Bruce Springsteen
/SOURCE OF WEALTH: Singer-Songwriter
FUNDING AREAS: Human Services, Housing, New Jersey Community
OVERVIEW: Bruce Springsteen does his grantmaking through the Thrill Hill Foundation. Grantmaking supports human services, antipoverty, and more. In addition, Springsteen has another organization simply named The Foundation, Inc., which funds house repairs for low-income homeowners in New Jersey.
BACKGROUND: New Jersey-born Bruce Springsteen, the son of a bus driver and a secretary, was raised in a working-class household. Springsteen first fell in love with rock when he saw Elvis perform on The Ed Sullivan Show. After signing with Columbia Records, Springsteen released his first studio album in 1972. Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. garnered critical acclaim but slow sales. Springsteen released a third album in 1975, Born to Run, which peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and skyrocketed him to fame. Springsteen has won 20 Grammy Awards, two Golden Globes and an Academy Award for Best Original Song from the 1993 movie Philadelphia.
ISSUES:
HUMAN SERVICES & ANTIPOVERTY: Springsteen supports organizations like 1736 Family Crisis Center in Los Angeles, which responds to the "growing needs of victims of domestic violence, runaway and homeless youth, homeless families, unemployed adults and youth, and other low-income community members in need of assistance"; Community Food Bank of New Jersey; New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans; Saturday Soup of Asbury Park; and Project Angel Food, which provides meals to those struggling with illness. Much of this grantmaking takes place in New Jersey, as well as in in Los Angeles, and grants tend to be $20,000 and under.
HOUSING: In the late 1980s, Springsteen set up and funded an organization called The Foundation, Inc., which covers costs for local residents in his native Monmouth County, New Jersey to fix their homes. The current status of the organization is unknown, but it has typically flown under the radar, with Springsteen engaging in this philanthropy anonymously.
OTHER: Springsteen was drafted for military service in Vietnam when he was 18, but was deemed unfit. Some of his philanthropy, though, does involve helping veterans. Springsteen has worked with Stand Up for Heroes and offered auction prizes that included a one-hour guitar lesson, a ride in his motorcycle sidecar, and food to be shared in Springsteen’s homes. Springsteen has been a steady supporter of Southern Poverty Law Center. As well, Springsteen has given to a number of different local New Jersey causes and outfits, including a local scholarship fund and a local Habitat for Humanity. Money has also gone to Women's Cancer Research Fund, and the Kristen Ann Carr Fund, a cancer-related charity whose namesake was the daughter of Springsteen's co-manager.
LOOKING FORWARD: Expect Springsteen to stick with his select interest areas, with a particular eye on his native New Jersey.
CONTACT:
Thrill Hill Foundation doesn't provide a clear avenue to get in touch, but an address is listed below:
Thrill Hill Foundation
1990 Bundy Dr., Ste. 200
Los Angeles, CA 90025
