Will Smith Donates $1.3 Million To Charity In 2008

Will Smith gave away over US$1.3 million to charitable causes over the last year.

Along with his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, the actor donated the money to a variety of religious, civic and arts groups through his Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation.

The single biggest contribution of $250,000 went to the Yesha Ministries of Philadelphia, a born-again Christian-based organization run by Reverend James Robinson. Another $200,000 went to a Christian ministry in Los Angeles called Living Waters. The Church Of Scientology religion also received hefty donations from the couple, with $67,500 going to the New York Rescue Workers Detoxification Fund, $50,000 to the group’s Celebrity Centre in Hollywood and $5,000 to ABLE.

The Smiths also donated thousands of dollars to a Los Angeles mosque, other Christian-based schools and churches, and to the Yitzhak Rabin Memorial Center in Israel. They also gave $25,000 to the Progeria Research Foundation. Progeria is a disease that causes rapid aging.

In May, the couple also gave $1million to help set up a school for children of all religions.

“About 10 years ago Jada and I started dreaming about the possibility of creating an ideal educational environment, where children could feel happy, positive and excited about learning,” he said.