Collaboration is the first to unite a professional women’s sports franchise and recording artist, focused on community impact and the cultural connection of sports and music

Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon becomes the first individual Lynx Changemaker, furthering 2 A Billion’s mission to end gender inequity, domestic violence and sexual abuse

Watch Justin Vernon and Napheesa Collier’s interview on ESPN’s NBA Today: HERE

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL – The Minnesota Lynx and Bon Iver today announced a first-of-its-kind partnership focused on gender equity and community impact. The groundbreaking collaboration is a first across professional women’s sports, with a pro women’s sports team and a multi-Grammy award-winning musician and art project joining forces to create and effect meaningful impact.

The multi-year partnership begins with the 2025 Lynx season and will focus on addressing gender inequities as a result of domestic and sexual violence, sex trafficking, health care disparities and barriers within education and leadership.

“Basketball is exactly like music. It’s a group and individual improvising to create moments of vision, excitement and joy. Simply said, the Minnesota Lynx team is my favorite band in the world right now. As Bon Iver, we also saw an unprecedented opportunity to not only support this band of incredible women on the court, but by combining forces to more urgently support the communities of women in the Upper Midwest,” said Justin Vernon of Bon Iver.

“We are incredibly excited about this innovative and first-of-its-kind partnership, centered around community impact and the cultural connection of sports and music. Justin is an incredibly passionate supporter of the Lynx, and our complete value alignment has allowed us to create a partnership focused on meaningful societal change,” said Lynx President of Business Operations Carley Knox.

Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon is a strong advocate for gender equity and helped to create Bon Iver’s 2 A Billion, a campaign that raises support, awareness and person-to-person connections in an effort to end gender inequity, domestic violence and sexual abuse. With deep roots and family ties in both Wisconsin and Minnesota, Vernon is also a long-time Lynx fan, constantly discussing his love for the team during the promotion of Bon Iver’s latest album release, SABLE, fABLE.

Highlights of the Minnesota Lynx and Bon Iver partnership include:

Pioneering collaboration between a professional women’s sports franchise and a multi-Grammy award-winning artist and musician to champion a powerful cause

With absolute shared values, the Lynx and Bon Iver are partnering to bring about change, advocating for gender equity and bringing awareness to domestic and sexual violence, sex trafficking, health care disparities and barriers within education and leadership

This collaboration will spotlight and support the following nonprofits: Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, She Rock, She Rock and Girls Taking Action

Women’s Foundation of Minnesota: Invests in innovative community-based, community-led solutions to ensure safety, opportunity and pathways to economic security for women, girls, gender-expansive people and families across Minnesota
- She Rock She Rock: Is dedicated to empowering girls, women and gender-expansive folks through the art of music
- Girls Taking Action (Lynx Changemaker Impact Partner): Works to motivate, empower and educate girls about the importance of understanding their personal power, achieving academically, actualizing their personal leadership, creating positive social change in their local community and developing a career plan that includes post-secondary education
Bon Iver’s 2 A Billion campaign will donate $250,000 in total grants to the above nonprofits and to the following 10 Minnesotan and western Wisconsin nonprofit organizations and shelters working to support survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse. Through each grant, Bon Iver and 2 A Billion further a commitment to supporting the localized resources and partners:
- Minnesota Transgender Health Coalition (Minneapolis, MN)
- Esperanza United (St. Paul, MN)
- Tubman (Minneapolis, MN)
- Women’s Advocates (St. Paul, MN)
- Ain Dah Yung Center (St. Paul, MN)
- Embrace (Ladysmith, WI)
- Family Support Center (Chippewa Falls, WI)
- Oakwood Haven (Hayward, WI)
- Turningpoint (River Falls, WI)
- Community Referral Agency (Rice Lake, WI)
The partnership will include activations throughout the season, such as unique content features, player integration with the nonprofits, community outreach, basketball clinics and the annual Lynx Changemakers Summit, which will take place in August 2025

About Lynx Changemakers

The Lynx Changemakers platform is designed to transcend traditional sponsorship and pave the way for major local companies or individuals to invest in women’s sports in a new way. By combining purpose-driven activation with direct financial support of local organizations, the Minnesota business community will have the opportunity to collectively showcase their commitment to fostering gender equity and women’s leadership through the power of sports. The team-level program is modeled after the WNBA’s successful league-level platform launched in 2020.

About Bon Iver

Bon Iver is an art project based in Wisconsin.

About 2 A Billion

2 A Billion is a campaign created by Bon Iver to raise support, awareness and person-to-person connections in an effort to end gender inequity, domestic violence and sexual abuse.

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