Philanthropy

Taylor Swift is generous. Where she donates isn’t reason for bad blood

October 20, 2023

“People throw rocks at things that shine.”

That lyric flashed through my head as I read a recent opinion column claiming that Taylor Swift “has yet to make a significant mark as a philanthropist,” and that her estimated $4 billion Eras Tour earnings are a chance for the singer to champion left-leaning causes in honor of her fans.

As Swifties know, though, this dismissive characterization of the 12-time Grammy Award winner’s charitable giving is anything but perfectly fine. Swift has a mind of her own, and she’s not afraid to use it. Her approach to philanthropy is no exception.

Taylor Swift has supported food banks and cancer patients

Map out Swift’s philanthropy and one finds the singer’s empathetic approach to giving is deeply personal and powerful, transcending political divides. That includes her support of friends, cancer patients, sexual assault survivors, disaster relief organizations and food banks along her Eras Tour. The list goes on.

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Take her steady support of friends who have fallen on hard times. Swift, for example, loaned her New York City home to Sophie Turner amid the “Game of Thrones” star’s divorce from Joe Jonas and gifted Kesha $250,000 after a judge ruled against the singer in a civil court case.

What’s more, after Swift won a countersuit against former country music DJ David Mueller, who groped her during a red-carpet event in 2013, “The Man” singer pledged money to the Joyful Heart Foundation, a nonprofit that helps counsel sexual assault survivors.

Perhaps the most personal of Swift’s charitable giving, however, is her ongoing support of those fighting cancer, just as both of Swift’s parents have battled cancer – an experience Swift writes about in “Soon You’ll Get Better,” a deep track on her “Lover” album.

Rather than make splashy, polarizing donations to Planned Parenthood, as fellow artists Harry Styles and Lizzo have done, Swift speaks up about important policy concerns but stops short of big politicized left-leaning donations – perhaps out of respect for her more traditional fans.

Swift speaks up about her progressive values without hurting her brand

Swift rose to fame as a country singer, securing the admiration of more moderate women who found escape in songs like “Love Story” and “Ours,” in which Swift sings about prioritizing love, marriage and the allusion of family life over a depressing 9-to-5 cubicle job.

Yet, since her transition to pop superstardom and amassing a global following, Swift has done a remarkable job of staying true to her progressive values without overly politicizing her brand. Her focus, instead, is on connecting with her fans – whether from a stage or a hospital room.

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What’s more, it’s reasonable to assume that a singer savvy enough to question the legitimacy of FTX, a now bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange, has already mapped out her philanthropic goals.

In fact, Swift could already be donating to the left-leaning groups that some people want her to give to, but – for a variety of reasons – does so privately, which is her prerogative and part of her constitutional right to free speech.

Whatever direction Swift decides to tack with her charitable giving – now or in the future – her decision likely will be personally driven, intentional and an extension of her already significant mark on the world of philanthropy. And, most important, the decision will be entirely her own.

Carolyn Bolton is the communications and marketing director for DonorsTrust, a giving-account provider based in Alexandria, Virginia.

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