From Lady Gaga To Jennifer Lopez: Female Celebs Who Started Their Own Foundations

The more famous the celebrity is, the stronger is the hold of his or her wealth and influence over society. Most celebrities try to make use of this power in order to push for change in their own personal ways: whether by using their social media accounts to push for their advocacies or by making publicity stunts for their movements to gain traction or by even founding charities.

Among the numerous advocacies that have become popular today, gender equality and the promotion of equal opportunities for all people are on the rise. Here are five outspoken female celebrity activists who have founded platforms for the promotion of these advocacies.

Jennifer Lopez: Lopez Family Foundation

Latina hit singer Jennifer Lopez and her sister, Lynda Lopez, co-founded the Lopez Family Foundation. Founded in 2009, it aims to give “underserved” mothers and children the quality health care and education that they deserve, as well as invest in programs that “make a positive, measurable impact on communities.” Jennifer Lopez was chosen in 2015 to be the first-ever Global Advocate for Girls and Women at the UN Foundation.

Emma Watson: HeForShe

The Hermione Granger actress has always been outspoken in promoting gender equality and women’s rights. Emma Watson founded the HeForShe campaign with the goal of promoting and enabling gender equality. The movement invites “men and people of all genders to stand in solidarity with women to create a bold, visible and united force for gender equality,” as mentioned on its website.

Miley Cyrus: Happy Hippie Foundation

Miley Cyrus founded the Happy Hippie Foundation on May 17, 2014, and officially launched it on May 5 the following year. The non-profit organization’s website indicates that its mission is to “rally young people to fight injustice facing homeless youth, LGBTQ youth and other vulnerable populations.”

Lady Gaga: The Born This Way Foundation

Lady Gaga has always been a strong LGTBQ+ advocate, making it even more present after the release of her hit song “Born This Way” in 2011. The American singer-songwriter established the Born This Way (BTW) foundation shortly after its namesake song, with the goal of creating a “kinder and braver world.” The BTW foundation’s mission is to support the wellness and the empowering of the youth.

Eva Longoria: The Eva Longoria Foundation

Latina actress Eva Longoria aimed to give back to the Latino community by founding the Eva Longoria Foundation in 2012. She started the foundation in order to “help Latinas build better futures for themselves and their families through education and entrepreneurship.” Her namesake foundation does exactly that by promoting opportunities for Latinas to “unlock their full potential” by funding “culturally relevant” programs.