Rihanna may have made it to the official billionaire status back in August 2021, but that doesn't mean she doesn't care about humanitarian issues. With the launching of her Fenty Beauty makeup brand, her Savage X Fenty lingerie brand, as well as her own perfume brand, Reb'l Fleur, she can afford to have a few extra million laying around for a just cause. At least fans can appreciate the fact that she isn't spending her fortunes solely on ostentatious mansions, although it must be noted that she already has quite a few properties to her name.
According to Sky News, the Barbados superstar will be donating $15 million to fighting for climate justice. The report claims that the donation will be dispersed among 18 different climate justice organizations doing work across seven Caribbean nations as well as the United States.
The Rude Boy singer made the generous donation possible through her Clara Lionel Foundation, which she named after her grandparents. A few of these organizations include the Climate Justice Alliance, the Indigenous Environmental Network, Earthjustice, and the Climate Action Network. The grants will also be focused on aiding communities with leaders deemed to be most at risk, such as feminist groups, LGBTQ, black, or indigenous leaders.
Reading from an article taken from USA Today, Rihanna stated, "Climate disasters, which are growing in frequency and intensity, do not impact all communities equally, with communities of color and island nations facing the brunt of climate change.” Rihanna, who is herself from the eastern Caribbean island of Barbados, knows all too well the effects of volatile weather, being that the country was directly impacted by Hurricane Elsa in September 2021 which caused considerable damage.
This donation is just one of many philanthropic initiatives taken by the entrepreneurial musician who has also given to the corona-virus relief efforts in addition to marching in an anti-Asian hate protest back in April 2021. But her philanthropy doesn't stop there. One year earlier in April 2020, her Clara Lionel Foundation teamed up with Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to donate $4.2 million to residents in Los Angeles who were victims of domestic violence during the pandemic. That same year, her Covid-relief grant even matched that of Jay-Z's Shawn Carter Foundation. That can be expected from the world's wealthiest female musician.
Among other rich and famous celebrities and personalities who have willingly contributed their finances to the cause of climate change, we have Leonardo DiCaprio, Prince Harry, Prince William, Greta Thunberg, Jaden Smith, and Ellen DeGeneres.