Celebrities
Andre Agassi, Angelina Jolie, Arnold Palmer, Barbra Streisand, Bob Barker, Brad Pitt, David Geffen, Denzel Washington, Dolly Parton, Dr. Phil McGraw, Dwayne Johnson, Elizabeth Taylor, Gloria Estefan, Lance Armstrong, Martha Stewart, Nicolas Cage, Oprah, Pat Boone, Paul McCartney, Rosie O'Donnell, Tiger Woods
Charities
Adopt-A-Minefield, Amnesty International, Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation, Arnold Palmer Foundation, Children, Inc., Daniel Pearl Foundation, David Geffen Foundation, Doctors Without Borders, Dr. Phil Foundation, Global Action for Children, Habitat For Humanity, Lance Armstrong Foundation, New Orleans AIDS Task Force, Oprah's Angel Network, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Save Africa's Children, Special Olympics, Streisand Foundation, Tiger Woods Foundation, Wounded Warrior Project
Causes
Adoption, Fostering, Orphans, AIDS, Animals, At-Risk/Disadvantaged Youths, Cancer, Children, Creative Arts, Disaster Relief, Education, Environment, Family/Parent Support, Health, Homelessness, Human Rights, Mental Challenges, Miscellaneous, Peace, Poverty, Voter Education, Weapons Reduction, Women
May 12, 2007 by Steve Purcell
A list of the 30 largest public donations made by celebrities in the past year puts Oprah in the top spot.
The Giving Back Fund, which encourages and advises on celebrity philanthropy, compiles its list each year. President Marc Pollick said, “Encouragement-by-example is the main reason for the Giving Back 30 list.”
Oprah gave $58.3 million to Oprah’s Angel Network and her recently-opened Leadership Academy.
Of the other celebrities high on the list, Barbra Streisand was in fourth spot, having given $11.75 million through her Streisand Foundation.
Tiger Woods took fifth place, giving $9.5 million to organisations including the Tiger Woods Learning Center funded by the Tiger Woods Foundation.
Giving Back’s Marc Pollick praised an increasing trend in celebrity donations, saying, “Ten years ago when Slate magazine first published the Slate 60 reporting on the most generous American philanthropists, the last donor on their list gave $5 million. This year the last donor donated $30 million to charity. This is the type of growth we are hoping to inspire within the sports and entertainment community. One cannot help but be influenced by the generosity of his or her peers.”
The full list and information about how it was compiled can be found at givingback.org. This site has previously reported on many of the list’s featured celebrities and their donations; a comprehensively linked version of the list appears below:
| Position | Celebrity | Donation | Cause(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oprah Winfrey | $58,300,000 | Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy, Oprah’s Angel Network, and other groups |
| 2 | Geoffrey Beene | $44,000,000 (bequest) | Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center |
| 3 | Jack and Marie Lord | $40,000,000 (bequest) | Hawaii Community Foundation |
| 4 | Barbra Streisand | $11,750,000 | Streisand Foundation, numerous civil liberties, environmental, and civil rights organizations “dedicated to democratic values” |
| 5 | Tiger Woods | $9,500,000 | Tiger Woods Learning Center, Earl D. Woods Sr. Scholarship Fund, and other Tiger Woods Foundation programs |
| 6 | Rosie O’Donnell | $5,700,000 | Katrina Relief efforts including Renaissance Village (a temporary shelter for Katrina victims), day care centers, a rehabilitation center in San Antonio, and a Habitat For Humanity sub division in Baton Rouge |
| 7 | Martha Stewart | $5,000,000 | New York’s Mt. Sinai Hospital for a center on healthy aging |
| 8 | Carmelo Anthony | $4,282,000 | CAF Youth Center in Baltimore, AAU Basketball, Syracuse University Recreational Center, and other charities |
| 9 | Pat Boone & Shirley Boone | $3,000,000 | Pepperdine University for the Graduate School of Education and Psychology Center for the Family |
| 9 | LeRoy Neiman | $3,000,000 | The School of the Art Institute of Chicago to support a Master’s class in figure drawing |
| 11 | Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt | $2,415,000 | School and Community Center in Swakopmund in Namibia, Daniel Pearl Foundation, Namibian hospitals, Doctors Without Borders, Global Action for Children and others |
| 12 | Nicolas Cage | $2,000,000 | Amnesty International for a fund to help child soldiers |
| 12 | Dwayne Johnson (“The Rock”) and Dany Garcia Johnson | $2,000,000 | University of Miami to name new Alumni Center living room |
| 12 | Paul McCartney | $2,000,000 | Adopt-A-Minefield |
| 12 | Arnold Palmer | $2,000,000 | Pledged to the Arnold Palmer Foundation ultimately to benefit the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute |
| 16 | David Geffen | $1,600,000 | David Geffen Foundation |
| 17 | Susan Saint James and Dick Ebersol | $1,300,000 | The Gunnery to help pay for a new dormitory in memory of their son Teddy killed in a plane crash |
| 18 | Jeffrey and Marilyn Katzenberg | $1,250,000 | Boston University to renovate facilities |
| 19 | Andre Agassi | $1,070,000 | Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation |
| 20 | Tiki and Ronde Barber and family | $1,000,000 | University of Virginia to support the McIntire School of Commerce, the Virginia Athletics Foundation, Childrens Hospital, a scholarship fund for African-American students, the Young Alumni Council, and to challenge young alumni to participate in the capital campaign |
| 20 | Bob Barker | $1,000,000 | Georgetown University to endow a fund at its law school that will focus on the study of animal rights |
| 20 | Gloria Estefan | $1,000,000 | Miami Paralysis Project |
| 20 | Dr. Phil McGraw & Robin McGraw | $1,000,000 | Dr. Phil Foundation |
| 20 | George Steinbrenner & family | $1,000,000 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for Boshamer Stadium for baseball |
| 20 | Tony Stewart | $1,000,000 | Victory Junction Gang Camp |
| 20 | Denzel Washington | $1,000,000 | Save Africa’s Children |
| 27 | Mike Sexton | $560,000 | Special Olympics, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis, Children, Inc., Wounded Warrior Project, Ohio State University, and other charities |
| 28 | Lance Armstrong | $500,000 | Lance Armstrong Foundation |
| 28 | Dolly Parton | $500,000 | Fort Sanders Medical Center |
| 28 | Elizabeth Taylor | $500,000 | New Orleans AIDS Task Force to purchase mobile medical unit for AIDS sufferers in New Orleans |
Source: Giving Back 30 List
Liked this? Get future articles by
6 comments
I am having difficulty finding celebrity philanthropists that help the blind or neurologically handicapped. I work for a non-profit radio reading service that is an affiliate of the State-Wide Massachusetts Radio Reading Service. Our affiliate where I work is called Audible Local Ledger, Inc. We read local newspapers and grocery ads along with current periodicals and more. audiblelaocalledger.org
We are always looking for grants as without them we could not serve our community on Cape Cod And Southeastern Ma.
Lisa Union
Administrative Assistant
Audible Local Ledger, Inc
508-539-2030
877-255-2260
My name is Caryn Johnson, founder Quilted Angels Inc. and a breast cancer survivor. Our non profit organization makes and donates warm, colorful lap quilts to hospitls and Oncology offices for their patients while receiving chemotherapy. We are hoping to open an Inn on Cape Cod. It will be a special place where breast cancer patients and survivors will come for a weekend retreat. A comfortable and relaxing non-clinical enviornment offering a variety of workshops promoting healthy living and healing. It willbe home yo our quilt shop, providing a gathering place for our volunteer quilters to make and assemble our donation quilts. WE NEED YOUR HELP! A property has become availble that would be perfect. We have been fundraising but need an Angel Investor who believes in our mission to help us make our dream become reality. If you can help or would like more information, pleasae call.........
Caryn Johnson, President
Quilted angels Inc. 501(c)(3)
(781)264-3494
It's great when individuals can help others less fortunate. I have watched shows and cried with joy for the support so many have received. So often I wih that I could do something spectacular for others materialistically.
My strengths are emotional support and just giving from the heart. I have learned that many times this is not enough.
I adopted two terriffic children. I could write a book of how great they are and the experiences we have had. But today, I wish I could fulfill some other dreams, like taking hem on a plane, they have never been on one before. Both, are great students and I wish I could reward them with something spectacular like a trip to Disney World. My childen are not complainers but I wish for a least a day they could be rewarded and treated like princesses. I won;t make my story a sad one because it is too beautiful. Is there any one that can help us with a spectacular event?
I'm also having trouble finding help with finances. My step-son has been diagnosed with clear cell sarcoma and is now in treatment. He is ten years old and the caringbridge site will let you know all information about his care. This is a rare and potentially fatal diagnosis. I spend almost every moment I have with him because I do not know what the future holds for him; I pray for the best! Anyway, I have had to quit school (college, going to Ancilla College to be a nurse and had one semester left-they are holding a place for me to return). I also had to put my job on the sidelines because we are in the hospital so much. I have no income at the present time. Since the end of November, I have had no income and used my tax monies and monies from a benefit to pay my household expenses. I made it this far, but am now down to less than $100.00. I do not want to leave Jackie to go back to work because he needs me, but I'm going to have to if there is no help with bills. I have six other children (Rodney has four and I have three) and it is very hard to take care of everyone with the circumstances. If you need information about the situation look at
We are praying for an angel to help me stay home with Jackie! If there is anyone out there that can help us until we get back on our feet, we would be forever grateful!
Sincerely,
Stacy A. Cooper
sky22blue@yahoo.com
My husband and I live on dairy farm and we got some bad feed and that almost wiped out my entire herd and what is left will take time to bounce back but in the mean time we have no money to gt us by and the bank is talking about taking the farm from us. I'm asking someone to hear my plea and help us out so that our daugter and us don't loose what we both love to do.
Hi April,
Have you tried getting in touch with Farm Aid?
http://www.farmaid.org/
about 1 year ago