A Long Tradition: How Celebs Are Stepping Up to Help in a Global Pandemic
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The crisis hit home in hollywood when Tom hanks and rita wilson tested positive for covid-19. JStone/shutterstock
As the novel coronavirus continues to move through the United States and the world at large, philanthropy is one vehicle that has stepped up to provide a range of aid, fund research, and address not just the health impact of the virus, but the economic impact. Candid recently launched a page tracking COVID-19 funding, tallying 416 funders who have made 685 grants totaling $4.3 billion as of this writing. That’s quite a bit of money in such a short time, considering many places in the country are still approaching COVID-19’s peak.
In comparison, a total of $2.96 billion went toward Hurricane Katrina response funding, with about 17% of that coming from foundations and corporations. When it comes to COVID-19 funding, top recipients include the CDC Foundation, which has received at least $17.1 million, and Feeding America, which has received approximately $14.5 million.
Influence and Money
Celebrities are among the givers stepping up during this global crisis. And despite the stereotype of performative fundraisers and charity events, many Hollywood givers we track are committed givers with grantmaking foundations. We continue to watch this philanthropy through our Glitzy Givers vertical.
Celebs have often leveraged their influence and deployed funds during these most critical global moments. Consider Live Aid, the legendary mid-1980s concert broadcast around the globe to a viewing audience of 1.9 billion. The two-venue concert was headlined by the likes of Queen, David Bowie, Eric Clapton and Tina Turner, and raised nearly $284 million for famine in Ethiopia. Celebrities might be especially influential during these moments not just because of their wealth, but because of their influence. For some in the United States, the reality of COVID-19 did not hit home until Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson announced that they tested positive for the virus. Since then, other celebs like Idris Elba and Chris Cuomo have spoken about their experience with the virus, and have hammered home the importance of isolating.
Other celebrities have launched awareness campaigns in recent weeks. Kevin Bacon's “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” social media campaign urges followers to share why they’re staying home and tag six people to continue spreading the message. And Reese Witherspoon’s #ShineOnAtHome, in collaboration with YouTube’s #StayHome #WithMe campaign, involves health, wellness, finance and food experts.
Hollywood studios have also contributed aid, perhaps most notably Netflix, to which all of us are glued these days. The streaming giant launched a $100 million relief fund to aid out-of-work entertainment-industry workers during a time when much of Hollywood has come to a screeching halt. Meanwhile, shows like “Grey’s Anatomy,” “The Good Doctor,” and “The Resident” are donating their medical gowns and gloves to actual doctors and nurses who need them.
Apart from this work, there’s a growing list of celebrities giving money toward COVID-19 relief, sometimes from their established foundations—illustrating a growing class of celebrity givers, some of whom are earning more than ever. We’ve compiled a list of some of this giving so far, which we plan to update over the coming weeks as new gifts are announced.
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively gave $1 million to Feeding America and Food Banks Canada. The funds earmarked for Feeding America will support its COVID-19 Response Fund, established to support member food banks across the country as they help those affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The Hollywood couple also gave $400,000 to four New York City hospitals. The couple resides in Westchester County, one of the hardest-hit places in the United States.
Rihanna
The singing sensation’s Clara Lionel Foundation (CLF) donated $5 million to multiple organizations around the world fighting the coronavirus pandemic, including Partners in Health, Direct Relief, Feeding America, the International Rescue Committee, the World Health Organization and her native country of Barbados. In a previous post, we noted that the health and education-focused CLF launched an Emergency Response Preparedness Philanthropic Fund in 2018, aiming to help the Caribbean “become a Climate Smart Zone.” Rihanna also donated an undisclosed supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) to the state of New York.
Rihanna also recently teamed up with Jack Dorsey to provide $4.2 million to victims of domestic violence impacted by the COVID-19 lockdowns. The money will be directed to the Los Angeles Mayor’s Fund, focusing on L.A.'s overcrowded shelters.
Jay Z
The legendary rapper’s Shawn Carter Foundation (SCF) and Rihanna’s Clara Lionel Foundation donated $1 million each to COVID-19 relief efforts in New York City and Los Angeles, focused on supporting undocumented workers, the incarcerated, homeless and elderly populations, and children of healthcare workers.
“In times of crisis, it is imperative that we come together as one community to ensure that everyone, especially the most vulnerable, has access to critical needs: shelter, health, nutrition and education,” Gloria Carter, Jay Z’s mother and CEO of SCF, said in a statement.
Oprah Winfrey
Winfrey gave $12 million for COVID-19 relief efforts across the country. Her funds went to numerous organizations in different states, as well as a $1 million gift to America’s Food Fund.
Kylie Jenner
Kylie Jenner, 22, recently donated $1 million to buy masks, face shields and other protective gear for L.A. area hospitals. Los Angeles has not yet reached its peak of COVID-19 cases. Previously, Jenner donated $1 million to relief efforts during the Australian wildfires.
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie donated $1 million to No Kid Hungry, an organization helping to feed children who rely on school lunches for their meals. Jolie has long been engaged in humanitarian work, including serving as a U.N. Goodwill Ambassador. “Many children depend on the care and nutrition they receive during school hours, including nearly 22 million children in America who rely on food support. No Kid Hungry is making resolute efforts to reach as many of those children as possible,” she said in a statement.
Dolly Parton
The country music icon pledged $1 million to Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville toward COVID-19 research. Parton is friends with a doctor at the institution, which is now directing some of its resources toward a COVID-19 cure.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West
Kim Kardashian West’s shapewear line, SKIMS, is donating $1 million to families affected by COVID-19. Kayne also made a donation to Dream Center, a faith-based organization in Los Angeles that provides services to underserved communities, and to We Women Empowered, which works to empower young leaders in his native Chicago. Food access seems to be a common theme for many Glitzy Givers here, and the Wests’ donation is another example.
Justin Timberlake
The singer announced on his Instagram that he is donating to the Mid-South Food Bank in his hometown of Memphis. The organization helps people assemble and deliver nonperishable food to families in need.
Justin Bieber
The pop sensation pledged 200,000 RNB ($29,000) to the Beijing Chunmiao Charity Foundation, a children’s charity in China, to help with coronavirus relief efforts. “China, we stand with you as a collective humanity and have made a donation to support. Whether it be this or the fires of Australia, we all need to be there for each other,” Bieber said on Instagram.
Pink
Both the singer and her young son tested positive for COVID-19, and have since recovered. Pink donated $500,000 to the Temple University Hospital Fund in Philadelphia and another $500,000 to the COVID-19 response fund run by the Mayor's Fund for Los Angeles.
Bruno Mars
The Las Vegas headliner is donating $1 million to the MGM Resorts Foundation to support MGM employees impacted economically by the coronavirus.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
The governator donated $1 million to the Frontline Responders Fund, a GoFundMe campaign that aims to get face masks, gloves and surgical gowns to first responders.
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos
The couple donated $1 million to the New York Governor’s office for coronavirus relief efforts and the critical purchase of ventilators. Some of these funds will also benefit WIN, a provider of shelter and supportive housing to women and children in New York City.
Elton John
Over the weekend, the music legend—who has long had a robust foundation focused on HIV/AIDS—announced the launch of a $1 million COVID-19 Emergency Fund “to make sure that our frontline partners can respond to the effects of COVID-19 on HIV care for the most marginalized communities around the world.”
Billy Joel and Alexis Roderick
The couple's Joel Foundation is making several donations to fight the coronavirus pandemic, including $500,000 to buy personal protective equipment for healthcare workers.
Bethenny Frankel
The TV personality's bstrong initiative focuses on disaster relief. In partnership with the Global Empowerment Mission, bstrong has provided aid for those affected by the Australia bushfires, the California wildfires, the Puerto Rico earthquakes—and, now, the COVID-19 pandemic, providing FDA-approved, medical-grade N95 masks to healthcare workers.
G-Eazy
The rapper’s Endless Summer Fund is partnering with Larkin Street Youth Services to provide meals to local at-risk youth in San Francisco.
James and Kim Taylor
Boston singer-songwriter James Taylor and his wife Kim donated $1 million to Massachusetts General Hospital, supporting its MGH President’s Emergency Response Fund, which was established after the Boston Marathon bombing.
Selena Gomez
Selena Gomez announced that she’s making a donation to Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles to help with the supply of masks and ventilators.
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Despite the long list above, we have yet to see commitments from some of the most active philanthropists in the entertainment world. However, it’s worth remembering that the COVID-19 crisis is in an early stage, and we expect that many of the celebrities and Hollywood moguls who have staffed philanthropies will eventually be making announcements about new commitments. See a full list of the “Glitzy Givers” that we track here.
