Celebrity donations for COVID Relief in 2020
Dolly Parton, $1 million for a vaccine
Our favorite country star is a helper with a capital H who donates to all kinds of worthy projects every year—and runs the book-gifting program Imagination Library. Last year, she made headlines with her $1 million donation to Vanderbilt University Medical Center to help develop the Moderna vaccine.
Michael Che, 160 apartments
While taping Saturday Night Live from his living room, the “Weekend Update” host paid one month’s rent for 160 apartments in the New York City Housing Authority building where his late grandmother, who died from COVID-19, lived.
Serena Williams, 4.25 million masks
The tennis superstar (and highest-paid American female athlete in 2020 with $36 million) made it her goal to donate masks to underserved schools.
MacKenzie Scott, $5.8 billion
The ex-wife of billionaire Jeff Bezos made headlines in 2020, pledging to give away much of her fortune, starting with $5.8 billion—yes, billion—which she donated in grants to nonprofit organizations across the U.S.
Guy Fieri, $21.5 million
The Mayor of Flavortown and host of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives kicked his philanthropy into high gear, raising $21.5 million for struggling restaurant workers.
Oprah Winfrey, $12 million
The media mogul donated more than $12 million in coronavirus relief to cities across the country. Want to see how salaries have changed through the years? Check our past salary surveys. What People Earn 2020 What People Earn 2019 What People Earn 2018 What People Earn 2017 What People Earn 2016 What People Earn 2015