Theater audiences and the companies of 54 Broadway, Off-Broadway and national touring shows turned applause into action and passion into purpose, fueling a spring record $7,135,088 raised through Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS’ iconic #RedBuckets.

Topping this spring’s fundraising leaderboard was Broadway’s Just in Time with a staggering $932,461.

Just in Time danced its way to the top spot with passionate fundraising and a legacy of showstopping auctions, as Jonathan Groff kicked off the now–crowd-favorite tradition of auctioning his bow tie, with Matthew Morrison and Jeremy Jordan carrying it forward.

The fundraising total surpassed last spring’s then-record-setting $6.8 million.

“The companies behind each of these 54 shows and theatergoers joined forces to turn a moment in a lobby into meaningful, lifesaving support,” Danny Whitman, executive director of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, said. “At a time when budgets are being slashed and so many are navigating rising costs and uncertain access to care, this compassion and generosity ensure people across the country can count on meals, medication and critical health services when they need them most.”

The donations support Broadway Cares’ National Grants Program, providing nourishing meals, lifesaving medication and vital health care for people in need in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, while also sustaining a critical safety net of services for those in entertainment and the performing arts.

The top fundraisers in the Spring Fundraising Competition, which ran from March 13 through April 26, 2026, were:

Broadway Musical
Top Fundraiser	Just in Time	$932,461
1st Runner-Up	Chess	$350,152
2nd Runner-Up	Maybe Happy Ending	$268,579
3rd Runner-Up	Hadestown	$210,752

Broadway Play
Top Fundraiser	Every Brilliant Thing	$408,180
1st Runner-Up	Oh, Mary!	$173,133
2nd Runner-Up	Harry Potter and the Cursed Child	$150,408
3rd Runner-Up	Dog Day Afternoon	$147,171

Off-Broadway
Top Fundraiser	The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee	$137,753
1st Runner-Up	Heathers	$99,985
2nd Runner-Up	Little Shop of Horrors	$99,006

National Tours
Top Fundraiser	The Phantom of the Opera	$289,195
1st Runner-Up	Beauty and the Beast	$271,079
2nd Runner-Up	The Sound of Music	$249,670
3rd Runner-up	The Outsiders	$225,385
4th Runner-up	Spamalot	$200,045

Broadway shows that participated in appeals were & Juliet, Aladdin, Becky Shaw, The Book of Mormon, Buena Vista Social Club, Chess, Chicago, Death Becomes Her, Dog Day Afternoon, Every Brilliant Thing, Fear of 13, The Great Gatsby, Hadestown, Hamilton, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Just in Time, The Lion King, Maybe Happy Ending, MJ, Oh, Mary!, Operation Mincemeat, The Outsiders, Ragtime, Six, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) and Wicked, as well as Off-Broadway’s The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Heathers, Little Shop of Horrors and The Play That Goes Wrong.

Additionally, the national tours of & Juliet, A Beautiful Noise, the Neil Diamond Musical, Back to the Future: The Musical, Beauty and the Beast, The Great Gatsby, Hamilton – Angelica, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Hell’s Kitchen, Kimberly Akimbo, Les Misérables, The Lion King – Rafiki, MJ, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, The Notebook, The Outsiders, The Phantom of the Opera, Shucked, Six – Boleyn, Some Like it Hot, The Sound of Music, Spamalot, Suffs, Wicked – Munchkinland and The Wiz joined in the spring fundraising effort.

In exchange for a donation, audiences at many shows received autographed posters, Playbills and other unique memorabilia, along with one-of-a-kind experiences. Offerings ranged from a stage-used book prop signed by Simu Liu at Oh, Mary! to a meet-and-greet with Nicholas Christopher, Lea Michele and Aaron Tveit, the powerhouse trio of Chess, and even the T-shirt worn by film and TV star Jon Bernthal at Dog Day Afternoon.

Since the spring fundraising efforts began in 1988, they have raised $114 million for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.