Mile High Freedom Bands - Colorado Gives Day 2025

Born of resistance, the Mile High Freedom Bands has spent 42 years committing itself to creating powerful moments of joy, resilience, connection and hope. Moments that, for those in the LGBTQ+ community and their allies, can be life changing.  Your contributions help create these moments.

“There were times when I wasn’t really content with being alive anymore, and if I hadn’tCelebrating Carnival with MHFB Swing had the friends and community of MHFB come into my life when it did, I wouldn’t have known what to do,” said MHFB member Erin. 

Erin is one of MHFB’s nearly 250 currently active members, and represents a sentiment felt across the organization’s performers, volunteers and audiences — MHFB’s dedication to providing connection through music leaves a lasting impact on its vast family. 

“I was in a bad spot right after coming out, but MHFB became the community I needed, and I’ve been with the band ever since,” Erin said. 

Our first performance at the gay rodeo

The band got its start as a small group of gay musicians with a dream to create a place where people of all backgrounds could make music and build lasting connections together. 

Today, MHFB sports 11 ensembles that play almost 50 shows per year. Your donations enable this impressive growth. 

Your gifts...

🎓 Fund member scholarships
🎷 Support loaner instruments
🥁 Host youth at band camp
🎭 Secure performance venues
☘️🏳️‍🌈 March at St. Patrick’s Day, Denver Pride, and more

MHFB Corps at Denver Pride 2025

The band has continued to bring people together over four decades, celebrating diversity and creating lasting connections. 

“With MHFB you’ll find your friends and you’ll find your niche,” Erin said. “Whether you want to just play and have fun or be more challenged, we’re open to all of that.”

The band welcomes performers of all skill levels from the LGBTQ+ community and its allies, and has built a family centered around resilience and hope in the face of overwhelming odds. 

“With the current political climate, I think it’s important to keep in touch and keep in community,” Erin said. “I was never, ever happy before coming out — and MHFB gave me the support to really bloom into who I want to be.”

You can support MHFB, its members, and its mission