Portugal. The Man Launch Foundation to Spotlight Indigenous People

If you went to last year's Mumford & Sons show in Missoula, you probably saw opening band Portugal. The Man performing. And, if you were alive in 2017, you probably heard their Grammy Award winning song 'Feel It Still' around 84,000 times or more, in a variety of places. The Alaska band, now living in Portland, Oregon, has been active in community service since their first tour in 2004, and for the past year, they've been quietly launching a new foundation.

The PTM Foundation is "focused on building community resilience, empathy, and awareness through music, stories, art, education and connectivity. We aim to convene and organize partnerships and projects informed by community need, then mobilize Portugal. The Man’s listeners and supporters around that shared vision." According to the official PTM Foundation website, Portugal. The Man were given the Legend Award at the Native American Music Awards, and they got the Public Sector Leadership Award from the National Congress of American Indians.

In Billboard's interview with bassist and vocalist Zack Carothers, he stated, "“Native Peoples continue to thrive in the face of generational trauma and inequity. Our goal is to highlight that magic and help play a role in meeting some of their basic funding needs. With PTM Foundation, we are committed to interrupting that history — and making a change for the people who need it most.”

Funding to keep the foundation going is provided by the members of the band, meaning every single penny raised goes to the mission. Don't you just love when you find out that a band that you already love for their music, turns out to be a group of genuinely awesome humans? By using their platform to bring human rights education, awareness and viability to the masses, and to focus on the stories of our Indigenous People, they are using their fame in the most noble way possible, and for that, I salute Portugal. The Man. Learn more about their mission here.