Why the developing Clary Lionel Rihanna Foundation is perceived as a model of celebrity philanthropy

Rihanna She is used to opposing the convention.

The nine -time Grammy winner modified her extensive hits, including “umbrella” and “work” in a business empire value roughly $ 1.4 billion, placing its highest level to Forbes lists last yr forbes The richest “self -sufficient” American women. The largest entertainment scene in Barbados, with a pregnancy revealing during it Solo 2023 super bowl break show. And she A successful brand of cosmetics Fenty Beauty Cosmetics He revolutionized the makeup industry because of the shades that features.

But this is not a rotated megastar Long -awaited statement to the album “Anti” from 2016, which has waves this yr. It’s her philanthropy.

Named in honor of Rihanna’s grandparents and partially financed by her brands, the Clara Lionel Foundation comes out of “Refreshment”, which is able to direct more funds to climate solutions and girls’s entrepreneurship in the underestimated regions of East Africa, the Caribbean and the United States. After 13 years of relative anonymity, non -profit is ready for greater visibility.

“Our founder is a woman from a small nation on an island who has a global reach. She is an entrepreneur. She is a mother. She is creative,” said executive director Jessie Schutt-Aine. “So we want an organization that reflects this spirit and this energy. She is brave and ambitious. She is innovative. She always does things differently. She changes into the game.”

Experts say that it is rare that amongst known philanthropists is so purposefulness. The Clara Lionel Foundation has also been praised for accepting “trust -based” giving, which enables unlimited financing to recipients.

The founder of NDN Collective, Nick Tilsen, said that CLF allows their native Non-Profit organization “they work on our conditions”-and that other founders should take notes.

“They are also not the foundation that is also in your company,” said Tilsen. “They support. They see a job. They let us do what we have to do.”

Personal roots of the Clara Lionel Foundation

Rihanna began the foundation with an contribution of USD 516,000 after her grandmother died of cancer complications in 2012. This yr, the musician founded the Oncology Center in the foremost Barbados hospital to expand screening and cancer treatment. And Young Foundation has focused on healthcare and Barbados for many of the last decade.

However, by 2019, CLF began to find out the priorities of readiness in the event of a failure. Grantmaking jumped to over $ 33 million in 2020, because the non-profit organization provided a very essential pandemic relief and supported efforts for racial justice. According to tax reports, the slowdown in postpandemic expenses coincided with its inner transition.

The renovated team and complicated priorities now match their wider ambitions. The latest director of women’s entrepreneurship based in southern Carolina will construct programs of this pillar. Amina Doherty, co -founder of Black Feminist Fund, is now supervising programs and influence. Five latest pillars are complemented by climate solutions, art and culture, health access and equality, as well as future generations.

The concentration of young people was praised by Ashley Lashley, a 25-year-old whose foundation cooperated with CLF as a way to solve environmental challenges on her native Barbados. He often hears how leaders say that “youth is the future,” she said, but these statements rarely translate into actual support.

“The Rihanna Foundation is a great example of how women in power can help contribute to work performed at the community level,” said Lashley.

Rihanna told The Associated Press that she hopes that CLF would still be the force of “global inclusion in philanthropy.”

She wondered at the 13-year transformation of the foundation in a statement: “Today we have a global range, but this concept of love for the community and our roots runs deeply into the DNA of the foundation.”

Finding partners – big and small

The latest example of this evolution is the partnership with the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Barbados’s “invaluable history” as “an indispensable chapter in the wider history of the African diaspora” is threatened with climate change, in accordance with the press message of Mellon.

Together, as they announced two foundations, they are going to finance “initiatives led by artists” to guard this culture “at the same time inspiring new narratives and possibilities in the international arena.”

Schutt-Aine perceives a partnership with Mellon-the largest philanthropic supporter of art in the USA-as a milestone for CLF. Justin Garrett Moore, director of the Mellon humanities program, said that the name of the NON -Profit organization was created when his team asked contacts to recommend partners.

“We think there is an amazing platform that the Clara Lionel Foundation and the founder will introduce this kind of work in readability and visibility to organizations that will be supported,” said Moore. “In addition, generally in society to help strengthen the strength of art.”

Among these scholarship holders is the performance art development program, which also provides free social services for college kids in the capital of the nation in Bridgetown. The founder of Triple Ground operations, Janelle Headley, said that the Clara Lionel Foundation helped -Pro -Profit could afford a warehouse equipped with acoustic panels, sound equipment and parquet.

The relationship began with a microgranture for scholarships. Triple Ground operation now receives general operational support – a “revolutionary” investment, said Headley, because donations for charity are frequently intended for specific causes. This flexibility turned out to be particularly helpful during the pandemic, when the rapidly changing circumstances created latest needs, such as iPads for distant learning.

“To be honest, it is rare that someone will give a considerable donation unlimited and said:” We trust you, your vision, “said Headley. “It’s very future -like.”

A novel model of celebrity philanthropy

This approach is unique, in keeping with Mary Beth Collins, executive director of the Center for Social Studies and non-profit at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He discovers that celebrities often become involved in philanthropy provided that essential.

But Collins said that CLF seems to take into consideration its partners for a very long time and intentionally in grassroots financing. Strategies are in step with her own recommendations regarding the engaging of experts coping with the original causes, selecting concentration areas essential for the founders and raising the leaders conducting these problems.

“We want to see funds and resources from more endowed people in the world who go to leaders in the field who really know this place, experience and problems,” said Collins.

CLF used this model at the end of last yr, when it provided additional financing to the non -Pure Energy Party partner Hurricane Helene. Melanie Allen, co -director Hive Fund for Climate and Gender, said that she suddenly received about USD 60,000 for fast distribution between proven partners in devastated communities.

The contribution occurred amongst an increasingly hostile environment for non -profit organization, such as its color, which prompted some philanthropists to scale back giving. Allen said that she was enthusiastic about “deep CLF involvement to the south.”

When others reduce resources, CLF desires to introduce more philanthropic partners to the table. They are planning a summer convening for scholarship holders to expand the network. Message, CLF, said Doherty Clf, says: “We will stick to you.”

“Some people can say that times look gloomy,” said Doherty. “But that’s a moment of possibilities.”

The importance of remaining on the communities you serve is a Schutt-Iine lesson, which he learned during a 25-year-old global health profession.

Recently, the head of the diversity of equality, sex and culture at the Pan American Health Organization, Schutt-Aine treated the most dangerous infections of tuberculosis, malaria and HIV/AIDS.

“If you are going to work on malaria,” she said, “You have to live with mosquitoes.”