Rihanna has long used her platform to support good causes. In 2021 she signed a pair of open letters that called for police reform, and she, along with Jay-Z and others, demanded that the New York Attorney General “reopen the case and probe the wrongful death of Danroy ‘D.J.’ Henry.” This year, Rihanna is bringing her focus to organizations that are fighting climate change, pledging a $15 million donation through her Clara Lionel Foundation.
A press release said the donation will specifically target groups that “are focused on and led by women, youth, Black, Indigenous, LGBTQIA+ and people of color to accelerate climate justice for those at greatest risk.” Rihanna also shared a statement about the move.
“At the Clara Lionel Foundation, much of the work is rooted in the understanding that 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,” the singer said in the statement. “This is why CLF prioritizes both climate resilience and climate justice work across the U.S. and Caribbean.”
Justine Lucas, the Executive Director of the Clara Lionel Foundation, also spoke about the donation in a statement of her own. “CLF believes strongly that funders must build partnerships with organizations and acknowledge their deep understanding of what is necessary to achieve climate justice in their own communities,” she said.
The following organizations have been approved for the donation from Rihanna’s Clara Lionel Foundation: Black Feminist Fund, Black Visions Collective, Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN), Center for Popular Democracy (CPD), Climate and Clean Energy Equity Fund, Climate Justice Alliance, Deep South Center for Environmental Justice, GirlsCARE, Helen’s Daughters, HEY Campaign (The Ashley Lashley Foundation), Hive Fund for Gender and Climate Justice, Indigenous Environmental Network, Integrated Health Outreach, Movement for Black Lives (M4BL), Native Movement, NDN Collective, The Caribbean Climate Justice Project, and The Solutions Project.
You can read more about Clara Lionel Foundation’s work on fighting climate change here.