Celebrities Put Star-Power to Good Use
Charities cultivate relationships with stars for their ability to increase the public’s awareness of their charitable endeavors and thus stimulate more donations. Celebrities can be spokespersons, board members or even a founder of a charity. The following video highlights a number of celebrities and the causes to which they’ve pledged their support.
It is wonderful that celebrities have the power to make us aware of causes that need our support. But the onus is still on us to do our homework before making a contribution. A celebrity’s endorsement simply can not serve as a substitute for researching a charity. First of all, even if you are the number one fan of a particular celebrity, you two probably do not have exactly the same philanthropic interests. Second, the celebrity may not have thoroughly vetted the charity’s finances, commitment to accountability and transparency or its programmatic accomplishments — all steps that savvy donors take before making a donation.
Charity Navigator is pleased to present this list of celebrity-related charities to help you determine which may be worthy of a contribution from you. While this certainly isn’t an exhaustive list, it is an extensive list of celebrity-charity relationships.
| Charity Name | Rating |
|---|---|
| The 52nd Street Project |  |
| Frances McDormand | |
| A Place Called Home | |
| Al Roker | |
| Africare | |
| Nelson Mandela | |
| After-School All-Stars | |
| Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kobe Bryant, Maria Shriver | |
| Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation | |
| Afleet Alex, Alex Gordon, Anna Gunn, Bailee Madison, Cindy Crawford, Jordin Sparks, Marc Summers, Peter Facinelli | |
| Alliance for Lupus Research | |
| Woody Johnson | |
| American Dance Festival | |
| Bill T. Jones | |
| American Heart Association | |
| Andie McDowell | |
| American Museum of Natural History | |
| Michael Bloomberg, Tom Brokaw | |
| amfAR | |
| Elizabeth Taylor, Harry Belafonte, Kenneth Cole, Sharon Stone | |
| Andre Agassi Foundation for Education | |
| Andre Agassi, Emeril Lagasse, Sir Elton John | |
| The Aspen Institute | |
| Condoleezza Rice, David Gergen, David Koch, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Madeleine Albright, Michael Eisner, Queen Noor Al-Hussein | |
| Baby Buggy | |
| Jessica Seinfeld | |
| The Boomer Esiason Foundation | |
| Boomer Esiason | |
| Boys & Girls Clubs of America | |
| Ashanti , Bill Clinton, Bill Cosby, Courtney Vance, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Denzel Washington, Edward James Olmos, Gen. Wesley Clark, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Jimmy Rollins, John Mellencamp, John Singleton, Kerry Washington, Mario Lopez, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, Queen Latifah, Ruben Studdard, Shaquille O’Neal, Smokey Robinson, Swin Cash, Usher | |
| BRAC USA | |
| Mahabub Hossain | |
| Careers through Culinary Arts Program | |
| Al Roker, Jacques Pepin, Marcus Samuelsson, Tim Zagat | |
| The Carter Center | |
| Jimmy Carter, Rosalynn Carter | |
| College Track | |
| Laurene Powell Jobs Laurene Powell Jobs | |
| Columbus Zoo and Aquarium | |
| Jack Hanna | |
| Committee to Protect Journalists | |
| Arianna Huffington, Brian Williams, Christiane Amanpour, Dan Rather, Diane Sawyer, Gwen Ifill, Jacob Weisberg, Jane Kramer, Lara Logan, Tom Brokaw | |
| Disabled Veterans’ LIFE Memorial Foundation | |
| Gary Sinise | |
| DonorsChoose.org | |
| Stephen Colbert | |
| Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation For Autism | |
| Doug Flutie | |
| Dream Foundation | |
| Priscilla Presley | |
| Drug Policy Alliance | |
| George Soros | |
| Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation | |
| Gloria Reuben, Neal McDonough, Nigel Barker | |
| Elton John AIDS Foundation | |
| Elton John, Jane Fonda, Whoopi Goldberg | |
| Entertainment Industry Foundation | |
| Charlize Theron, Katie Couric, Pierce Brosnan | |
| Environmental Advocates of New York | |
| Blythe Danner | |
| FIRST | |
| Eric Schmidt | |
| Fisher House Foundation | |
| Denzel Washington | |
| Geffen Playhouse | |
| David Geffen, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Steven Spielberg | |
| The Ghetto Film School | |
| David O. Russell, Mark Wahlberg, Steve Nash | |
| Gilda’s Club Chicago | |
| Gilda Radner | |
| God’s Love We Deliver | |
| Joan Rivers | |
| The Goodman Theatre | |
| Brian Dennehy | |
| Grassroot Soccer | |
| Ethan Zohn | |
| Greenpeace Fund | |
| Bono | |
| Habitat for Humanity International | |
| Jimmy Carter | |
| Harlem RBI | |
| Mark Teixeira | |
| Harlem Village Academies | |
| Hugh Jackman, John Legend, Katie Couric, Rupert Murdoch | |
| Horizons National | |
| Brian Williams | |
| Human Rights First | |
| Sigourney Weaver | |
| InnVision Shelter Network | |
| Maya Angelou | |
| Invisible Children | |
| Kristen Bell, Rachel Bilson, Sophia Bush | |
| The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts | |
| George H. Bush, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Jimmy Carter, Laura Bush, Michelle Obama, Ronald Reagan | |
| Keep a Child Alive | |
| Alicia Keys | |
| Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts | |
| Michael Bloomberg | |
| The Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research | |
| Jimmy Carter, Rupert Murdoch | |
| Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund | |
| Eva Longoria | |
| Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research | |
| Michael J. Fox | |
| My Stuff Bags Foundation | |
| Michael Reagan | |
| NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund | |
| Thurgood Marshall | |
| National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. | |
| Amy Grant, Bon Jovi, Donny Osmond, Martina McBride, Reba McEntire | |
| National Inclusion Project | |
| Clay Aiken | |
| Natural Resources Defense Council | |
| James Taylor, Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert Redford | |
| New York Restoration Project | |
| Bette Midler | |
| Oceana | |
| January Jones, Kelsey Grammer, Pierce Brosnan, Ted Danson | |
| Partnership for Public Service | |
| Cokie Roberts | |
| Pro Kids Golf Academy | |
| Ernest H. Wright, Sr. | |
| Project A.L.S. | |
| Ben Stiller, Julianna Margulies | |
| Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network | |
| Alice Sebold, Christina Ricci, Mick Foley | |
| Riverkeeper | |
| Robert F. Kennedy Jr. | |
| Ronald McDonald House Charities | |
| Al Roker, Billy Bush, Carl Lewis, Cindy Crawford, Hayden Panettiere, Mario Lopez | |
| Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation | |
| George Schultz, Nancy Reagan, Rudolph Giuliani, Rupert Murdoch, Steve Forbes, T. Boone Pickens | |
| Santa Barbara Zoo | |
| John Cleese | |
| Scleroderma Research Foundation | |
| Bob Saget | |
| Show Hope | |
| Steven Curtis Chapman | |
| Stand for Children Leadership Center | |
| John Legend | |
| The Sunlight Foundation | |
| Jimmy Wales | |
| Tiger Woods Foundation | |
| Tiger Woods | |
| Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation | |
| Tom Coughlin | |
| Tony La Russa’s Animal Rescue Foundation | |
| Tony La Russa | |
| UCP Wheels for Humanity | |
| Ali MacGraw, Tim Allen | |
| United Nations Foundation | |
| Ted Turner | |
| United States Fund for UNICEF | |
| Alyssa Milano, Clay Aiken, India.Arie , Laurence Fishburne, Lucy Liu, Sarah Jessica Parker, Téa Leoni | |
| United Way Worldwide | |
| Dolly Parton | |
| The V Foundation | |
| Bill Cosby, Dick Vitale, Mike Kryzewski, Robin Roberts | |
| V-Day | |
| Eve Ensler, Jane Fonda, Kerry Washington, Rosario Dawson, Salma Hayek | |
| Vital Voices Global Partnership | |
| Diane von Furstenburg, Sally Field | |
| Water.org | |
| Matt Damon | |
| The Wild Animal Sanctuary | |
| Jessica Biel | |
| WildAid | |
| Bo Derek, Harrison Ford, Leonardo DiCaprio, Yao Ming | |
| XPRIZE Foundation | |
| Arianna Huffington, James Cameron, Larry Page | |
| Adopt A Pet.com |  |
| Drew Barrymore | |
| Alaska Conservation Foundation | |
| Jimmy Carter | |
| Alaska Wilderness League | |
| Jimmy Carter | |
| ALSAC – St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital | |
| Marlo Thomas | |
| American Academy in Berlin | |
| Henry Kissinger | |
| American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research | |
| Dick Cheney | |
| American Film Institute | |
| Charlton Heston, Gregory Peck, Steven Spielberg | |
| American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra | |
| Itzhak Perlman, Zubin Mehta | |
| American Humane Association | |
| Paula Abdul | |
| America’s Promise Alliance | |
| Colin Powell | |
| Apollo Theater Foundation | |
| Quincy Jones | |
| Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum | |
| Michael Gross | |
| Best Buddies International | |
| David Caruso, Mark Montigny | |
| Blue Ridge Broadcasting Corporation | |
| Billy Graham | |
| Camp Boggy Creek | |
| Norman Schwarzkopf, Paul Newman | |
| Camp Sunshine, Georgia | |
| Jeff Foxworthy, Julianne Chambliss, Saxby Chambliss | |
| Canine Companions for Independence | |
| Dean Koontz | |
| Center for Economic and Policy Research | |
| Danny Glover | |
| The Center for Strategic and International Studies | |
| Henry Kissinger | |
| The Chi Chi Rodriguez Youth Foundation | |
| Chi Chi Rodriguez | |
| The Children’s Health Fund | |
| Paul Simon | |
| Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation | |
| Christopher Reeve | |
| The Climate Reality Project | |
| Al Gore | |
| Clinton Foundation | |
| Bill Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton | |
| Country Music Foundation | |
| Taylor Swift | |
| Dignity U Wear | |
| Mark Wahlberg | |
| DreamYard Project | |
| Parker Posey, Philip Seymour Hoffman | |
| Eisenhower Fellowships | |
| Christie Todd Whitman, Colin Powell, George H.W. Bush, Henry Kissinger | |
| Emily Krzyzewski Family Life Center | |
| Mike Kryzewski | |
| Farm Aid | |
| Dave Mathews, John Mellencamp, Neil Young, Willie Nelson | |
| Free the Slaves | |
| Desmond Tutu | |
| The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice | |
| Milton Friedman | |
| Gilda’s Club New York City | |
| Emma Stone | |
| Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association | |
| Betty White | |
| Green Dot Public Schools | |
| Oscar De La Hoya | |
| Harlem Stage | |
| Bill T. Jones, Claire Danes, Dulé Hill, Hugh Dancy, Ruby Dee | |
| Healthy Child Healthy World | |
| Olivia Newton-John | |
| The Hole in the Wall Gang Fund | |
| Alec Baldwin, Julia Roberts, Paul Newman | |
| Hunter’s Hope Foundation | |
| Jim Kelly | |
| International OCD Foundation | |
| Elizabeth McIngvale, Jeff Bell | |
| International Tennis Hall of Fame | |
| Jim Courier, Pam Shriver, Patrick McEnroe | |
| Jazz at Lincoln Center | |
| Michael Bloomberg, Wynton Marsalis | |
| Joe Torre Safe At Home Foundation | |
| Joe Torre | |
| John F. Kennedy Library Foundation | |
| Caroline Kennedy | |
| Joslin Diabetes Center | |
| Ray Allen | |
| Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International | |
| Mary Tyler Moore, Nick Jonas, Sugar Ray Leonard | |
| KICKSTART KIDS | |
| Chuck Norris | |
| Literacy Partners | |
| Liz Smith | |
| Livestrong Foundation | |
| Lance Armstrong | |
| Magic Johnson Foundation | |
| Earvin “Magic” Johnson | |
| Make-A-Wish America | |
| Chris Webber, Grant Hill, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Donnalley, Michael Johnson | |
| Marine Toys for Tots Foundation | |
| Bob Hope, Michelle Obama, Ronald Reagan | |
| MASS MoCA | |
| Meryl Streep | |
| Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals | |
| Bernadette Peters, Mary Tyler Moore | |
| Mitchell Institute | |
| George J. Mitchell | |
| The Museum of Modern Art | |
| Michael Bloomberg | |
| Museum of the City of New York | |
| Michael Bloomberg | |
| National Center for Missing & Exploited Children | |
| John Walsh | |
| National Coalition Against Censorship | |
| Judy Blume | |
| National Constitution Center | |
| Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, Sandra Day O’Connor | |
| National Kidney Foundation | |
| Rusty Wallace, Tina Fey | |
| National Organization on Disability | |
| George H.W. Bush | |
| National Women’s History Museum | |
| Meryl Streep | |
| Naval Aviation Museum Foundation | |
| George W. Bush | |
| New York City Ballet | |
| Michael Bloomberg | |
| New York City Center | |
| Joanne Woodward | |
| Operation USA | |
| Julie Andrews, Rosario Dawson | |
| Peace First | |
| America Ferrera | |
| Positive Futures Network (YES! Magazine) | |
| Danny Glover | |
| Public Radio International | |
| Judy Woodruff | |
| The Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival | |
| Jimmy Smits, Kevin Kline, Liev Schrieber, Michael Bloomberg, Morgan Freeman, Nora Ephron, Sam Waterson | |
| Race to Erase MS | |
| Avril Lavigne, Tom Arnold, Tommy Hilfiger | |
| Rainforest Foundation US | |
| Sting , Trudie Styler | |
| Refugees International | |
| Matt Dillon, Queen Noor Al-Hussein, Sam Waterson | |
| The Roar Foundation | |
| Antonio Banderas, Betty White, Bo Derek, Loni Anderson, Melanie Griffith, Tippi Hedren | |
| Room to Grow | |
| Uma Thurman | |
| Save the Manatee Club | |
| Jimmy Buffett | |
| Seeds of Peace | |
| Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, Queen Noor Al-Hussein | |
| Several Sources Shelters | |
| Stephen Baldwin | |
| Southeastern Legal Foundation | |
| Edwin Meese | |
| Special Olympics | |
| Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bart Conner, Jackie Chan, Maria Shriver, Michael Phelps, Nadia Comaneci, Pierce Brosnan, Scott Hamilton, Timothy Shriver, Vanessa Williams, Yao Ming | |
| Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation | |
| Lee Iacocca | |
| Steadman Philippon Research Institute | |
| H.M. King Juan Carlos I of Spain | |
| Sundance Institute | |
| Robert Redford | |
| Symphony Space | |
| Alec Baldwin, Cynthia Nixon, Stephen Colbert, William Hurt | |
| Tribeca Film Institute | |
| Jane Rosenthal, Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro | |
| Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance | |
| Julianne Moore | |
| United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation | |
| Jack Black | |
| United States Capitol Historical Society | |
| Cokie Roberts, Richard Burr, Tom Udall | |
| USA Cares | |
| Dennis Miller | |
| USA for UNHCR | |
| Angelina Jolie | |
| Vassar College | |
| Lisa Kudrow, Meryl Streep | |
| WITNESS | |
| Peter Gabriel | |
| Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts | |
| Michelle Obama, Tony Bennett, Trisha Yearwood | |
| Women for Women International | |
| Rania Al-Abdullah | |
| Youth For Tomorrow | |
| Joe Gibbs | |
| Actors and Others for Animals |  |
| Betty White, Doris Day, Joanne Worley, Loretta Swit | |
| All Stars Helping Kids | |
| Emmitt Smith, Kristi Yamaguchi, Marcus Allen, Ronnie Lott | |
| American Cinematheque | |
| Candice Bergen, Francis Coppola, Goldie Hawn, Martin Scorsese | |
| American Friends of the Yitzhak Rabin Center for the Study of Israel | |
| Henry Kissinger, Madeleine Albright | |
| American Parkinson Disease Association | |
| Muhammad Ali | |
| American Tinnitus Association | |
| William Shatner | |
| Amnesty International USA | |
| Bono , Nazanin Boniadi, Nicolas Cage | |
| Baltimore Reads | |
| Cal Ripkin, Jr. | |
| Better World Fund | |
| Kofi Annan, Ted Turner | |
| The California Highway Patrol 11-99 Foundation | |
| Jay Leno, Joe Montana | |
| Celebrity Fight Night Foundation | |
| Muhammad Ali | |
| Coalition for Clean Air | |
| Ed Begley, Jr. | |
| College Summit | |
| Don Cheadle | |
| Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International | |
| Christian Bale, Sigourney Weaver | |
| Forever Young Foundation | |
| Steve Young | |
| Freedom Alliance | |
| Oliver North | |
| The Fresh Air Fund | |
| Mariah Carey, Tiki Barber | |
| George Bush Presidential Library Foundation | |
| Andrew H. Card, Jr., Jeb Bush | |
| The Gorilla Foundation | |
| Betty White | |
| Heinz Center for Science, Economics and the Environment | |
| Teresa Heinz Kerry | |
| Helen Woodward Animal Center | |
| Diane Keaton | |
| The Imus Ranch | |
| Don Imus | |
| In Defense of Animals | |
| Elaine Hendrix | |
| International Campaign for Tibet | |
| Richard Gere | |
| John Tracy Clinic | |
| Robert Wagner | |
| Los Angeles Opera | |
| Placido Domingo | |
| March of Dimes | |
| Denny Hamlin, Jennifer Lopez, Kelly Clarkson, Nicole Kidman, Sherri Shepherd | |
| Marijuana Policy Project Foundation | |
| Adam Carolla, Bill Maher, Jack Black, Jesse Ventura | |
| Mind & Life Institute | |
| Dalai Lama | |
| Mourning Family Foundation | |
| Alonzo Mourning | |
| Muscular Dystrophy Association | |
| Jerry Lewis | |
| The Nature Conservancy | |
| Michael Douglas | |
| The Paley Center for Media | |
| Kim Cattrall | |
| People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals | |
| Alec Baldwin, Alicia Silverstone, Pamela Anderson, Pink , Woody Harrelson | |
| The Planetary Society | |
| Bill Nye, Neil deGrasse Tyson | |
| Positive Coaching Alliance | |
| Barry Zito, Bart Conner, Bill Bradley, Dean Smith, Doc Rivers, Dot Richardson, Herm Edwards, Kerri Strug, Larry Brown, Nadia Comaneci, Phil Jackson, Ronnie Lott, Summer Sanders, Tony Dorsett | |
| Pujols Family Foundation | |
| Albert Pujols | |
| SOS Children’s Villages-USA | |
| Sarah Ferguson | |
| Spirit of America | |
| George P. Shultz | |
| Teammates for Kids Foundation | |
| Garth Brooks | |
| VH1 Save The Music Foundation | |
| Wynton Marsalis | |
| Victory Junction Gang | |
| Kyle Petty | |
| Waterkeeper Alliance | |
| Robert F. Kennedy Jr. | |
| Women’s Sports Foundation | |
| Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Dominique Dawes, Geena Davis, Holly Hunter, Laila Ali, Martina Navratilova, Mia Hamm, Sheryl Crow | |
| World Society for the Protection of Animals | |
| Audrey Landers, Simon Cowell, Tiffani Thiessen | |
| American Diabetes Association |  |
| Donovan McNabb, Elliott Yamin, Gladys Knight, Greg LeMond, Joan Allen, Lovie Smith, Tony Dungy | |
| Caucus Educational Corporation | |
| Steve Adubato | |
| CJ Foundation for SIDS | |
| Don Imus | |
| The Larry King Cardiac Foundation | |
| Larry King | |
| Last Chance for Animals | |
| Chris DeRose | |
| Miracle Flights for Kids | |
| Bruce Jenner, Wayne Newton | |
| National Council of Negro Women | |
| Maya Angelou | |
| Teachers Without Borders | |
| Jane Goodall | |
| California Police Youth Charities |  |
| Brande Roderick | |
| Operation Lookout | |
| Dyan Cannon |