Rihanna

SOURCE OF WEALTH: Singer, Fenty Beauty

FUNDING AREAS: Disaster Relief, Climate Resilience, Education

OVERVIEW: Rihanna launched the Clara Lionel Foundation (CLF), which funds primary and secondary education, health and emergency response initiatives in the Caribbean and other regions.

BACKGROUND: Born in Barbados in 1988, Rihanna attracted the attention of an American record producer when she was young. Her debut album, Music of the Sun, went platinum. She went on to release more albums and a range of hit songs including "Unfaithful" and "Umbrella.” In August 2021, Forbes declared Rihanna the wealthiest female musician in the world.

ISSUES:

CLARA LIONEL FOUNDATION: The Clara Lionel Foundation (CLF) focuses supporting health, domestic violence, disaster relief, and education.

Health grantmaking generally focus on cancer, pediatrics, and other medical programs in Barbados. Rihanna established The Clara Braithwaite Center for Oncology and Nuclear Medicine at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Barbados, which bears the name of her grandmother, who had cancer.

Education grantmaking is frequently international and has supported organizations In Malawi, Barbados and Senegal, where the CLF helps girls pay for and access education. The foundation also runs the Clara Lionel Foundation Global Scholarship Program, giving education-related microgrants, constructs classrooms and trains graduates as HIV testers, among other programs.

In response to natural disasters, CLF funds the Campaign for Female Education (CAMFED) in Malawi, which gives girls school supplies, uniforms and financial support so they can stay in school while their families recover from disasters.

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. Rihanna 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. Rihanna and Dorsey also partnered to “give $11 million to 12 organizations leading on the work to divest from policing and fighting for criminal justice reform.” Most recently, CLF, again in collaboration with Dorsey’s #StartSmall, donated $3 million to support grassroots organizations working in, and led by, the AAPI community.

LOOKING FORWARD: Barely into her 30s, Rihanna has turned to active philanthropy early. With a soaring musical career, this may yet just be the beginning of even greater giving much later down the line.

CONTACT:

info@claralionelfoundation.com