Natalie Merchant will receive the ASCAP Foundation Champion Award at The ASCAP Foundation Honors in New York City on Wednesday, December 11. The Champion Award was established by The ASCAP Foundation to celebrate ASCAP members whose contributions extend beyond music to significant charitable and humanitarian efforts. Also being honored at the event is Francisco Núñez, the founder and artistic director of the Young People's Chorus of New York City, who will receive The ASCAP Foundation Life in Music Award.

"Natalie Merchant has lent her name and voice to the causes of environmental protection, domestic violence, racism, arts education and more," said The ASCAP Foundation President Paul Williams, "and Francisco Núñez has enriched the lives of thousands of children of every cultural and economic background with innovative music education. Their passion and commitment to philanthropy are sterling examples of how the creative community can step forward to improve the human condition. They 'walk the walk' and are inspirations for all of us."

Natalie Merchant has supported a variety of non-profit organizations both financially and by raising public awareness. They include Scenic Hudson, Riverkeeper, The Center for Constitutional Rights, Doctors Without Borders, Tibet House, Greenpeace, The Southern Center for Human Rights, and Planned Parenthood. In 2007, she was appointed to serve a five-year term on the prestigious New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) and in 2013, spearheaded an effort to stop the advance of hydraulic fracturing in New York State with a concert film, Dear Governor Cuomo. That same year she again used the format of concert film to address the domestic violence crisis in the Hudson Valley with Shelter. Merchant is currently an artist in residence with the Hudson Valley charity Commission on Economic Opportunity, where she is developing a music, poetry and dance curriculum for their Head Start program.

Natalie Merchant has released three solo albums on Nonesuch Records—Leave Your Sleep (2010), Natalie Merchant (2014), and Paradise Is There: The New Tigerlily Recordings (2015)—and is featured on the 2017 Kronos Quartet album Folk Songs. Also in 2017, Nonesuch released a deluxe ten-disc box set called The Natalie Merchant Collection, comprising all eight of her solo studio albums from the previous three decades, a studio set of new reinterpreted selections, and a rarities disc. "Magnificent," exclaimed Mojo, "a definitive and absorbing celebration of an artist with a singular voice and vision."

Founded in 1975, The ASCAP Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to supporting American music creators and encouraging their development through music education and talent development programs. Included in these are songwriting workshops, grants, scholarships, awards, recognition and community outreach programs for songwriters, composers and lyricists. For more information, visit ascapfoundation.org.