Why Rihannas expanding Clara Lionel Foundation is seen as a model for Celebrity Philanthropy

New York (AP) – Rihanna is used to facing convention. The nine times Grammy winner transformed her wide range of hits, including ‘umbrella’ and ‘work’, in a business-worth an estimated $ 1.4 billion, which placed her highlight on the forbes list of the richest ‘self-made’ American women. The Barbados native of the biggest stage with a pregnancy with a pregnancy during her solo 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show. And her successful Fenty Beauty Cosmetics brand has made the makeup industry with its inclusive shades a revolution. But it is not the long -awaited follow -up of the Megastar -driven Mogul at 2016’s “anti” album that makes waves this year. This is her philanthropy. The Clara Lionel Foundation is named after Rihanna’s grandparents and partially funded by her brands, and comes from an ‘overhaul’ that is ready to raise more funds for climate solutions and female entrepreneurship in the under-battery regions of East Africa, the Caribbean and the US South. After 13 years of relative anonymity, the non -profit organization is ready for more visibility. “Our founder is a woman of a small island nation that has reached worldwide. She is an entrepreneur. She is a mother. She is a creative,” said executive director Jessie Schutt-Aine. ‘So we want an organization that reflects the spirit and the energy. She is daring and she is ambitious. She is innovative. She always does things differently. She is a game changer. ‘ Experts believe it is rarely to see such intent under famous philanthropists. Clara Lionel Foundation also received praise for the embrace of ‘trust-based’, empowering recipients with unlimited financing. NDN Collective founder Nick Tilsen said CLF lets its indigenous power-building-non-profit organization “do to our conditions” and that other funders should take notes. “It’s also not a foundation that is everything in your business,” Tilsen said. ‘They support. They see the work. They allow us to do what we need to do. ‘ The personal roots of Clara Lionel Foundation, Rihanna, began the foundation with a contribution of $ 516,000 after her grandmother died of cancer complications in 2012. In that year, the musician erected an oncology center in Barbados head hospital to expand cancer screening and treatment. And the Young Foundation has focused on a large part of the last decade on healthcare and Barbados. However, in 2019, CLF began to prioritize emergency readiness. Award jumped to more than $ 33 million in 2020, as the nonprofit provided much-needed pandemic relief and supported attempts at racial justice. According to the tax returns, the slowdown of pandemic spending coincided with its internal transition. A renovated team and refined priorities are now corresponding to its broader ambitions. A new director for women entrepreneurship, based in South Carolina, will develop the pillar’s programs. The co-founder of Black Feminist Fund, Amina Doherty, now oversees programs and impacts. Rounding its five new pillars is climate solutions, arts and culture, access to health and equity and future generations. The youth focus was praised by Ashley Lashley, a 25-year-old whose foundation worked with CLF to cope with environmental challenges in her native Barbados. She often hears that leaders say “the youth is the future,” she said, but these statements rarely lead to real support. “Rihanna’s foundation is an excellent example of how women in power can contribute to work done at community level,” Lashley said. Rihanna told The Associated Press that she hopes CLF will continue to be a force for ‘global inclusion in philanthropy’. She reflected on the foundation’s 13-year transformation in a statement: “Today we have global scope, but the idea of ​​love for the community and our roots runs deep in the DNA of the foundation.” Find partners – Big and small The latest example of that evolution is a partnership with the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Barbados’ ‘Conscious History’ as’ an essential chapter in the broader story of the African Diaspora ‘is threatened according to a Mellon press release. Together, the two foundations announced will finance their “artist -led initiatives” to protect the culture “while inspiring new stories and opportunities internationally.” Schutt-Aine considers the partnership with Mellon-the largest philanthropic supporter of the arts in the US axis a milestone for CLF. Justin Garrett Moore, the director of the Mellon’s Humanities in Place program, said the name of the nonprofit came about when his team asked contacts to recommend partners. “We think there is an incredible platform that Clara Lionel Foundation has with their founder to bring this type of work into a readability and visibility for the organizations that will be supported,” Moore said. “Also in general in society, to help strengthen the power of the arts.” Among these beneficiaries is a development performance program that also provides free social services to students in the country’s capital Bridgetown. The founder of the Operation Triple Threat, Janelle Headley, said Clara Lionel Foundation helped the nonprofit organization afford a warehouse with acoustics, sound equipment and a dance floor. The relationship started with a microgram for bursaries. Operation Triple Threat is now receiving general operating support – a ‘revolutionary’ investment, Headley said, because charities are usually earmarked for specific causes. This flexibility was especially useful during the pandemic when quickly changing circumstances created new needs such as iPads for remote learning. “It’s unusual, to be honest, to leave someone a significant donation unlimited and say,” We trust you, your vision, “Headley said. “It’s very forward thinking of them.” According to Mary Beth Collins, the executive director of the Center for Community and Non-Profit Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, this is a unique model for philanthropy of families. The approach is unique. She finds that celebrities are usually only involved with philanthropy, if necessary. But Collins said that CLF thinks about its partners in the long run and deliberately in its soil-to-up financing. The strategies are in line with her own recommendations to engage expert professionals, address root causes, choose focus areas that are important to founders and the upliftment of leaders who live out these issues. “We want to see funds and resources of the more beneficiary people in the world go to the leaders on the ground that knows the place and the experience and the best issues,” Collins said. CLF used the model late last year when it provided extra financing to a nonprofit affected by Hurricane Helene. Melanie Allen, co-director of the Hive Fund for Climate and Gender Justice, said they suddenly received about $ 60,000 to quickly spread among Vetted Partners in ruined communities. The contribution comes amid an increasingly hostile environment for non -gains organizations such as her who support women of color, who have encouraged some philanthropists to reduce giving. Allen said she was excited about CLF’s “deep commitment to the south ahead.” As other resources reduce, CLF wants to bring more philanthropic partners to the table. They plan a summer that meets for beneficiaries to expand networks. The message, according to the Doherty of CLF, is: “We will stick to you.” “Some people can say that times seem bleak,” Doherty said. “But it’s a moment of possibility.” The importance of the remaining based in communities you serve is a lesson that Schutt-veins learned during a 25-year-old global health career. Schutt-veins, which recently treated the head of fairness, gender and cultural diversity at the Pan American Health Organization, has treated the world’s deadliest infections of tuberculosis, malaria and HIV/AIDS. “If you’re going to work on malaria,” she said, “you must live with the mosquito.” ___ Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receive support through the AP’s collaboration with the conversation us, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is exclusively responsible for this content. Visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy for all the AP’s philanthropy coverage.