Art Garfunkel is headed to Austin. The Andy Roddick Foundation announced that the eight-time Grammy winner will perform at its annual gala on Nov. 9 at ACL Live, with tickets already on sale for a benefit that has become one of the city's marquee philanthropic nights.
The foundation made the announcement Aug. 27, confirming that Garfunkel would take the stage at ACL Live at the Moody Theater for the Monday-night event, according to the Andy Roddick Foundation. Garfunkel, known for his work with Simon & Garfunkel, is an eight-time Grammy Award winner, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, per the foundation's announcement. Tickets went on sale that same morning at 10 a.m. CT through ACLLive.com, starting at $55 for balcony seating and $85 for mezzanine seating.
The gala typically draws a big crowd, with the foundation saying it expects to bring together approximately 2,000 supporters, friends, partners and concert-goers this year. Since 2010, the annual event has raised more than $16.7 million for the foundation's cost-free after-school and summer learning and enrichment programs, the foundation says.
A Tennis Champion's Mission Rooted in Austin
Founder Andy Roddick, the former tennis champion, has said he moved to Austin when he was two years old and considers it a place he loves, respects and wants to give back to, according to CBS Austin. Roddick has said he began building the foundation after a conversation with his childhood idol, Andre Agassi, who told him he regretted not starting his own philanthropic work earlier. Roddick joined reporter Sierra Waggoner to discuss the foundation and preview the 2026 gala, telling the station that the foundation adds value to children and entire families.
The foundation's work centers on out-of-school learning, including after-school and summer programs, and it offers STEM education and math enrichment alongside its core offerings, per the station's report. It operates three direct-service programs of its own and supports more than 40 additional after-school programs around the region, the same account notes. Roddick has explained that the families served are roughly 80% single-parent households, and that the foundation's after-school environments give parents a safe place for their kids so they can remain at work.
Addressing Cost and Access Barriers
The Austin-based nonprofit, led by CEO Jaime Garcia, runs after-school and summer camps for kids in poorer communities around the city to help address what it calls an opportunity gap, according to Axios. The outlet reports that the foundation's summer camps served 220 children from Harris, Hart and Pecan Springs elementary schools, using a six-to-one student-to-teacher ratio designed to help kids maintain and improve academic skills. The two biggest barriers for any child attending after-school and summer care, Axios reports the foundation says, are cost and access.
Those barriers have taken on added weight given federal funding pressures: Axios also reports that President Trump's proposed fiscal year 2026 budget would zero out funding for 21st Century Community Learning Centers, a program that supports after-school learning nationally. The foundation's reach has grown steadily in recent years — its programs had impacted more than 117,000 youth across the country as of January 2021, and in 2020 alone it supported more than 81,000 educational opportunities reaching over 79,000 youth in Central Texas, per the foundation. That same year, its Learn All the Time initiative, a network of 38 member organizations, reached more than 74,000 youth.
A Gala Lineage of A-List Performers
Garfunkel joins a list of marquee names who have headlined the gala over the years, including Elton John, Darius Rucker, Big Boi and Wyclef Jean, according to CBS Austin's report. Elton John hosted a gala in Austin in 2018, and Jake Owen performed at the foundation's 12th annual gala at ACL Live at the Moody Theater, according to Austin Monthly. Last year's gala, held Nov. 10, featured Wyclef Jean and welcomed roughly 2,000 guests for a night that included a cocktail reception, program, live auction, dinner and concert, per Tribeza. Tickets for that 2025 event started at $50 for balcony seating and $65 for mezzanine seating — slightly less than this year's prices.
This year's gala will again include live entertainment, auction items, food and chances for guests to gather, with proceeds funding the foundation's educational programs and services throughout Central Texas, CBS Austin reports. The foundation also relies on volunteers to collect, prepare and deliver healthy food to families before the weekend, part of a broader invitation for the community to get involved through volunteering, attending events and supporting its educational programs.
