American Idol Gives Back - Where your money goes

The New York Times ran a story about "Idol Gives Back" and where your contributions went last year and where they will go this year.

"Idol Gives Back" was managed by Charity Project Entertainment Fund in 2007, but this year, American Idol will manage the collection and distribution of the funds themselves via the entity "Idol Gives Back".

Roughly $68 to $76 million was raised last year, and a little more than half has been distributed so far (that money was designated to be given to the charities over two years). About $5 million was used for "administrative" costs -- which at 7% is supposed to be low overhead for a charity.

In the United States the following received pledges:
America’s Second Harvest: $7.5 million
Save the Children: $7.5 million
Boys & Girls Clubs of America: $7.5 million
Children’s Health Fund: $7.5 million
Another $37,500 was distributed to smaller charities in the U.S.

In Africa, these organizations received pledges:
Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria: $6 million
United States Fund for Unicef: $6 million
Nothing but Nets: $6 million
Malaria No More: $6 million
Save the Children: $6 million
Kibera Initiative: $1 million
$340,000 went to smaller African charities

$7 million in matching and direct corporate contributions were distributed to four of the nine charities.

This year, the beneficiaries will be: the Global Fund, Malaria No More, the Children’s Health Fund, the U.S. programs of Save the Children, the Children’s Defense Fund, and Make It Right -- a campaign to help New Orleans recover from the effects of Hurricane Katrina (this is Brad Pitt's charity!)

I checked most of these charities in Charity Navigator and those that are on the database are highly rated, so good job American Idol.

Like I said last year however, if you really want to help, don't wait for Ryan Seacrest or anyone for that matter, tell you to give. Go to the charity websites right now and make your contribution. NOW. I generally find these pat-on-the-back Hollywood charity drives disingenuous and self-serving ("Yay, American Idol is saving the world!"), but that's Hollywood for you. Also, isn't the U.S. supposed to be in some sort of recession? Aren't we all supposed to be in dire straits? Shouldn't somebody else be paying for the suffering they have humanly inflicted on others instead of us? (Rickey raises a fist).

At any rate, many Idol alumni have been raising awareness for different charities and funds over the years such as Ace Young and Highrollers with Heart, and Anthony Fedorov and the Sarcoma Foundation of America.

(Via Huffington Post)