When We Can’t Say Yes: Honoring Requests While Staying True to Our Mission
We often hear from individuals and families sharing deeply meaningful requests—stories rooted in love, challenge, resilience, and the desire to experience something joyful together. Many of these messages ask if we can help make a specific festival dream come true.
We want to start by saying this: we see you, we hear you, and we care.
Our organization was created to expand access to live music and community by providing free festival tickets to disabled fans through a grant-based application program. This model allows us to partner with festivals across the country and distribute tickets in a way that is equitable, sustainable, and rooted in community access.
At the same time, it also means something difficult: We are not able to fulfill individual wish requests.
That’s not because those wishes don’t matter—they absolutely do. It’s because our current structure, capacity, and funding are designed specifically to support our national ticket access program, rather than one-time or individualized experiences.
We know that can feel disappointing. And we never want a “no” to feel like a dismissal.
Why Our Model Exists
Our grant application program is designed to:
- Reach as many disabled fans as possible
- Build long-term partnerships with festivals
- Create consistent, repeatable access opportunities each season
- Ensure fairness in how tickets are distributed
It’s a system built for scale and sustainability—but it doesn’t allow for the flexibility needed to grant individual wishes outside of that framework.
Organizations That DO Grant Individual Wishes
While we may not be able to say yes to those specific requests, there are many organizations whose entire mission is centered around fulfilling individual dreams. These groups often require medical eligibility and have specific criteria, but they are designed to support exactly the kind of one-time, personalized experiences many families are seeking.
If you’re exploring options, here are some to consider:
Make-A-Wish Foundation
Grants wishes for children ages 2.5–18 with critical illnesses, often focused on meaningful, once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
Dream Foundation
Provides end-of-life dreams for adults facing serious illness, helping create lasting memories with loved ones.
Sunshine Foundation
Known for being more inclusive, serving children with chronic illness, disabilities, or other significant life challenges.
Dream Factory
Grants wishes to children with critical illnesses across multiple states, often focused on joyful experiences.
Children’s Wish Foundation International
Provides wishes for children with life-threatening illnesses worldwide.
Kids Wish Network
Supports children facing life-threatening conditions or life-altering circumstances.
Cameron Siemers Foundation for Hope
Offers financial grants to young adults (18–30) with life-threatening illnesses to fulfill a personal dream.
Second Wind Dreams
Focuses on granting meaningful experiences for adults, particularly those impacted by aging or illness.
Eternal Wish Foundation
Grants wishes to adults living with physical disabilities or chronic illness.
These organizations—and many others—exist because granting individual wishes takes significant time, coordination, and resources. In fact, an entire network of nonprofits is dedicated specifically to this work, often collaborating to bring hope and joy to people facing serious health challenges.
Holding Both Truths
We hold two things at once: We are proud of the access we’re able to provide through our festival grant program. And, we genuinely wish we could say yes to every single request that comes our way.
If you’ve reached out to us with a personal request and we weren’t able to fulfill it, please know that your story mattered. It still does.
Staying Connected
If attending a festival is something you’re hoping for, we encourage you to apply through our grant program when applications are open. That’s the best way to access support through our organization.
And if you’re seeking a more individualized experience, we hope the organizations above can help guide you toward a “yes.”
Because everyone deserves moments of joy, connection, and feeling part of something bigger.
