Celebs doing good
By Dan Estabrook - September 15, 2008
Which celebrities are making a difference and doing good things? The Giving Back Fund has compiled its second annual list of the most generous celebrities and Oprah Winfrey tops the list (probably not a surprise for many of us). Oprah took the top spot for 2007 with $50.2 million donated to education, health care, and advocacy for women and children worldwide.
What did surprise me was the #2 celebrity -- Herb Alpert -- who gave away $13 million to education through his foundation, including the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. Who would have guessed that the leader of the Tijuana Brass was so inclined?
The other 28 philanthropists are listed below.
| Ranking | Donor | Amount Donated or Pledged | Recipients |
| 1 | Oprah Winfrey | $50,200,000 | To the Oprah Winfrey Foundation and Oprah's Angel Network; to "support the inspiration, empowerment and education of women, children, and families around the world; to encourage people around the world to make a difference in the lives of others |
| 2 | Herb Alpert | $13,000,000 | To The Herb Alpert Foundation. In 2007 the Herb Alpert Foundation distributed more than $50,000,000 million in grants, which included a $30,000,000 gift to UCLA. Since 1988 Mr. Alpert has donated more than $100,000,000 million to the Herb Alpert Foundation |
| 3 | Barbra Streisand | $11,000,000 | To the Barbra Streisand Foundation. The Barbra Streisand Foundation distributed $16 million in 2007. Barbra Streisand Foundation, numerous civil liberties, environmental, and civil rights organizations "dedicated to democratic values"Hawaii Community Foundation |
| 4 | Paul Newman | $10,005,000 | $10 million to Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio from which he graduated, for a scholarship program; an additional $5,000 to Ypsilanti High School's drama department |
| 5 | Mel Gibson | $9,899,654 | To the AP Reilly Foundation, the tax-exempt entity named for his late mother, which supports Holy Family Catholic Church in Malibu, California |
| 6 | Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt | $8,400,000 | The Jolie-Pitt Foundation. $5 million directed to the Make It Right Project - new project aims to rebuild 150 homes in the Ninth Ward in New Orleans with an emphasis on "green" technology with a goal to prove that it can be replicated elsewhere. $100k to the Daniel Pearl Foundation, which promotes cross-cultural understanding through journalism and music. Ms. Jolie starred in a movie based on his tragic murder; one million gift to help Afghan refugees in Pakistan |
| 7 | Lance Armstrong | $5,000,000 | Pledge to Lance Armstrong Foundation, which unites, inspires and empowers people affected by cancer over the next 10 years. |
| 7 | Michael Jordon | $5,000,000 | To Hales Franciscan High School for the historically African-American all-boys school |
| 7 | Eric Lindros | $5,000,000 | $5 million dollars in support of London Health Sciences Centre. The gift is one of the largest one-time donations ever received by London Health Sciences Foundation and will support programs at the hospital including the Fowler Kennedy Sport Medicine Clinic where Eric was treated during his NHL career. |
| 10 | Rush Limbaugh | $4,200,000 | To Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation, a charity that provides financial assistance to the children of fallen Marines and federal law enforcement officers. |
| 11 | Rosie O'Donnell | $3,515,512 | $1,872,970 to early education centers and other child-related programs funded; $1,000,000 to Rosie's Broadway Kids Initiative; $642,542 to the Project Katrina Initiative |
| 12 | Richard Jefferson | $3,500,000 | To University of Arizona for a new basketball / volleyball facility |
| 13 | Jerry Seinfeld | $3,000,000 | To Seinfeld Family Foundation, which distributed more than $2 million to various charities including Oprah's Angel Network, The American Red Cross, Autism Speaks and City Year |
| 14 | Hugh Hefner | $2,000,000 | To University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts to build new exhibition space |
| 14 | Dan Rather | $2,000,000 | To Sam Houston State University for scholarships and communications programs |
| 14 | Tom Shadyac | $2,000,000 | Valley Floor Preservation Partners to preserve 570 acres of meadows and wetlands just outside the entrance to the Victorian-era resort townof Telluride |
| 17 | Sam and Lynn Waterston | $1,751,000 | Established Waterston Family Foundation in August of September 2007; previously Mr. Waterson was involved in refugee work and is on the Board of Refugees International |
| 18 | Tiger Woods | $1,350,000 | To Tiger Woods Learning Center to get students thinking about the role education plays in their futures |
| 19 | Andre Agassi | $1,300,000 | To Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation dedicated to transforming U.S. public education for underserved youth |
| 20 | Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson | $1,000,000 | To The University of Miami's football facilities renovation fund |
| David Kopay | $1,000,000 | To the University of Washington's Q center for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, two-spirit, queer, questioning and intersex students, faculty, and staff | |
| Tracy McGrady | $1,000,000 | To Stand up for Darfur and other related projects; to improve education for Sudanese Refugees | |
| Mike and Jennifer Miller | $1,000,000 | To establish the Mike and Jennifer Miller Endowment Fund to support Sanford Children's Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD. | |
| Adam Sandler | $1,000,000 | To the Boys and Girls Club in Manchester, NH where he was raised. | |
| Steven Spielberg | $1,000,000 | To Not On Our Watch Project established by cast of Ocean's Thirteen; Mr. Spielberg is Chairman of the Righteous Persons Foundation to which he makes an undisclosed annual donation | |
| Denzel Washington | $1,000,000 | To Wiley College to re-establish the famed debate team on which his movie, The Great Debators, was based. | |
| 27 | Isabel Allende | $869,655 | To The Isabel Allende Foundation, which pays homage to her daughter who passed away at 28; Promotes a vision of a world in which women have achieved social and economic justice. Also supports healthcare, education, protection against violence. |
| 28 | Jerry and Karen West | $800,000 | To West Virginia University. Includes $250,000 for the new Athletic Academic Performance Center in the Coliseum and $300,000 to be divided equally between the Jerry and Karen West and Ann Dinardi Basketball Scholarship Fund and the Jerry West Scholarship Fund. The designation for the remaining funds will be announced at a later date. |
| 29 | David and Valerie Robinson | $779,499 | To the David Robinson Foundation, which supports the Carver Academy, mentoring programs, hunger programs |
| 30 | Richard Seymour | $724,825 | To Richard Seymour BGC Foundation (Blessing God's Children), which holds youth camps and health fairs |
Kudos to these celebrities who have decided to take on problems and help fund solutions. With the number of stars making $20 to $30 million per film, I would have hoped that more showed up on the top list. Maybe next year. Source: The Giving Back Fund
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Dan Estabrook is frequent contributor to Tonic. He also serves as Tonic's Product and (all around) Goodness Guy.
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