The 2012 American Giving Awards will air December 8th on NBC, and includes specials performances by Colbie Caillat, Lifehouse, Natasha Bedingfield and Darius Rucker.

Now in it’s second year, the Giving Awards are the first-ever televised celebrity tribute to recognize community heroes and this year also will  highlight five of the most deserving charities in the United States.  These charities will be voted on by Chase customers and fans of the “Chase Community Giving” page on Facebook (voting is now closed), and winners will be announced during the show.   The organization with the most votes will receive a $1 million grant, the runner-up $500,000, a third organization  $250,000 and the last two will be given $125,000.  Each charity will represent one of five categories, considered the “building blocks” of our communities:  Educators & Mentors, Heroes & Leaders, Champions of Health & Wellness, Community Builders, and Youth Developers.

Also this year, the award show will honor actress Glenn Close with the “AGA Leadership Award”  for her work with organizations supporting people with mental illnesses.  Peter L. Scher, the Executive Vice President and Head of Corporate Responsibility for JPMorgan Chase says, “We are proud to present Glenn Close with the AGA Leadership Award. Glenn’s continuous generosity and her commitment to raising awareness for mental illness have shown that in addition to being a remarkable actress, she is also an extraordinary advocate.”

The show will be hosted by funny-man Joel McHale, so make sure to tune into this fun night with a great cause!