8 Celebs with the Biggest Philanthropic Portfolio

Talent, charisma, achievements, and trendsetting fashion are some of the reasons celebrities are popular. But, when a star decides to use their starpower for philanthropy or for the greater good it can help people in need a great deal. Through their established foundations, charity events, or personal acts of kindness, those in place of influence can help bring about positive change and inspire others to do the same as well.

Dolly Parton

Besides being one of the most legendary artists in country music, Dolly Parton has always been proactive in helping the world. Her philanthropic deeds go back to the 80s to when she launched the Dollywood Foundation. The primary focus of this foundation has been to reduce the high school dropout rate in the country and help children graduate. Besides that, the Jolene singer has made significant contributions to improving the literacy rate in the country through her foundation, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Parton has also been involved in efforts to ensure the safety of bald eagles and has donated to help during natural disasters. During the global pandemic, she donated a million dollars to help with vaccine research.

Elton John

For over three decades now, Elton John has been running a charity for AIDS. The British singer and songwriter founded the Elton John AIDS Foundation in 1992 after he lost one of his friends to it. The non-profit organization has raised more than $600 million to support AIDS-related programs in more than 50 countries. The foundation not only helps raise awareness about the syndrome but also provides medical care and support services to individuals living with it.

Barbra Streisand

In 1986, the Woman in Love singer established her non-profit organization, the Streisand Foundation that supports causes like women’s issues, human rights, and environmental protection. In 2006, the Funny Girl actor donated a million dollars to Bill Clinton’s climate change program. Then, in 2008, she donated around $16 million from her 2007 concert tour to various charitable causes such as women’s cardiovascular research programs, education, and the environment, among others.

Bono

The lead vocalist of U2 has been a philanthropist and activist for decades. Bono supports various causes, with human rights and social justice being the major ones. In 2004, Bono, along with activist Bobby Shriver, founded the ONE Campaign, a global movement to put an end to extreme poverty and prevent diseases. Until now, the campaign has raised over $37 million in its journey to fight diseases such as AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis. Besides this, Bono also founded the brand Product Red, which raises funds for eliminating AIDS in Africa.

Jennifer Lopez

In 2022, Jennifer Lopez teamed up with the non-profit organization Grameen America to help allocate $14 billion of funds to small businesses owned by Latin American women. The organization plans to achieve this goal by 2030. Lopez mentioned this venture in one of her Instagram posts. She wrote, “Being Latino in this country has always been a matter of pride for me. I am humbled and beyond grateful to partner with Grameen America to accelerate its goal to deploy $14 Billion in life-changing loan capital to low-income Latina entrepreneurs by 2030.” Besides this, Jennifer Lopez also runs the Lopez Family Foundation with her sister. This foundation aims to improve the quality of healthcare and health education for women and children.

Hugh Jackman

Over a decade ago, Hugh Jackman founded the Laughing Man Coffee Company alongside the Laughing Man Foundation. His goal is to direct all the profits made by the coffee company toward the foundation. The mission of this foundation is to support social entrepreneurs and educational programs all over the world. The Laughing Man Coffee Company also aims to empower coffee farming communities through fair trade. Speaking to CBS News about the Laughing Man Coffee Company, Grant said, “By buying a fair trade coffee, you are sort of ensuring that the world is a better place, the planet is a better place, and the person who’s actually growing that bean from which you’re sipping your coffee has got a shot at living a sustainable life with opportunity for them and their families.”

Matt Damon

Since 2006, Matt Damon has been highly vocal about helping underprivileged communities get access to clean drinking water. For this goal, the The Martian actor co-founded Water.org, a non-profit organization, with Gary White. To date, their organization has helped more than 20 million people across 13 countries. Talking about this venture in an interview with Time, Damon said, “For me, it was just looking at these issues of extreme poverty and realizing that water undergirded all of them.”

Julia Roberts

The Pretty Woman actress supports causes such as women empowerment, using renewable fuels, and fighting climate change. One of her major philanthropic ventures is her contribution to UNICEF. She has worked extensively with the organization to improve the lives of people affected by war. Roberts has even personally visited the war-torn and violence-affected countries to witness the turmoil first hand. She has also been involved in providing education and other necessary help to those affected by these events.

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