Stand Up To Cancer Sets Ninth Fundraising Special for August

Stand Up To Cancer® (SU2C) has announced that its ninth biennial roadblock televised fundraising special will air on Friday, August 15, from Nashville, bringing together country music stars, celebrities, athletes, cancer researchers, and survivors.

This marks the first time the telecast will be broadcast from Nashville and will take place at The Pinnacle, a new premier event venue in the heart of Music City. Airing at 8 p.m. ET and PT / 7 p.m. CT, the one-hour special continues SU2C’s 17-year mission to fund cancer research and save lives.

The telecast will feature artists from country and other musical genres coming together in unique collaborations, an artistic reflection of SU2C’s commitment to scientific teamwork, where researchers unite to accelerate progress. Music icon Dolly Parton will appear in the special, with GRAMMY® Award-winning artist Sheryl Crow serving as host. Additional performers and celebrity participants will be revealed in the weeks ahead.

The biennial special will be carried across more than 30 participating media platforms, including all four major U.S. broadcast networks: ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox. Viewers will also be able to watch the telecast on-demand across multiple digital and streaming platforms.

Stand Up To Cancer was established in 2008 by a group of women who wanted to galvanize the entertainment community to raise awareness and funding to advance collaborative cancer research and end cancer as a leading cause of death. SU2C’s Founders include Katie Couric, Sherry Lansing, Kathleen Lobb, Lisa Paulsen, Rusty Robertson, Sue Schwartz, Pamela Oas Williams, and Ellen Ziffren. The late Laura Ziskin and Noreen Fraser were also co-founders. SU2C is also guided by a dedicated Board of Directors, whose leadership and vision continue to shape the organization’s impact and growth.

The show is being co-produced by Stand Up To Cancer and Done + Dusted. Executive producers include SU2C co-founders Pam Oas Williams and Lisa Paulsen, alongside Rod Essig of CAA, and Kevin Yorn of Yorn Levine / BroadLight Capital, and Rick Yorn of LBI Entertainment / BroadLight Capital. James Merryman will serve as the show’s director, and Derek Wells as the musical director.

About Stand Up To Cancer

Stand Up To Cancer® (SU2C) raises awareness and funds research to detect and treat cancers with the aspiration to cure all patients. SU2C is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization and was initially launched as a division of the Entertainment Industry Foundation. Established in 2008 by media and entertainment leaders, SU2C utilizes these communities’ resources to engage the public in supporting a new, collaborative model of cancer research, to increase awareness about cancer prevention, and to highlight progress being made in the fight against the disease. As of April 2025, more than 3,100 scientists representing more than 210 institutions are involved in SU2C-funded research projects.