There is nothing more important in life than love.
- Barbra Streisand -
Born Barbara Joan Streisand on April 24, 1942, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Barbra is an American singer, song writer, actress, filmmaker and director. In a career spanning six decades, she has achieved spectacular success in multiple fields of entertainment. She’s the only artist ever to receive an Oscar, Tony, Emmy, Granny, Directors Guild of America and the Golden Globe Award. Additionally she’s been honored with the National Medal of Arts, Peabody, American Film Institute’s Lifetime Achievement Awards. The first female film director ever to receive the Kennedy Center Honors. Many other prestigious awards.
The only recording artist or group to achieve number one albums in each of six decades. The best selling female recording artist in history. The only woman to make the Top 10 Best Selling Artists list. She has the longest span of number one albums in history with over 52 throughout the years.
In 1986 she set up The Streisand Foundation which gave over the years more than $25 million to 800+ charitable organizations. The Streisand Foundation has been one of the most generous in the entire entertainment industry. In recent years, individual grants from her foundation have tended to be under $35,000, with under $700,000 going out of the door in the most recent tax year we have available. At times, though, Streisand has made some very large gifts. Here are a few must-knows about Streisand’s philanthropy:
1. Large Sums Have Gone for Women’s Health
Streisand has made a number of large grants to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, including giving at least $13 million between 2008 and 2010. Cedars-Sinai is the site of Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Center. Her interest in this area, by the way, was activated in part when she found out that there were grave gender disparities in heart disease research, funding and treatment. Apart from Cedars, recent money has gone to Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. It’s also worth noting that Streisand has used her celebrity to raise a lot of money for women’s health, too, reportedly bringing in as much money to Cedars-Sinai by fundraising as she personally gave. In other words, here’s an unusual star who excels at both sides of the philanthropy game: writing checks herself and getting others to write them.
Barbra Streisand, co-founder of the Women’s Heart Alliance
2. Streisand Supports Progressive Causes
A steady stream of money from the foundation has gone to Feminist Majority Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to “women’s equality, reproductive health, and non-violence.” The Rape Foundation and Brennan Center for Justice, “a nonpartisan law and policy institute that seeks to improve our systems of democracy and justice” has received funding, among others. A component of this philanthropy also involves supporting progressive media, with recent support going to Media Matters for America, and Mother Jones. Recent money has also gone to Advancement Project, civil rights organization.
3. Streisand Is a Strong Environmentalist
Recent money has gone to Environmental Media Association, Heal the Bay, Oceana, National Resources Defense Council, Climate Reality, and Environmental Working Group, an organization which “specializes in research and advocacy in the areas of toxic chemicals, agricultural subsidies, public lands, and corporate accountability.”
Apart from work in these areas, Streisand has also supported Jewish causes and education, with recent money going to the UCLA Foundation, College Track and Teach for America, and arts outfits such as Juilliard, and PEN Center USA.
Of late, her foundation has been giving dozens of small grants annually in a number of different areas. It’s worthy to note that Streisand has used her celebrity status to influence others to contribute to charitable causes.
We salute The Spirit of Humanity in this multi talented, American woman icon who has given so much to the entertainment industry and to her important philanthropic contributions to so many.
