according to the band's website, , the band's own charity, the bama works fund, has contributed over $8.5 million to a wide variety of need organizations. it was founded in 1999 to address the needs of disadvantaged youth, disabled persons, the environment, and arts and humanities in the city of charlottesville, virginia area, and surrounding area of albemarle, buckingham, fluvanna, greene, louisa, nelson, and orange counties. in addition, bama works fund has been active in other projects, and often the dave matthews band, both as a whole and individually, have planned charity events and donated their time and resources outside of charlottesville. some examples include building a "village recovery fund" after the tsunami that ravaged sri lanka, promoting a challenge grant for the habitat for humanity musician's village in new orleans, multiple appearances to benefit both farm aid and the annual neil young-sponsored bridge school benefits, fundraisers for the victims of hurricane katrina, and followed this with donations after the 2010 disaster that leveled many villages in haiti. the band played benefit concerts to help fund the school system in new york city, and countless other concerns. as a result, the band was awarded the naacp chairman's award. in matthews's acceptance speech, he spoke for the band as a whole, commenting that of all the achievements they had enjoyed, that the award by the naacp and julian bond in particular was by far the highest honor they had bestowed upon them.