Top 20 Generous Celebrities

Celebrities often get a bad wrap as selfish prima donnas who only care about fame and the trappings that come with it. But not all stars are created equal. Many are very philanthropic, giving both their money and their time to individuals and organizations in need. Many are shy about their good deeds, and often keep them private. Others use their fame to bring attention to organizations and issues that need attention.

The non-profit DoSomething.org has singled out celebrities that they feel should be recognized for their charitable work. They’ve put together a website list of CelebsGoneGood. We’ve included their picks and some of our own.

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1 / 20

Taylor Swift

According to CNN, Taylor Swift donated $250,000 to Kesha to help the 'Tik Tok' singer fight a legal battle.

DoSomething.org says Swift also donated $50,000 to a little girl undergoing cancer treatment, $50,000 to the Seattle Symphony, $50,000 for arts education in New York and $50,000 to one of her back-up dancers who has a nephew fighting cancer.

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2 / 20

Lisa Vanderpump

Reality show star Lisa Vanderpump supports a number of charities and causes, including the American Humane Association, Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, Human Rights Campaign, GLAAD and the Give Back Hollywood Foundation.

Catch her in Vanderpump Rules and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Tuesdays on Slice.

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3 / 20

Miley Cyrus

Miley founded the Happy Hippy Foundation to support homeless youth and LGBTQ youth. DoSomething.org says that Cyrus has let marginalized youth use her Instagram account and join her on stage to bring attention to their struggles.

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4 / 20

Beyonce

Beyonce keeps her charitable work under the radar, but DoSomething.org reports that the star and her husband helped bail out jailed protesters in Baltimore. She's also donated to #BlackLivesMatter and helped out with Haiti's earthquake recovery efforts.

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5 / 20

Angelina Jolie

Jolie works with the United Nations High Commission on Refugees and is a special envoy for refugee issues. She's spoken out about the current refugee crisis in Syria.

She was very open about her double mastectomy.

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6 / 20

John Cena

Pro wrestler John Cena donates a huge amount of his time to children battling serious illness. For over 10 years he's granted wishes for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. So far, he's made more than 500 dreams come true.

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7 / 20

Zendaya

DoSomething.org picked Zendaya for using her celebrity status to spread awareness about issues like racial justice. She also spent her birthday fundraising for AIDS orphans in South Africa.

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8 / 20

John Legend and Chrissy Teigen

The high wattage couple has not only made significant donations to Planned Parenthood in the US, they've encouraged their fans to do the same.

DoSomething.org notes that Legend donated $500,000 to a school district in his home state of Indiana. They've also fed protesters in NYC fighting against police brutality.

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9 / 20

Viola Davis

Viola Davis is working hard to fight child hunger in the US. She has also gone public about diversity in Hollywood, mentioning the struggles women of colour face in her acceptance speech (for outstanding actress in a drama series) at the Emmys.

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10 / 20

Amy Schumer

Comedian Amy Schumer doesn't joke around when it comes to issues close to her heart. After a shooting at a movie theatre screening her film Trainwreck, Schumer called for stricter gun controls in the US.

DoSomething.org says that she also supports the National MS Society and raised over $175,000 through her Trainwreck Comedy Tour to support the organization.

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11 / 20

Demi Lovato

Demi Lovato is helping to spotlight mental health issues. DoSomething.org says she helped launch 'Be Vocal', an initiative to help those living with mental health conditions. She also set up a scholarship to help people with mental health and addiction problems.

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12 / 20

Justin Bieber

According to DoSomething.org, Justin Bieber has auctioned off signed items to raise money for the Stratford House of Blessing in his hometown of Stratford, Ontario. He's also raised money for Stars for Autism and has granted more that 250 Make-A-Wish dreams.

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13 / 20

Kerry Washington

Kerry Washington is best known for her work to support literacy through First Book. But she also designed a bag for the Allstate Foundation's Purple Purse program to start a dialogue about domestic violence.

DoSomething.org notes that she recently worked with Sarah Jessica Parker and Michelle Obama to support veteran's programs.

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14 / 20

Mindy Kaling

When Mindy turned 36, she used the occasion to raise money for charity. She donated to some of her Twitter followers' favourite charities and auctioned off items from The Mindy Project to benefit the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.

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15 / 20

Lena Dunham

Lena Dunham is a committed supporter of Planned Parenthood. She uses social media to champion the organization and has raised money for them by auctioning off clothing.

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16 / 20

Serena Williams

Tennis star Serena Williams is a dedicated supporter of access to education. Through her Serena Williams Fund, she focuses on education and people and communities affected by violence.

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17 / 20

Karlie Kloss

Model Karlie Kloss encourages girls to get into the tech world by offering scholarships for coding classes. She also supports the organization Every Mother Counts and recently visited Haiti on their behalf. The organization aims to make pregnancy and childbirth safer for mothers around the world.

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18 / 20

Caitlyn Jenner

First and foremost, Caitlyn Jenner is helping others in the transgendered community. DoSomething.org says that through her personal experiences, she's able to bring awareness to the struggles of transgendered people.

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19 / 20

Shakira

Shakira and her husband are big supporters of UNICEF. They held a 'World Baby Shower' to support UNICEF after the recent birth of their second child.

The effort funded 80,000 polio vaccines, 200,000 rehydrating salts and 1,000 mosquito nets.

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20 / 20

Shawn Mendes

Singer Shawn Mendes worked with DoSomething.org for his Notes from Shawn campaign. The project not only boosts the self-esteem of young people, it helped build a school in Ghana, West Africa.