Rihanna’s Clara Lionel Foundation is making waves in the world of philanthropy. The foundation, named after Rihanna’s grandparents, is undergoing a refresh that will direct more funds toward climate solutions and women’s entrepreneurship in East Africa, the Caribbean, and the US South. Executive Director Jessie Schutt-Aine said the foundation reflects Rihanna’s spirit and energy.
“She’s bold, ambitious, and innovative. She always does things differently. She’s a game changer,” Schutt-Aine said.
The foundation has garnered praise for its trust-based giving approach, which empowers recipients with unrestricted funding. NDN Collective founder Nick Tilsen said CLF allows his Indigenous power-building non-profit to do the work on their own terms. Rihanna founded the foundation with a $516,000 donation after her grandmother died from cancer complications in 2012.
Clara Lionel Foundation’s new focus
She also established an oncology center at Barbados’ main hospital to improve cancer screening and treatment. The foundation’s five pillars are climate solutions, arts and culture, health access and equity, women’s entrepreneurship, and future generations.
The youth focus was commended by Ashley Lashley, a 25-year-old whose foundation has worked with CLF to address environmental challenges in Barbados. Rihanna told The Associated Press she hoped 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 reach, but that notion of love for community and for our roots runs deep in the DNA of the foundation.”
The foundation recently partnered with The Andrew W.
Mellon Foundation to fund artist-led initiatives that protect Barbados’ culture while inspiring new narratives and opportunities internationally. Justin Garrett Moore, the director of the Mellon’s Humanities in Place program, said CLF has an incredible platform to bring visibility to the organizations that will be supported. Among those grantees is a developmental performance arts program in Bridgetown that also provides free social services to students.
Operation Triple Threat founder Janelle Headley said CLF helped the non-profit afford a warehouse outfitted with acoustic panels, sound equipment, and a dance floor.
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