10 Charities Founded by Celebrities That Are Worth Supporting
The holidays have come and gone, but that's no reason to give up the spirit of giving. This is a pop culture oriented site, and many of the articles posted tend to focus on celebrity scandals or gossip. It's important to remember that most of the A-list stars we know and love have maintained their status among the Hollywood elite because there is a realization that nobody truly has any business working in the world of entertainment if they lack a desire to use the platform to make big changes.
Here are ten charities founded or cofounded by celebrities, both big-name superstars and young entertainers paving their own way. Feel free to share any nonprofit organizations you personally like supporting!
Image: Water.org
Water.org – Cofounder Matt Damon with CEO Gary White
From the organization's official website:
Co-founded by Gary White and Matt Damon, Water.org is a nonprofit organization that has transformed hundreds of communities in Africa, South Asia, and Central America by providing access to safe water and sanitation.Water.org traces its roots back to the founding of WaterPartners International in 1990. In July 2009, WaterPartners merged with H2O Africa, resulting in the launch of Water.org. Water.org works with local partners to deliver innovative solutions for long-term success. Its microfinance-based WaterCredit Initiative is pioneering sustainable giving in the sector.
Support or Donate to Water.org
Leonardo Dicaprio Foundation – Leonardo Dicaprio
From the organization's official website:
Dedicated to protecting Earth’s last wild places and fostering a harmonious relationship between humanity and the natural world.Since 1998, the Foundation has been working on pressing environmental and humanitarian issues through grant making, campaigning and media projects. Areas of focus include; wildlife and habitat preservation, healthy oceans, water access, climate change and disaster relief. The Foundation’s strategic approach to philanthropy for a better planet relies upon active collaboration with effective organizations as well as with other funders who share our goals and can magnify our impact.
Support or Donate to the Leonardo Dicaprio Foundation
Born This Way Foundation – Cofounder Lady Gaga with Cynthia Germanotta
From the organization's official website:
Led by Lady Gaga and her mother Cynthia Germanotta, the Born This Way Foundation was founded in 2011 to foster a more accepting society, where differences are embraced and individuality is celebrated. The Foundation is dedicated to creating a safe community that helps connect young people with the skills and opportunities they need to build a kinder, braver world.We believe that everyone has the right to feel safe, to be empowered and to make a difference in the world. Together, we will move towards acceptance, bravery and love.
Support or Donate to the Born This Way Foundation
Image: Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation
The Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation – Cofounder Mark Wahlberg with James Wahlberg
From the organization's official website:
It is the mission of the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation to improve the quality of life for inner city youth through a working partnership with other youth organizations.Our goal is to remove and eliminate barriers that prevent youth from succeeding. Our mission is to assist youth in order to ensure that no child is limited or prevented from attaining their lifetime goal or dream due to financial circumstances. Through the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation, we will provide financial and community support to assist in making the dreams and ultimate potential of inner city youth become a reality.
Support or Donate to the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation
The ONE Campaign – Cofounded by Bono
From the organization's official website:
ONE is a campaigning and advocacy organization of more than 3 million people taking action to end extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa… because the facts show extreme poverty has already been cut in half and can be virtually eliminated by 2030, but only if we act with urgency now.Cofounded by Bono and strictly nonpartisan, we raise public awareness and work with political leaders to combat AIDS and preventable diseases, increase investments in agriculture and nutrition, and demand greater transparency in poverty-fighting programs. ONE also works closely with African activists and policymakers as they fight corruption, promote poverty-fighting priorities, monitor the use of aid, and help build civil society and free enterprise.
Support or Donate to the ONE Campaign
Straight But Not Narrow – Cofounded by Avan Jogia with Adre Pochon and Heather Wilk, Advocate Josh Hutcherson
From the organization's official website:
SBNN is an ally organization that prepares and trains young adults on how to become allies of their LGBTQ peers.Just Be U.... and encourage everyone else to do the same.
There's really no need to overcomplicate things. People should simply be allowed to be the most authentic version of themselves without the risk of being made to feel that they are anything less than awesome. I am awesome. You are awesome. We just make sure everyone hears it once and a while.
Support or Donate to Straight But Not Narrow
The IS Foundation – Ian Somerhalder
Image: IS Foundation
From the organization's official website:
The IS FOUNDATION aims to empower, educate and collaborate with people and projects to positively impact the planet and its creatures.We are a team, a group of people, who view the environment as an interconnected organism of which we are not separate but a part of. There is no differentiation between all living things: trees, rivers, animals and humans. We are all one interdependent organism.
Support or Donate to the IS Foundation
Not On Our Watch – Cofounders Don Cheadle, George Clooney, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, David Pressman, Jerry Weintraub
From the organization's official website:
Our mission is to focus global attention and resources towards putting an end to mass atrocities around the world. Drawing upon the powerful voices of artists, activists, and cultural leaders, Not On Our Watch generates lifesaving humanitarian assistance and protection for the vulnerable, marginalized, and displaced. We encourage governing bodies to take meaningful, immediate action to protect those in harm’s way. Where governments remain complacent, Not On Our Watch is committed to stopping mass atrocities and giving voice to their victims.
Support or Donate to Not On Our Watch
The Elton John AIDS Foundation – Elton John
From the organization's official website:
The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) was established in the United States in 1992 by Sir Elton John, and is headquartered in New York City. In 1993, Sir Elton also established his Foundation as a registered charity in the United Kingdom, headquartered in London. These two organizations function as separate entities with their own distinct grant-making portfolios, but both pursue the same mission – to reduce the incidence of HIV/AIDS through innovative HIV prevention programs, efforts to eliminate stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS, and direct treatment, care, and support services for people living with HIV/AIDS.
Support or Donate to the Elton John AIDS Foundation
Image: The Michael J. Fox Foundation
The Michael J. Fox Foundation - Michael J. Fox
From the organization's official website:
The Michael J. Fox Foundation is dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson's disease through an aggressively funded research agenda and to ensuring the development of improved therapies for those living with Parkinson's today.
Support or Donate to the Michael J. Fox Foundation
Do you have any celebrity charity organizations you like to support?