The money will go to organizations, which are working to implement 'innovative and impactful conservation projects around the globe,' including the Conservation Land Trust and the World Wildlife Fund.
- Jul 15, 2015
AceShowbiz - Leonardo DiCaprio announced on Tuesday, July 14 that his foundation would donate $15 million to help save the plane. The "Titanic" actor said in a press release that the money would go to at least 27 organizations "working to solve humankind's greatest challenge." He has also provided additional money for individual winners of the Goldman Environmental Prize.
"The destruction of our planet continues at a pace we can no longer afford to ignore," Leonardo said in the press release. "We have a responsibility to innovate a future where the habitability of our planet does not come at the expense of those who inhabit it."
The money will go to groups which are working to implement "innovative and impactful conservation projects around the globe." The beneficiaries include the Wildlife Conservation Society, the International Fund for Animal Welfare, Save the Elephants, the Conservation Land Trust, Tree People, Oceans 5 and the World Wildlife Fund.
Dr. Enric Sala, NatGeo explorer-in-residence, added, "No organization or individual alone can protect our planet's life-giving engine. Partnering with the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation allows National Geographic Pristine Seas to help protect the wildest places in the ocean, so that the ocean can continue to provide for all of us."
Leonardo also took to Instagram to share the news. "We have been able to support organizations that are working to solve some of today's most pressing environmental issues," Leonardo wrote. "Throughout today, I'll post about a few of them and share the incredible work they do." The message was accompanied by a snap of the actor standing on one of the earth's amazing sceneries.
Leonardo started his foundation in 1998 with a mission of "protecting the world's last wild places," launching initiatives that "help restore balance to threatened ecosystems [and ensure] the long-term health and well-being of all Earth's inhabitants." Since 2010, the foundation has funded more than 70 projects in more than 40 countries around the globe.
