A Hollywood Convener: Inside the CAA Foundation

Whether it’s star athletes, musicians or actors, Glitzy Givers are a rising force in high-dollar philanthropy, and one we’ve been tracking for a while. One major point we’ve hammered home in this coverage is that these figures bring with them not only their wealth, but also their fandoms, including huge social media followings. When George Clooney or Kerry Washington advocate for a cause, they also have the eyes and ears of millions who also might be galvanized to act.

While we feel we have a firm handle on this segment of entertainment and sports, there are other players in this world that we haven’t touched on very much — namely, corporate foundations from the entertainment industry. In Hollywood, the “Big 3” talent agencies of William Morris Endeavor (WME), Creative Artists Agency (CAA), and United Talent Agency (UTA) more or less run the town.

Launched in 1995, the CAA Foundation, was the first philanthropic arm of a major Hollywood talent agency. The foundation works to create systemic social change and is focused on public education, civic engagement, climate and crisis response.

We recently connected with CAA Foundation Executive Director Natalie Tran, who got her start at the organization a decade and a half ago as an assistant. In our conversation, I found out a bit more about why CAA Foundation was started, its current focuses, how it works to empower its clients to engage in philanthropy within and beyond the foundation, and what to expect down the line.

A Tinseltown charity

The daughter of Vietnamese refugees, Tran grew up in Los Angeles and attended University of Redlands. During college, she started thinking about careers and ended up being referred for an assistant role at CAA Foundation. Just before the pandemic started, she stepped into her role as executive director, which she called perfect timing. The foundation focuses on four key areas: public education, civic engagement, climate, and crisis response.

Hollywood and athletes have long been proponents of civic engagement, whether it’s Virgin executive Jeff Ayeroff launching Rock the Vote, or more recently, LeBron James’ More than a Vote. In the winter of 2020, Tran cofounded the Civic Alliance, a nonpartisan group of more than 1,250 member companies focused on civic participation. Companies run the gamut from American Eagle and AMC Theaters to General Assembly and Hilton.

Tran also co-launched I am a voter, a nonpartisan awareness campaign that aims to create a cultural shift around voting and civic engagement. Since its launch, the campaign has generated over 4 billion social media impressions, activated hundreds of brand partners and helped get out the vote in every state through its text platform. This later led to a PSA featuring NBA players reminding fans about the importance of voting aired during the 2022 NBA playoffs and the finals. There was also a national partnership with retailer H&M that turned hundreds of stores into voter registration centers.

Tran calls CAA Foundation a “convener,” able to pull on the enormous power of CAA in the entertainment community and beyond, as well as its huge dossier of clients, which include figures like Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, Dwyane Wade and Ava DuVernay.

Another initiative, Social Change Fund United, was created by NBA legends and friends Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, and Carmelo Anthony in response to racial injustice. The organization seeks to use collective influence and resources to make a greater impact in underrepresented communities of color.

We’ve written before about how players in the NBA, NFL and beyond have increasingly been speaking up about social issues, not just during the summer of racial reckoning in 2020, but well before. Lebron, former teammate Wade and others once suited up in “I Can’t Breathe” apparel, referencing the last words of Eric Garner, who was killed by police in 2014, and the broader discussion about police reform.

Much like celebrity activism firm Propper Daley or Pop Culture Collaborative, CAA Foundation is also interested in working in narrative change. CAA Foundation is a founding partner of Full Story Initiative, which brings together leaders from organizations like GLAAD, ACLU, Everytown for Gun Safety and Planned Parenthood. Full Story Initiative focuses on how film and television influence culture and helps create a more inclusive future via storytelling.

Athlete-activism and looking forward

I asked Tran about some of the top philanthropic interests of her clients and she pointed to several buckets: urgent crisis events that are reported in the news, education, climate change, gun safety, reproductive health and mental health.

George Clooney, as one example, rallied fellow A-listers, including Don Cheadle and Kerry Washington, to launch a filmmaking academy for marginalized communities within the Los Angeles Unified School District. Clooney first discussed the idea with agent Bryan Lourd and producing partner Grant Heslov. The new school, the Roybal School of Film and Television Production, launched in the summer of 2022.

Hollywood has been in the spotlight for its lack of diversity and the school’s mission isn’t just a quick fix. It aims to build a true pipeline of historically underrepresented creatives. Over the next five years, the program aims to impact nearly 500 students.

Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union have been among the most ardent supporters of LGBTQ causes in Hollywood of late. Their daughter, Zaya, came out as transgender a few years ago and Wade and Union made five donations to organizations supporting healthcare for the LGBTQ community during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tran also mentioned connecting Harry Styles with Everytown for Gun Safety and Headcount while he was on tour during the aftermath of several mass shootings. Styles’ Love On Tour and Headcount, a nonpartisan organization that uses the power of music to register voters and promote participation in democracy, helped register some 55,000 new voters — a good example of the unique power of celebrity civic engagement.

The CAA Foundation has recently made donations to Ava DuVernay’s ARRAY Alliance, Communities in the Schools, College Track, and Seed Consulting Group, which works in environmental sustainability.

Overall, CAA’s clients are in many stages of their careers, some with more bandwidth for philanthropy than others. However, regardless of their career commitments, Tran says that overall, many celebrity donors don’t want to be episodic in their giving. “They understand that representing a cause is a full-time job on some level. And they’re happy to step up,” Tran said.

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