It’s true that celebrities would be nothing without their fans. And because of this, many celebs try to find ways where they can give back to the communities that helped make them so successful.
There are many ways to give back, but some celebs like to focus on higher education. What better way to give back than helping the next generation find their own success?
However, donations sometimes generate a bit of scandal. This was made clear in 2019 when actress Lori Laughlin was busted for paying half a million dollars in order to get her children admitted to USC. Her lawyers argued the payments were legitimate donations, but she was found guilty of mail and wire fraud for the bribery. She ended up serving two months in prison and was released in December 2020.
Given this information, you might be surprised about which celebrities made huge donations to colleges and which of their children ended up attending those colleges later. Keep reading to learn the entire story!
Arnold Schwarzenegger
All of the stars on this list have been very generous in their donations. But it’s no surprise bodybuilder turned actor turned governor Arnold Schwarzenegger would manage to take things to the next level!
In 2012, this legendary tough guy made a $20 million donation to SC Sol Price School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California. This money specifically went to the Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy. In addition to being quite generous, the amount of this donation and its intended purpose shows Schwarzenegger’s ongoing interest in politics.
It turns out that Schwarzenegger’s daughter Katherine graduated USC in 2012. His son Patrick enrolled in the university the year of the donation and graduated in 2016.
Dr. Dre
Did you think Arnold Schwarzenegger’s donation was impressive? Well, iconic musician Dr. Dre is here to say “hold my beer.”
In 2013, Dre donated a staggering $70 million to the University of California. The money was intended to develop the USC Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy for Arts, Technology and the Business of Innovation.
Who better than Dre to find a way to encourage both entertainment and entrepreneurship? Interestingly, his daughter Truly Young was accepted to USC in 2019.
Meryl Streep
From regular alumni to famous celebs, most people do no more than one major donation to their alma mater. But Meryl Streep’s donations became the gifts that kept on giving!
She decided to give back to her old stomping grounds, Vassar College, in 2009. To do so, she made donations through her Silver Mountain Foundation for the Arts. These donations ended up totaling nearly $2 million between 2009 and 2012.
In 2008, Streep’s daughter Grace graduated from Vassar. And her daughter Louisa graduated from Vassar in 2013.
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey has a long history of giving to help other people out. And when it comes to college donations, she doesn’t know how to stop giving.
Back in 1999, she established the Oprah Winfrey Endowed Scholarship Fund with a cool $7 million donation. This money was specifically intended to help 100 men achieve an education from the historically black Morehouse College. She donated another $5 million to the fund in 2004.
More recently, Winfrey ended up matching a donation to University of Massachusetts Lowell of $1.5 million. We can only imagine where she will donate to next.
George Lucas
With the creation of Star Wars, George Lucas changed the film industry forever. But we may never have seen his visionary space opera if he didn’t get such a great education from the University of Southern California.
In 2006, Lucas decided to make a wild donation to his old alma mater. He made a donation of $175 million (the largest amount in the school’s history) to USC School of Cinematic Arts. Among other things, this sizable donation helped create a brand-new 137,000 square foot building.
Denzel Washington
Denzel Washington has built a career on playing very intense characters. When the cameras aren’t rolling, though, Washington is most intense about giving back to the community in a big way.
In 2011, Washington donated $2 million to Fordham University, his old alma mater. That money helped to establish an endowed chair in the university’s theatre department in Washington’s name. If that’s not enough, he also donated $250,000 to establish a Fordham University scholarship for future theatre majors.
And Washington’s generosity goes beyond his alma mater. In 2007, he donated a million dollars to Wiley College to help rebuild the university’s debate program. And he donated another million dollars to Wiley College in 2018.
Eli Manning
The University of Mississippi is very important to NFL player Eli Manning. In addition to providing him with educational opportunity, Ole Miss is where Eli met his future wife, Abby.
Perhaps that is why Eli Manning donated one million dollars to his old alma mater in 2010. In addition to helping students achieve their educational dreams, his donation might just help future couples find their own love connection.
Alec Baldwin
In 30 Rock, Alec Baldwin played a wealthy and influential TV executive helping Tina Fey navigate her life and career with his advice. And in real life, Baldwin decided the best way to help others would be to open up his wallet!
Back in 2009, Baldwin donated one million dollars to his alma mater, the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. This helped to establish the Alec Baldwin Drama Scholarship Fund to help the actors of tomorrow get the education they deserve.
Baldwin must have made quite the impression. The next year, the university awarded him an honorary doctorate!
Kirk Douglas
Kirk Douglas was nothing short of a Hollywood legend. But he got his humble start in life by attending St. Lawrence University, where he graduated from in 1939.
Many years later, Douglas made a $5 million donation to the school in 2012. Such a generous donation ensured that the influence of Kirk Douglas would be felt for many years to come.
Michael Douglas
Like father, like son? Before he was an icon of the big screen, Michael Douglas attended college at UC Santa Barbara. And we can only imagine that this prestigious university left a real impression on him.
That’s because in 2004, Douglas donated one million dollars to his old alma mater. That money helped to pay for the Carsey-Wolf Center for Film, Television and New Media. Thanks to this generous donation, countless future generations of actors will get a top-notch education.