part of Texas culture. The Sun Radio Foundation is here to help maintain local radio while supporting the needs of the community.”
Daryl O'Neal

Our Good Work

The Sun Radio Recharge: Recharge, Recapped

About

The Sun Radio Recharge program encapsulates all the Sun Radio Foundation’s outward giving initiatives. During times of crisis or great need, through this program, the foundation is able to provide immediate financial relief to the community. Starting in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic to date, the Sun Radio Recharge has served over 1,000 Central Texans and donated over $300,000 back to the community.

Our History

2024

Sun Radiothon: During our second annual donation drive, The Foundation announced the net proceeds of the drive would fund the reopening of the Recharge Program later in 2024, and raised over $35,000 to support Central Texas musicians.

2023

Sun Radiothon: In winter of 2022, a combination of fraudulent donations and ice storm damage to our brand new solar panels and three tower sites, including to the original KDRP tower, had hit the Sun Radio Foundation hard. That summer, the Foundation held the first Sun Radiothon, a two day live celebration of our listeners, local music, and the work of the organization. The event raised over $50,000 from over 300 donors and helped get the Sun Radio Recharge program back on track to continue helping Austin musicians.

2022

Fall Recharge/Gas Money Relief: In September 2022, the Sun Radio Foundation gave $13,000 to help touring local musicians with $100 gas cards.

Christmas In July: The Sun Radio Foundation raised $3,600 with ½ of those donations supporting the Operation Blue Santa program!

The Betty White Challenge: On January 17th, 2022 on what would’ve been actress and animal welfare advocate Betty White’s 100th birthday, Sun Radio raised $2,025 in donations with half of those donations going to support PAWS Shelter of Central Texas.

2022 Sun Radio Sessions: Held annually during SXSW music week, the Sun Radio Sessions is a series concerts featuring a mix of local, national and international artists with the proceeds benefiting the Sun Radio Foundation. The 2022 Sun Radio Sessions were held March 11-19 at The Wittliff Collections at Texas State University, Evangeline Cafe, 04 Center, Live Oak Brewing, Still Austin Whiskey and Beerburg Brewing and raised $19,481 to the Foundation.

2021

Summer Of Giving: The Sun Radio Recharge returned in Summer 2021 to once again offer relief to Central Texas musicians in deferring the costs of their electricity bills.

Severe Winter Storm Relief: Following the severe winter storms that plagued Central Texas, the Sun Radio Foundation quickly shift gears and utilized the Sun Radio Recharge program to distribute roughly 500, $100 checks back to community members who were deeply affected by the inclement weather. Just five days after kick-off, the foundation poured over $50,000 back into the community.

2020

COVID-19 Relief: The Sun Radio Recharge in its inception was designed to help defer the costs of electricity bills for Central Texas musicians and community radio stations nationwide. Over the course of a year, the Foundation supported over 500 local artists and non-commercial stations all over the U.S.

These are some of the great independent radio stations the Sun Radio Foundation supports

KTSN-FM Johnson City, TX

• KTSN-FM is a listener-supported community radio station serving Johnson City, TX and the upper Highland Lakes region.

KCTI-FM Gonzales, TX

• KCTI-FM is a listener-supported community radio station serving the areas of Gonzales and San Marcos, Texas and is home to Gonzales Apache Sports broadcast.

KOWO-LP Wimberley, TX

• KOWO-LP is a listener-supported community radio station serving Wimberley, Texas.

KDRP-LP Dripping Springs, TX

• KDRP is a listener-supported community radio station serving Dripping Springs, Texas and is home to Dripping Springs Tiger Sports broadcast.

KNON-FM Dallas, TX

• KNON is a non-profit, listener-supported community radio station, deriving its main source of income from on-air pledge drives and from underwriting or sponsorships by local small businesses.

KYBU-FM Round Valley, CA

• Round Valley Community Radio broadcasts a mix of music, news, interviews, and locally-relevant information to the community of Round Valley.

KAPY-FM Duvall, WA

• Valley Community Broadcasting, known as Valley 104.9 FM, is a volunteer-based community Low Power FM (LPFM) radio station providing programming content for Duvall, Carnation, and Redmond Ridge residing in the lower Snoqualmie valley.

WVET-LP Fort McCoy, FL

•Eureka Community Education Services. 24/7 Oldies LPFM Radio station. Broadcasting Live from Eureka FL.

KDIV-LP Fayetteville, AK
• Voice of Diversity is inclusive of all cultures while speaking from the views of Black, Indigenous, (and) People of Color (BIPOC) local as well as global.

KLEK-LP Jonesboro, AK
• The Voice of Arkansas Minority Advocacy Council.

KMRD-LP Cerrillos, NM
• Dedicated to providing a platform for diverse local content and cultivating meaningful communication.

KWYG-LP Cheyenne, WY
• Southern Gospel, Convention Songs, Quartet Singing, Bluegrass Gospel, Old-time Hymns, and more to the citizens of Cheyenne Wyoming.

KDKO-FM Lake Andes, SD
• Serves the Native American Community living on or near the Yangton Sioux Indian Reservation in South Dakota.

WHIV-FM New Orleans, LA
• NOSIDA’s focus is to raise awareness about HIV and other infectious diseases through music.

WRAQ-LP Angelina, NY
• Their Mission – Involving as many neighbors as possible, they create and broadcast content to enriches the lives of people in their community.

KAZI-FM Austin, TX
• their mission is to reach and provide educational programming and information with special emphasis on media access for the African American community in Austin Texas.

KTIM-FM La Grange, TX
• A full service community noncommercial radio stations serving listeners with a unique blend of music, local sports, news and weather.

KJFK-LP Hot Springs Montana

WAWL-LP Grand Haven, WI
• As part of the Tri-Cities Broadcasting Foundation Inc., their mission (in part) is to help foster new broadcasting careers by providing training for high school students in West Michigan.

KJIC-FM Houston, TX