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Melinda French Gates stuns festival crowd, pledges to match Olivia Rodrigo's fundraising for $20M haul

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Melinda French Gates stuns festival crowd, pledges to match Olivia Rodrigo's fundraising for $20M haul

Olivia Rodrigo introduced Daisy Chain Fields festival attendees to a surprise guest with a huge heart.

After revealing that her inaugural music festival raised $10 million for various women-focused nonprofits, the "drivers license" singer revealed a shocking fundraising update.

Before her headlining set at the event in Irvine, Rodrigo announced that Melinda French Gates would match every donation to the dollar, for a grand total of $20 million fundraised.

Rodrigo, who announced her first female-driven festival in June, told the crowd that she was "grateful" for each of the booked acts who performed "for free" throughout the day as she celebrated her initial $10 million fundraising effort.

"I really believe that giving women the tools to decide their own futures and live healthy lives free of violence and discrimination is the most effective tool we have at changing the world for the better," Rodrigo said.

"And I don’t know many people who represent that idea more than Melinda French Gates." GET ENTERTAINMENT SCOOP DELIVERED RIGHT TO YOUR EMAIL BY CLICKING HERE The former Disney Channel actress admitted that Gates was "one of the most inspiring women I've ever met," while championing her dedication to "empowering women and girls that might have otherwise been forgotten." "She's generous and brave and has done so much good in this world, and I’m totally floored because, as well as being in attendance here tonight, she’s pledged to double every dollar that we made here today to a grand total of funds being donated to $20 million," Rodrigo told the crowd.

"I'm so grateful!" "Look at what you have done," Gates told Rodrigo after joining the "good 4 u" singer on stage.

"Look at what you created!" "What I love about you is that you know that real power is not up here on stage, it's with everybody there, all of you," Gates continued.

"When women and girls come together to dream and to lead, we change the world." The former wife of Microsoft founder Bill Gates added, "And, so long after the lights go down from this festival, the organizations doing this work will keep doing it because you all are here, so thank you for being here and thank you, Olivia." During a press conference Friday before the festival, Rodrigo announced the multi-million figure raised for specific, women-focused nonprofits.

LIKE WHAT YOU'RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS Ten organizations will receive an equally split total from the funds raised at the festival, which included: Baby2Baby, Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Center for Reproductive Rights, FreeFrom, Jhpiego, Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health, National Domestic Workers Alliance, National Institute for Reproductive Health, National Women’s Law Center and Planned Parenthood .

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