Morgan Wallen Foundation Gives $15,000 to Three Hawkins County Schools
Morgan Wallen Foundation — Hawkins County Schools
- Bulls Gap, Carters Valley Elementary, and Surgoinsville Middle each received a $5,000 grant for music programs.
- Schools purchased instruments, audio/video equipment, lighting, and a chorale riser with the funds.
- Hawkins County is Wallen’s home region — Sneedville, TN is where he grew up.
- $3 from every ticket sold on the Still The Problem Tour funds the Morgan Wallen Foundation.
The Morgan Wallen Foundation donated $15,000 to three Hawkins County, Tennessee, schools in early 2026. Bulls Gap School, Carters Valley Elementary School, and Surgoinsville Middle School each received $5,000 to fund instruments, audio equipment, and music programs from a homecoming grant from the country star who grew up in neighboring Sneedville.
Wallen Brings the Foundation Home
Morgan Wallen has sent stadium crowds home from coast to coast on his Still The Problem Tour, but this particular act of giving landed closer to where it all started.
In early March 2026, the Morgan Wallen Foundation awarded $15,000 in grants to three schools in Hawkins County, Tennessee. Bulls Gap School, Carters Valley Elementary School, and Surgoinsville Middle School each received $5,000. The money went straight into music classrooms—instruments, microphones, lighting rigs, and a chorale riser that lets every student be seen on concert night.
Wallen grew up in Sneedville, the county seat of neighboring Hancock County, just a short drive from the Hawkins County line. These schools sit in the same stretch of East Tennessee that shaped his early relationship with music. That context is not incidental. It is the whole point.
What the Schools Received
The grants covered a range of purchases that music teachers had been working toward for years.
| School | Grant Amount | Items Purchased |
|---|---|---|
| Bulls Gap School | $5,000 | Musical instruments |
| Carters Valley Elementary | $5,000 | Instruments, audio/video equipment, lighting, a choral riser |
| Surgoinsville Middle School | $5,000 | Musical instruments |
Carters Valley Elementary music teacher Beth Lynn was direct about what the grant changed: the chorale riser now means every student can be seen during a concert performance. The audio and video equipment gives the program a platform it simply did not have before.
Hawkins County Director of Schools Matt Hixson framed the grant in broader terms. Music, he said, is not a supplementary subject. It builds a student’s identity. Foundations like MWF, he noted, serve as real partners in that work—not just check-writers.
Hawkins County Is Not a First-Time Recipient
This is not the first time the Morgan Wallen Foundation has supported schools in this part of Tennessee. In 2024, Clinch School in Hawkins County received its own $5,000 grant and used it to purchase instruments for its music program.
That gives the foundation a consistent presence in the county across back-to-back years a pattern that signals intention, not a one-off gesture. For a region without large institutional music funding, recurring grants from a major foundation carry real weight.
How the Foundation Is Funded
The Morgan Wallen Foundation runs primarily on two revenue streams: Wallen’s own contributions and $3 from every concert ticket he sells. That figure has compounded significantly as his tours have grown. His 2024 One Night At A Time World Tour covered 87 shows, and the current Still The Problem Tour adds 23 more stadium dates across 12 cities.
The math behind the foundation’s capacity is directly tied to how many seats Wallen fills. It is worth noting that the foundation has already distributed over $5 million in total since its founding.
The 2025 “Tour Give Back” initiative alone committed $600,000 in instruments to schools in touring cities. In 2024, the foundation donated $500,000 worth of instruments to 14 stadium touring cities through a partnership with Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation. It also donated $500,000 to the American Red Cross following Hurricane Helene’s devastation in East Tennessee and western North Carolina.
Why East Tennessee, Why Now
For anyone following Morgan Wallen’s career arc, this Hawkins County grant reads as something personal. He has spoken directly about how music changed his direction growing up in East Tennessee. The foundation’s stated mission that all children deserve access to music and sports is not abstract language for him. It maps onto a specific geography and a specific childhood.
The foundation also recently committed $15,000 to send 35 Knoxville-area children from underserved communities to a music and art camp through the Salvation Army. That grant and the Hawkins County donation reflect the same regional instinct: put resources into the communities that gave Wallen his start.
To understand the full picture of how Wallen’s success connects to this kind of giving, the story of how he became country music’s defining star runs alongside this one in ways that are hard to separate.
The Tour Give Back Model Continues in 2026
The Still The Problem Tour kicks off April 10 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota two consecutive nights to open one of the largest country tours of the year. The Tour Give Back initiative travels with the show to every stop.
That means schools in Indianapolis, Chicago, Philadelphia, and the nine other stadium cities on the 2026 schedule will see instrument donations as the tour moves through their communities. The Hawkins County grants are an early signal of where that model is heading as Wallen gears up for his biggest touring season yet.
For fans who buy tickets, this is the direct line between the price of admission and a kid in a classroom holding a new instrument for the first time.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did the Morgan Wallen Foundation donate to Hawkins County schools?
The Morgan Wallen Foundation donated $15,000 in total, $5,000 each, to Bulls Gap School, Carters Valley Elementary School, and Surgoinsville Middle School in Hawkins County, Tennessee.
What did the schools buy with the grants?
The schools purchased instruments, audio and video equipment, lighting gear, and a chorale riser. Carters Valley Elementary specifically noted the riser now allows every student to be visible during school concerts.
How is the Morgan Wallen Foundation funded?
The foundation is primarily funded by Morgan Wallen himself. Three dollars from every concert ticket sold goes directly to support its work in youth music and sports programs.
Has the Morgan Wallen Foundation donated to Hawkins County before?
Yes. Clinch School in Hawkins County received a $5,000 grant in 2024 and used it to purchase instruments making this the second consecutive year the foundation has supported the county.
Will the Still The Problem Tour continue school donations in 2026?
Yes. The Tour Give Back initiative is active on the 2026 tour, with instrument donations planned for schools in the 12 stadium cities Wallen visits across the year.