The SIMS Foundation is a nonprofit corporation based in Austin that is dedicated to providing low-cost mental health services to musicians and music people. The foundation was created in 1995 following the tragic death of Sims Ellison, the 28-year-old bassist for the rock band Pariah, who took his own life following a long and private struggle with depression and a mere two weeks after the band was officially dropped by Geffen Records. Ellison's death prompted Austin American Statesman music critic Michael Corcoran to suggest creating a service in Sims' memory that would make therapists who understand the complexities of being in a band available to the music community.

The response was immediate. With a groundswell of support from the music community and citizens of Austin in general, the SIMS Foundation was formed and incorporated with the express purpose of serving music people like Ellison, whose creativity, lifestyle and job instability too often leave them without access to professional help. Today the SIMS Foundation offers specific services such as career counseling, spousal support, alcohol and substance abuse education, a referral service for counseling and therapy through a network of licensed professionals.

Since the spring of 1996, SIMS has directly assisted more than 400 clients, representing more than 1,200 calls for information, assistance and support. In 1998 alone, SIMS clients received in excess of $400,000 in services ranging from talk therapy to in-patient drug rehab and follow-up. Representing the Austin music industry, SIMS' clients are not only music professionals, they are also family members, community activists, role models and ambassadors for the "Live Music Capital of the World."