Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie founded their joint charity project, The Jolie-Pitt Foundation (JPF) back in 2006. From what I remember, both Brad and Angelina both made initial multi-million dollar investments in the foundation, and then donated the money People Magazine and Hello gave them for Shiloh’s first pictures. And then came the twins – Brad and Angelina have never come right out and said how much they got for the twins’ first pictures in 2008, but most estimates have it in the $10-15 million range. Along the way, I’m sure Angelina and Brad have put in more of their own money into the Foundation, and E! even contributed $250,000 in 2007 – either as a general apology for Ryan Seacrest, or something involving E! cameramen breaking and entering on Brad’s property or something.
My point? By my estimates, the Jolie-Pitt Foundation has received something in the neighborhood of $20-25 million in its nearly four years. The foundation doesn’t really serve any purpose (to me) other than to legitimize Angelina and Brad’s charitable giving, giving it a professional and less personal veneer. The JPF is run separately from their other charity work – it’s not a part of Make It Right NOLA, or the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Project in Cambodia, or Angelina’s Global Action for Children, or her work with the UNHCR, although they contribute to those charities through the JPF. With some-odd eight digits in the bank, Brad and Angelina spent 2008 donating like crazy, according to recent tax filings that the Hollywood Reporter just got:
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie don’t just talk the talk, they walk the walk. According to the 2008 tax return for the Jolie-Pitt Foundation, the Hollywood couple sent over $6 million to charities last year.
Indeed, they more than doubled what they gave in 2007, which is pretty impressive.
In 2008, the pair parked just over $13 million in their foundation, and gave away half of it.
The biggest recipients of their largesse were: Global Health ($2 million), Human Rights Watch ($1 million), Brad’s Make it Right Foundation ($1 million).
Some other notable contributions: $500,000 to the Armed Services YMCA of the U.S. Army; $50,000 to the Springfield, Missouri Public Schools (Brad’s hometown); and roughly a million dollars to projects in Cambodia, the country from which they adopted their first child.
The nice thing about Brad and Angelina’s donations: there are no cults, no crazy projects, private religions, nothing untoward or wacky. It’s all about human rights initiatives and helping people. They’ve also kept their promises to places like Cambodia and Iraq. All together, the fair market value of the Jolie-Pitt Foundation is just over $12 million.
No scandals here. Just a nice story. By the way, Brad and Angie each put about $6 million into the foundation last year. Their lawyer, Robert Offer, added $10,000 out of his own pocket. And all they paid in expenses was $224,564 for grant management to Global Philanthropy Group. No one’s aunt or cousin got a salary, and there were no expenses laid off to “travel,” “conferences,” or “other.”
[From The Hollywood Reporter]
One of my favorite parts about the evolution of the JPF is that Brad and Angelina are not just giving globally, to larger charities doing broad work internationally, they’re also giving locally to smaller charities that may be overlooked. Over the past year, they’ve begun to give extensively to Brad’s home state of Missouri, donating to a Missouri university in Brad’s dad’s name, and to a Missouri hospital in his mom’s name. I know people will still have negative stuff to say about this, but I will join with the Hollywood Reporter in being thankful this money didn’t go to the Church of Scientology or to fund some new XenuMobile. It’s nice.
Tax-deductably generous. They buy places in foreign countries so they don’t have to pay taxes on their mega-income as well. I would too if I had their kind of money.
The point is, they choose great charities but it’s all to their own advantage, not this “goodness of the heart” thing people are supposed to get sucked into believing. I’m just sayin.
Well good for them!!!
At least they aren’t like Nicholas Cage.
Brad, 6 mill for charity and not a dime for personal landscaping?
Seriously….kudos.
@CadieBelle- Nick Cage may have spent $ on himself, as do the Pitt-Jolie’s, and also like the Pitt-Jolie’s, he was very generous to his charities. His good deeds, along with other celebrities and their good deeds, do not make the news like the Pitt/Jolies.
Was this actual cash dollars spent in the US of A? Or is this including “appearances” and the such? I am real tired of these two acting like GOD.
What convenient timing. If the Brangeloonies don’t see how these two exploit their charity work they need a reality check. Funny how this information drips out just when they need it. Last year ended ages ago and this comes out now? Right before the book? What a joke. LOL.
Also, wasn’t Angie supposed to give a third of her income to chairty? If they each gave $3 million that’s a lot less than a third of her income for last year. In fact, isn’t this just a fraction of the $22 million they got for the baby pix last year?
Yes, I know, they give to charity, blah, blah. But they lie about it. And they lie about how much. CONSTANTLY. They’re actually pocketing millions for selling the kids.
It’s simple math folks.
The charities supported are worthy and it’s great they’re being helped with such large amounts.
There are only 2 things I don’t care for regarding the JPs and their charity. #1 is how everything requires a press release, and how it’s used for PR for their image. Unless for some reason the Foundation’s tax records are required to be public, I find it suspicious that the Hollywood Reporter just “got” a copy of B&A’s tax forms, especially when there’s a lot of talk about the Jolie books coming out soon.
#2 – most of the money has come from selling photos of their kids. While I’d rather it all go the charity than just lining their pockets, it’d be even better if they found alternate methods of funding the Foundation. Both of them can command very large paychecks for ads, endorsements, and appearances, and could get the funds without having to put their kids on the cover of magazines.
Every charity’s tax records are public record. The Hollywood Reporter probably filed a Freedom of Information Act request first.
I like that they mix their donations between huge global projects and relatively smaller scale domestic projects. Donating to the Armed Forces YMCA and a local school district is amazing. I wish I had millions to donate away!
And I should think so too the money they are on!! I’m on nothing and I give to charity. They are on $20 odd million each…
Charity is Crazy!
Your math is off. Check your numbers.
According to the US Census Bureau, 35.9 million people live below the poverty line in America, including 12.9 million children.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So, how many children here in AMERICA have they helped? And, let’s list the actual charities they’ve helped over the years please? Not just these stupid statements about how wonderful they are…
Lucy- Tax returns for charities are public. There is no way to hide it. This is just what they gave through the JP foundations. They also have other charities that they sponsor out of their own pockets.
Moo- This is not including “appearances”. This is just good old money that they gave through the JP foundation.
I don’t give a damn if they announce every good deed they do, the fact is they do it and people are being helped out.
If nothing else proves that they’re damned if they do/damned if they don’t, this is it. It’s required by law for charities to reveal their financial records and yet JP gets accused of releasing the information for publicity. They get harped on about their wealth, and when they donate a good portion of it – as well as their time – they’re accused of doing it only for publicity, or not doing enough, or not doing it for such and such group.
If we spent less time chastising others for their charity work and actually focused it on charity work of our own, perhaps we wouldn’t be so cynical.
Why would anyone damn these guys for doing a good thing? It’s pure ignorance to slam them for what we don’t know; we truly don’t know half of what they do/give in private that goes unnoticed.
The Armed Services YMCA charity donates almost 100 percent of their donated funds to those service men/women/families in need.
This is the real deal and for those of you who think this is a publicity ploy must be the least charitable of everyone!
It would be so easy to have your financial manager write a big fat check that your public relations spokesperson blasts to the media than to actually go into the country yourself and sit down with local people or our service men/women in Iraq/Afghanistan and give them your support. They do this out of humility and concern, not PR.
Oops… my mistake. Here’s the MJP Foundation mission statement;
Established in 2003, MJP is a conservation and community development organization with a special focus on Cambodia and its rural, impoverished villages in the northwest.
How nice for Cambodia…….
The blinding lights reflected off their halos had me off balance for a moment. I’m okay now.
She’s starting to look like that bust of Queen Nefertiti. That’s not a compliment.
I agree with yadira. Who cares why it’s happening, these charities are getting thousands of dollars, and that’s never a bad thing.
Finally some celebs with their heart at the right place. When you’re just an average person, what can you do about the state of the world? Moneywise? Not much. And when you become rich it’s too easy to loose perspective or become arrogant.
I’m glad as well they don’t finance Scientology. By the way, if you want to support an inquiry into this in Australia, you can sign a petition: http://www.gopetition.com.au/online/32251.html
I live not too far from where Brad Pitt grew up. His brother runs a local kids charity (and looks a lot like Brad but avoids the press for the most part, except for promoting the charity). There are often things that “show up” anonymously in the community that makes me wonder if a Pitt is behind it (for example about 20 thousand dollars worth of infrared cameras for the fire department just “showed up”). And who knows if it was a Pitt or not, but it just makes me wonder if they aren’t trying to balance their publicity (and therefore their earning power) with actually doing some good things that go unrecognized.
oh surprise surprise, and when is this news coming out??? when stories are coming out that they’re marriage is a sham, that she is a conniving sociopath, and that they fight all the time. oh what a surprise. no wonder she is a sociopath. every single time some s*** comes out about her, she tries to come out smelling like roses, and releases a story about how she’s reconciling with her father, how she’s playing with her kids in the park, how she’s helping out refugees, and now how she’s donating money. she is savvy! except for this time, the truth is greater and far outweighs any of her fake contributions.
Charity is Chic,sorry darlin. Sometimes I just find most of your posts incredibly hard to digest considering your former insistence about Brad doing a conspiracy theory involving Suzuki.
Six million? Out of their fat wallets, that’s not what they are always hyped to be donating. Bill Gates donates more than they.
“are coming out that they’re marriage is a sham”
Unless I missed something, they aren’t married.
Yadira: Thanks for helping rein this in. They’re giving money to charities people. They don’t have to. They want to. Jeez. Some of you wouldn’t be pleased unless they sold everything they own and donate 100% of it. What misplaced hatred.
Most celebs in Hollywood play this exact same publicity game. they are giving a ton of money to charity. so who cares what the reason is? people are so damn negative and will find a reason to COMPLAIN about anything.
They have to give a ton of money to charitable orgs to offset their immense taxes. American millionaires HAVE to do that or they get screwed by the IRS.
The amount of money they give to charity is nothing compared to what it would cost to employ a team of publicist.
And nothing compared to what they put in their own pockets for selling pictures of their kids. Sorry, Brangeloonies. You’ll never understand why other people think its disgusting.
For those who see through this, they appear to be exploiting their children and the world’s most desperate people in order to make themselves look good.
And yes, some people find that offensive. Like it or not.
Seriously u people that only have bad things to say about this 2 don’t get TIRED of invent histories and come up with TABLOIDS SOURCES whenever have a good or bad history about them? It’s getting so silly repetitive and predictable give a rest let them give the amount of money that they want to give.
They do it just like other’s celebrity’s but because of the OBSESSION that people like some of u here that hate them for no good reason that the mags keeps coming with informations/lies that will generate buzz about them.
So what if other’s celebrity’s do it quietly or don’t give the amount of money that they give or i don’t know maybe just maybe people don’t give 2 shits about them because they are not BRAD AND ANGELINA because other celebrity’s don’t have so many fans twisting for them and their family to be happy and health and so many miserable people that wish them and their family awful disgusting things and see anything that they do as a bad thing with a lot of conspiracy behind donating their money because everyone knows that is better let paps get pictures and became rich than donating to charities.
Isn’t it extremely ridiculous to compare Bill Gates with Brad and Angelina? He’s the wealthiest man in the world. Even combined salary I doubt they are the wealthiest actor(Mel Gibson, Tom Cruise?). The only foreign house they own is in Cambodia which Angelina has owned for years. They rent homes when they film and I think the house in France is just a lease. I have to laugh at the comments that are complaining that their donations are for tax deductions. I doubt it and if they were do you think it’s better that they and wealthy people don’t donate at all? Every year the gossip reporter from FOX reports on their foundation. This isn’t something new. Also this report is just from their foundation not their personal donations.
they’re giving money and raising awareness.
from what i read, not a lot of celebrities do donate even close to that much.
since the news is public, maybe it will spur others with equally as fat wallets into giving.
i think it’s great and i am glad to see them giving. last year, my family and i gave up a trip to brisbane in order to fund a kindergarten in the philippines for a year. our kids were really disappointed. last week, we visited the school…and it was one of the best moments of our family’s life.
I dunno, corporate America has its fair share of billionaires…what are they doing to help the people on this planet?
For once, I don’t feel like pooping on these two. I guess I don’t care that much where they give, but do care about whether their money is actually doing decent things. It’s nice that so much of the money is going to the actual charity/foundation.
And the article said $6M each, making it $12M total, right?
Um, to all the people saying they’ve only donated $6 million: this is just to the one charity. Who knows how much more they’ve donated?
How do any of you haters get negativity out of this? Grow up and quit being so hatEful. Nothing but hate oozes out of your body at the mention of this couple. I’m really sad that several people hold onto the past as a way to validate your reason to hate, really makes me wonder if you have mental problems.
Would some of you try for once to be rational? Try to appreciate good when it slaps you in the face? Try to stop ranting about the pasts of people you do not even know?
Anyone can file to get tax info under the Freedom of Information Act as to how a 501(c)(3) charity spends its funds. The JP Foundation tax info is available this year at the same time it was available last year. The tax year for a 501(c)(3) depends on when it received it designation as an IRS approved and recognized charity under US tax laws.
This appears to be very efficient foundation, it spends very little on administrative costs which is excellent. Also excellent is its distribution of funds.
Brad and Angelina are funding this foundation themselves. They do not get any writeoff by buying property outside the US. Neither of them are billionaires like Gates or Buffett, they work and earn every cent they get.
They could be sitting on their behinds like many counting their coins in their counting house, but they don’t, they give because they want to.
Angelina supports a girl’s school in Kenya for years and the SOS house they recently visited in Jordan for 6 years. Brad gives in his home town, like the million with Angelina and his siblings to the hospital in their Mom’s name for a children’s cancer unit, and the $500,000 to a local university in their Dad’s name. They are also building a hospital for kids with AIDS in Ethiopia in Zahara’s name. They are generous kind people who efforts should be applauded.
Some of you should be ashamed of your mean narrow minded selves. But of course you are not.
Hey – they are doing a good thing – helping human beings, doesn’t matter what country the people receiving the help live in.
Charity, we realize you think Angelina is the devil incarnate, but she is not the woman your man dumped you for. All that hate and bitterness spewing out of you isn’t going to do a thing for you except make you old before your time.
I can’t hate on them for the money they donate.
whatever the reason, it’s money going to the needy and that’s always a good thing.
Bill Hicks, spot on as usual.
Mimi: I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that English isn’t your first language, because if it is, then you’re an idiot.
Donating all those millions does not “offset” their taxes. Yes, they can claim a percentage of what they donate but that doesn’t save them from paying taxes. What a ridiculous statement.
The Jolie-Pitt Foundation is what this story is about. It is not about all the other charitable donations made by both Brad and Angelina, together and individually.
Y’all need to stop the hate, for real!! It’s crazy up in here!!
Nefertiti was beautiful! I really don’t understand all the hate on AJ’s looks. Envy perhaps. Just like all the hate poured upon their charitable giving.
Maybe it’s a pre-break up nest egg lol.
That body language speaks tomes.
Not that I’m a JoPi apologist, but, re: in the article: “The foundation doesn’t really serve any purpose (to me) other than to legitimize Angelina and Brad’s charitable giving, giving it a professional and less personal veneer.”
– I know what it looks like, but honestly this is commonly done in estate planning. It’s just a paper organization, and they appoint a Trustee (usually a bank) to administer it.
Potential tax money flowing in and out in vast sums wakes up the taxman pretty quick, so having the Family LLC just helps regulate everything. It’s just run-of-the-mill estate planning.
@Uh, what?
I’m sorry English is not my first language I am trying to improve but I will try to express myself better next time for you to analyze and give me a note to my progress if ur criticism is constructive i will accept them but if only to call me stupid them i refuse ur attempt of “teachings”
It doesn’t matter the amount you donate.
What matters is how much left over goes the the CAUSE. Often it is pennies to the dollar.
Many “charitable” organizations have a CFO, CEO, VP etc who make an excess of $200,000 a year in salaries or more.
All the while they “assure” the donors their money is being well-spent while the charities are raiding the pot and sending cute pics of some people getting a stupid well dug.
It’s ridiculous. I do hope Brad and Angelina are following their money.
@ Yae – that’s quite a lot of conjecture though, don’t you think?
The story was written by Roger Friedman (formerly of Fox News and the guy that took it personally that Jolie requested no personal questions during AMH publicity tour), certainly no friend of Jolies, he trashed her for months afterwards. Foundation records are public information. they did not come out shining a light on their philantropic efforts, as they NEVER do. Whenever the public hears about the donations it’s from the organizations who receive them in hopes of drumming up more support. But the haters don’t care. Facts never got in the way of their programmed disdain. Star magazine tells them what to think and they obey like lemmings. My daughter once told me that winning an argument on the internet is like winning the special olympics. After reading these envious and ignorant posts I know what she means.
Lantana:That is EXACTLY the kind of giving most people want to hear about, and not in a press release, but from someone who saw it first-hand and/or was the beneficiary.
Thanks for posting that.
@ Bete: GMAFB. If they were locked together in a clinch grabbing each other’s asses, you’d say it was all for show.
GG
Ever research the salaries of some of these “servants” to mankind make?
It’s worth a google. I do, by the way, applaud Angelina and Brad’s efforts. I just worry they are so swooned by causes that they fail to research who gets the money. As we all should research.
6 million dollars digs a LOT of wells off volunteers backs.
When the actual MONEY goes to top executives in the organization and the work goes to free labor, its a farce.
Yes people DO make money off peoples misfortune and its usually the people who created it.
Brad and Angelina I think are becoming far removed from their GRASSROOTS efforts and are focusing too much on art sales.
I by the way, am not a hater. I want both of them to set a shining example. Their hearts are in the right place. I just wish Angelina and Brad to re-focus on becoming raw and informed humanitarians.
I respected Angelina more when she got her hands dirty.
Sorry, but the glaring spelling mistake (typo?) is driving me nuts: It’s ‘exceeds’, not ‘excedes’.
All the tax returns for these foundations are online. The IRS has a site and anyone can access it. A FOIA request is not needed. Just google “charitable foundations” “tax returns” or something similar. No one got any scoop here. Same as last year. You can even see all the tax returns for the foundation Jolie set up with her mother to donate to Native American projects.
Most donations to overseas work is not tax deductible in the US. Jolie has been giving lots of money away for many years even before she made the kind of money she makes now. Almost all recipient organizations want to publicize who is donating to them – it helps them raise money. That’s why the organizations issue press releases – it’s a bragging right.
The idea that there are tons of rich celebrities silently giving lots of money away is a Hollywood fairy tale.
Ignore the naysayers. They are feeding some personal issues and using Angelina and Brad as their whipping boys.
Oh and don’t get me started on the money my MD friends had to spend once planted in Tanzania to pay for medicine.
The “foundation” sent them there and LEFT them there to buy medicine and cheap anti-biotics for the bushman on their STUDENT LOANS. However the top people in those organizations will enjoy a comfortable retirement.
Trust me, you sniff out the source of the charity who uses free labor (volenteers)while their frontmen makes hundreds of thousands and you have a waste of human resources and money.
What Yae posted is pretty spot on.
A few years ago in San Antonio, there was conterversy with Head Start, an non profit outfit desinged to give low income kids a start with school before they get to first grade. The thing is, teachers were underpaid, not enough teachers, programs were scrapped and corners were cut at the centers citing ‘not enough funding’. the ‘CEO’ and admin for Head Start were making an upwards of $300,000 a year with generous bonuses. Alot of the money was squandered.
Its easy to give for charity, but most often times there is little oversight and accountability. I just hope alot of what AJ and BP gave didnt end up as some asshole’s over-inflated salary.
NICE PR,
Brangelina,
NICE PR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This money she becomes back as tax
I can’t believe all the negative comments. Lots of stars make a fortune and don’t help anyone, the readers of this site always put a nasty spin on everything!
“they” did not adopt their first child, jeez so sick of lies being printed and eventually people think it is the truth.
ANGELINA adopted Mad while married to BBT, Brad technically hasn’t adopted any of them.
BUT no THEY did not adopt their first child from Cambodia, AJ did!!!!!!!!!!!!
While bp was married to Ja for that matter.
Oh Lord, i’ve only skimmed the comments and I don’t see why we couldn’t just copy and paste the same blasted nonsense from the nearly identical post from this time last year. None of what’s being said here is insightful or unique.
Just two things – yes we KNOW Brangie hate America, it’s been mentioned eleventy billion times. And many Brangeloonies don’t give a crap about their motives for setting up the Jolie Pitt Foundation. Most of us don’t think they’re saintly or anything like it. Nor did we assume that the money from the baby photographs had to be distributed all in one year.
Spending millions to save the image is not charity. And they will ever be the homewreker and the cheater.
“Spending millions to save the image is not charity. And they will ever be the homewreker and the cheater.”
Tell that to the people who benefit from charity.
@Uh What- If you were giving Mimi the benefit of the doubt about English not being her first language, then you wouldn’t have posted your rude comment in the first place.
There is a big world out there, and SHOCK! Not everyone is from the U.S, or claims English as their primary language.
Jussayin.
@JackieSA-And many celebrities make a fortune and help many and do not seek or get recognition for their charitable works.
interesting to see how many naive americans are out there. please do your homework on tax deductions and tax havens before believing these two are doing anything so-called charitably. i know too many people who are either discreet in their donations or actually devote enormous and arduous time to third world problems to give any credence to brangelina, inc. a small portion of child pimping and an occasional photo-op next to a refugee is not honorable or courageous.. it’s brilliant pr for the uneducated masses.
ps they own more than one home (including uk, 2-3 in CA, france reportedly bought for 60mil, berlin and new orleans) most celebs do not live anywhere near as extravagantly as they do. nor dare to label themselves ‘eco-supportive’ or ‘humanitarian’. there is nothing humanitarian about her violent movie roles, energy hungry lifestyles or nanny-dependant orphan collecting.
Sh*t, with all of her plastic surgery, she’ll still never be prettier than him.
Rita,
Somehow I missed your post. I read it this morning. I will keep my fingers crossed that Ang & Brad’s funds are being appropriated properly.
I’ll do a little research.
To: Hatsumomo Its almost painful to see what the aristicratic rich do to make a dollar. Even more painful is knowing what their money funds in global war & famine. If they hand a starving baby a rice bowl, somehow, it makes it ok. That Head Start disaster was just horrid, I have to agree.
Thanks
Some people should get over themselves.
Bill Gates gives 90 % of his wealth to various charities including the OMS (oganisation mondiale de la santé) – wordly organisation for health which contibutes in scientific research, vaccines ect. My ex used to work in that though GLAXO-BEECHAM.
So lets burn him since he is a fraud and does it for tax deducion. And what amount he must deduct !!!
Also to the person sticking out the old tiring ‘homewrecking card’. Thanks for the laugh. That’s probably the resaon why Paul Newman and Kathryn Hepburn TWO PROVEN homewreckers who shattered two families with kids, Paul newman foundation still being one of the biggest in terms of humantirain deeds are still celebrated as one of the biggest stars and humanitarians ever with no homewrecking card stuck in their legacy.
Again, some people have selective memories and should get over themslevs. You cannot have it both ways. If you thing thet did it for wrong reasons and for tax deduction, then it is applied to all the rest. and Paul Newman was and is still through is foundation even wronger for giving 100 ù of all benefits to charities then, and Bill Gates is therefore the biggest fraud EVER when it comes to tax deduction since he gives billions.
You cannot have it both ways.
BFD, so they can sit in their 50 million dollar castle, or any number of other mansions and dole out millions.
I admire are those members of the peace corps, Drs. without Borders, the various religious orders that are in the trenches everyday, who give up their own lives to help those that less fortuante. These are the people that live among the poorest, neediest people on earth, who feed, clothe, distribute medication, and dole out love and caring. These are TRUE hero’s that we never hear of, because the public is idolizing two bit celebrities with a huge bank account, that we virtually pat on the back. These are the ones that ONLY get press releases about..yet no one thinks of those who do more, give MORE, because they give of themselves, and not by how many zero’s they can write in pay to the order of.
VERY GOOD PUBLICITY … let’s not be naive … THEY USE THE HUMAN MISERY IN ORDER TO GLAMORIZE THEIR IMAGES … the ROI is very interesting … when they give 6 million dollars to the poor, THEY EARN FROM 10 TO 15 TIMES HIS BET IN TERMS OF IMAGE AND CONTRACT …
moreover, ANGELINA JOLIE AND BRAD PITT HAVE TAX BENEFITS to transit a part of their fortune, $13 millions by their foundation …
it seems they don’t like America much.really angie.it must take a diffrent kinda person to go to 3rd world countries,pose for pictures meet the hungry poor people,throw some money to them,then fly back to your castle.
I missed that it was the JPF tax records, not their personal ones. If it was their personal records, then I would have been suspicious of PR shenanigans, but yes, charitable foundations records are available to the public.
I don’t expect every penny to be doled out every year – a lot of foundations seem to try to manage their money so that they’re able to last for a very long time, which is a good idea.
I would still prefer that they use alternate methods to raise money rather than selling photos of their kids. They have so many other options to do so – remember the St. John ads? Angie was reportedly paid $12 million for those. Brad has done a number of overseas commercials that earn him millions. Why not do more of those instead?
I think EVERYONE can agree that whatever their motives are (PR, tax deductions, or pure angelic holiness, whatever you think) people are being helped and that is a GOOD thing. A refugee or sick child won’t care where the money comes from.
Beyond that, the JPs have made their charity work a big part of their public image – there’s no denying that. As a result, I think it’s fair game to discuss on an entertainment site, and people should be able to do so without being label “Brangeloonies” or “haters”.
@ jbird: Brad has legally adopted the three oldest J-P children, however much it pains you to believe it. Sorry to ruin your day.
Thanks celebucat’em – I think I could fully support their charitable donations (generally, I think it is great) if their personal lifestyles and income (often generated from the creation of gratuitous violence) did not contradict their efforts. For instance, if they were really interested in educating others about the importance of living an eco-friendly lifestyle, they would earnestly discuss their attempts to reduce their carbon footprint (i know they occassionaly drive a Prius but that doesn’t even come close to offseting the huge impact their lifestyle has on the environment). Maybe it’s just too easy to give $$ when you have $$$$$$$$. I would love to hear more about their personal and ethical decisions that set a genuine example.
I don’t understand how you can do a soundbite for (example) the plight of the people in the following link and then go off and expect the world to think you are serious when you then make ridiculously violent, kill oriented, self indulgent films (because you were bored with your last film – you need to spice up you life?).
http://www.freeburmarangers.org/
ITs amazing the number of times Brad has talked about the joys of adoption In Newsweek magazine, People, Esquire On Larry King, Charlie Rose , the Today show and these haters still are in denial. Brad adopted Zahara, Maddox and Pax. He and Angie are the parents of 6 kids. Get over it. He would have no reason to praise and /or encourage adoption if he hadn’t done it. There would be no reason to add Pitt to the kids name if he was not adopting them . It’s called second parent adoption. She adopted them as a single parent and then he adopted them.
Firestarter: Oh, please. Mimi is always on these JP threads ranting and raving against the “haters,” calling them idiots, fools, etc., but when the tables are turned, suddenly she’s being unfairly targeted? Laughable.
Jussayin.
http://www.celebitchy.com/6261/good_celebrity_shakira_donates_40_million_to_relief_fund/
Shakira’s the real deal.
If I were a celeb, you bet your ass I would be selling pictures of my kids. It seems all bad like they are JUST exploiting their children… but think of the frenzy around stars and their children, I’d rather sell off the photos and donate the money to a charity like these two and alleviate the paps rush to get the first pics, than be stalked and harassed for the first photos of my kids, especially with all the accidents and chases going on with them lately.
@Uh What- I am well aware of her on the JP threads as she has made comments directly to me. My point is, English is not her first language, so it isn’t necessary to pick on her for the way her posts are written.
I don’t understand why people are so hard on them?
Yes, the give to charities. Yes they are rich and still have plenty of money left…but when was the last time you heard of Paris Hilton donating anything?
Yes, a lot of celebrities donate anonymously but when you have power over the media why not use it? Yes, they may be shining a good light on themselves but PEOPLE ARE BENEFITING FROM IT!
I really appreciate that all the money was donated and people didn’t take huge vacations.
I have a question actually. Don’t jump all over me now because I’ve only recently started filing taxes for myself and I don’t make much money at all….but: If you have that much money in the first place does it really matter if you get screwed by the IRS?
@Mimi: I just want to say that I think your post was excellent. You are clearly an intelligent woman who has a good grasp of English and are understandable. No one learning a second language is going to be perfect at it, particularly English. Clearly the woman who insulted you has nothing better to do then feel better about her shortcomings by being extremely rude and the personification of intolerance. I applaud your wanting to learn a second language and hope you will continue to learn it and not be discouraged by that extremely rude person. And “Uh What,” if you are reading this then I suggest you take a look at your own stated ‘name’ here. That is an example of improper use of the English language. I will also point out that you should watch your comma placement, as it is incorrect in your post towards Mimi. Perhaps you should use your supposed command of the English language to go read the Golden Rule and determine the best way to apply it to yourself. The sooner you do so and stop spreading poison the better.
It is also interesting to write down that, YOU AND I HAVE INDIRECTLY AND FINANCIALLY CONTRIBUTED TO CHARITABLE AID when we bought the magazines (People) where Brangelina shows off their children and privacy… The couple lends his image, and we give our money …So, WHO IS THE REAL DONOR ?
Charity starts at home..how about giving money to help find a cure for Autism? childhood diabetes? My 6 year old son has Autism and they still have no idea what causes it…what about the children here in the United States that need your help? Have you forgotten about them?
post to my blog?