Actresses Who Did the Most Beautiful Things
Big screens and red carpets might get the headlines, but many actresses spend just as much energy off-camera helping people, funding solutions, and building programs that last. Their work ranges from front-line humanitarian missions to long-term projects that quietly change how communities access health care, education, safety, and opportunity.
Below is a friendly, facts-first tour of 25 actresses whose charitable work, advocacy, or institution-building has had clear, real-world impact. You’ll see specific initiatives they launched or championed, the roles they’ve held with reputable organizations, and the practical ways their efforts help people today.
Audrey Hepburn
As a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Audrey Hepburn undertook field missions to countries including Ethiopia, Bangladesh, and Somalia, where she helped raise global attention for child nutrition, vaccination, and clean-water access. Her speeches and photo essays focused on concrete needs like oral rehydration salts and measles immunization at a time when many of these basics were scarce in crisis zones.
Hepburn’s family later established the Audrey Hepburn Children’s Fund to continue supporting UNICEF programs, exhibitions, and education efforts about children’s rights. The fund has helped finance mobile health clinics and public-awareness campaigns that connect donors to on-the-ground solutions UNICEF teams deploy worldwide.
Angelina Jolie
Angelina Jolie served for years as a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador before being appointed Special Envoy, using field visits and policy briefings to spotlight refugee protection, statelessness, and resettlement pathways. She supported UNHCR operations through the Jolie-Pitt Foundation, which has funded schools, health centers, and conservation-linked community programs in multiple regions.
She also partnered with governments and experts to advance initiatives addressing conflict-related sexual violence, helping to develop training, documentation guidance, and survivor-centered support models. Her work has steered resources toward legal assistance for displaced families and capacity-building for host communities.
Emma Watson
Emma Watson’s role as a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador included launching the HeForShe campaign, which mobilizes men and boys alongside women and girls to advance gender equality. The program engages universities, companies, and governments with measurable commitments on pay equity, leadership representation, and safety policies.
Outside the UN, Watson’s literacy and learning advocacy includes supporting girls’ education partners and running the Our Shared Shelf book club, which directed readers to nonprofit reading lists and author talks. She has used high-visibility moments—from press tours for ‘Harry Potter’ to interviews tied to ‘Little Women’—to channel audiences toward credible, impact-tracked organizations.
Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron founded the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP) to help youth in southern Africa access health education and services, including HIV prevention and life-skills training. CTAOP funds community-based partners, strengthens their program management, and invests in local leadership so services remain resilient.
CTAOP’s grants have supported peer-education networks, mobile testing, and youth-friendly clinics. By focusing on capacity, transportation, and safety barriers, the project helps organizations deliver consistent care, improve retention, and expand to rural areas where health infrastructure is thin.
Salma Hayek Pinault
Salma Hayek co-founded Chime for Change with partners at Gucci to fund projects for girls’ and women’s education, health, and justice. The campaign aggregates small donations into targeted grants, connecting vetted grassroots groups with global donors and corporate matching.
Hayek has also supported UNICEF and domestic-violence prevention services, using campaigns and testimony to direct funding to shelters, counseling, and legal support. Her outreach has helped organizations expand hotlines, train frontline workers, and upgrade protection services for survivors.
Anne Hathaway
Anne Hathaway, a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, has used policy speeches and employer outreach to advance paid parental leave and caregiver-friendly workplaces. She’s supported coalitions that provide model policies, implementation toolkits, and case studies to help companies operationalize leave benefits.
Hathaway has also backed pediatric health and arts-in-medicine nonprofits that bring in-hospital screenings and creative-arts therapy to children undergoing treatment. These programs provide measurable outcomes like reduced anxiety and improved adherence through structured play and music sessions.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas
Priyanka Chopra Jonas has worked with UNICEF since the mid-2000s and was appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, supporting campaigns on child rights, immunization, and education. Field visits and fundraising drives have directed resources to school-in-a-box kits, safe-water systems, and child-protection services.
Through the Priyanka Chopra Foundation for Health and Education, she has funded scholarships and medical treatment for children from low-income families. The foundation partners with hospitals and schools to verify needs, cover tuition and treatment costs, and track student progress.
Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman has supported microfinance through FINCA International as an Ambassador of Hope, helping expand small loans and savings services for women entrepreneurs. Her advocacy brought attention to client training components like bookkeeping and inventory control that make microloans more effective.
Portman has also backed educational and legal-aid initiatives connected to workplace equity and representation. She’s participated in fundraising for scholar programs and creative-industry pipelines that provide mentorship, grant-writing support, and networking for underrepresented creators.
Viola Davis
Viola Davis has partnered with anti-hunger campaigns that fund school breakfasts, mobile food pantries, and community meal sites. Her work with program sponsors has helped secure grants that upgrade refrigeration, expand weekend backpack programs, and extend meal service during school breaks.
Davis and her family have also supported arts education and library upgrades in communities where public funding is limited. These contributions purchase instruments, restore performance spaces, and stock new titles, giving students consistent access to creative learning tools.
Jennifer Lawrence
The Jennifer Lawrence Foundation has funded children’s hospitals, arts organizations, and community programs in Kentucky and beyond. Grants have supported pediatric cardiac-care equipment, family resource centers, and therapeutic playrooms that serve patients and caregivers.
Lawrence has also partnered with local nonprofits to back youth sports, after-school programs, and arts scholarships. These funds help cover participation fees, transportation, and supplies, increasing access for students who might otherwise be priced out.
Sandra Bullock
Sandra Bullock has repeatedly contributed major gifts to disaster-relief organizations, including the American Red Cross, to accelerate emergency response after hurricanes, earthquakes, and tsunamis. These contributions help stock shelters, distribute emergency cash assistance, and deploy mobile medical units.
She has also supported first-responder training and rebuilding programs that fund debris removal, roof repairs, and small-business recovery grants. By backing both immediate relief and longer-term recovery, her gifts help communities stabilize and rebuild essential services.
Kate Winslet
Kate Winslet co-founded the Golden Hat Foundation to support autistic individuals and their families, focusing on communication, education, and community inclusion. The foundation’s projects have included awareness campaigns and fundraising through books and albums tied to its mission.
Winslet has also raised funds for families facing high medical and energy-care costs related to complex conditions, connecting them with caseworkers and emergency grants. These efforts help cover specialized equipment, home modifications, and respite services.
Lucy Liu
Lucy Liu has served as a UNICEF Ambassador, visiting clinics and schools to highlight immunization, maternal health, and child-protection programs. Her advocacy has helped direct attention and funding to measles campaigns, midwife training, and safe-birth kits.
She has also supported anti-trafficking initiatives that provide survivors with legal aid, counseling, and safe housing. Partnerships she’s promoted fund hotline operations, cross-border coordination, and survivor-led peer networks.
Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson has supported global poverty-alleviation work through previous partnerships with organizations such as Oxfam, focusing on fair trade, emergency aid, and livelihoods. Campaigns she’s promoted have funded water systems, cash transfers, and farmer training.
Johansson has also helped raise funds for health and education nonprofits serving children in the United States, including school-supply drives and arts programs. These efforts cover classroom materials, instrument rentals, and community theater grants.
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman has served as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNIFEM (now part of UN Women), focusing on ending violence against women and girls. She has promoted initiatives that expand survivor services, strengthen legal frameworks, and train law-enforcement on trauma-informed practices.
Kidman’s advocacy supports hotlines, shelter networks, and public-awareness campaigns that encourage reporting and connect survivors to services. It also backs policy work that improves data collection and funds coordinated community responses.
Gal Gadot
Gal Gadot has supported children’s hospitals and patient-care initiatives, including visits that boost morale during long treatments and charity drives that fund pediatric equipment. Partner campaigns have financed child-life services and family housing near treatment centers.
She has also participated in programs that promote leadership and empowerment for girls, including workshops and mentorship events tied to media literacy and self-advocacy. These events connect students with educators, authors, and technologists who provide practical skill-building.
Zendaya
Zendaya has partnered with humanitarian aid groups like Convoy of Hope to fund food assistance, hygiene kits, and disaster-response logistics. Birthday fundraisers and social campaigns she led have translated audience engagement into direct program support.
She has also backed classroom-focused initiatives that supply technology and music-education resources to public schools. Grants and drives she’s promoted help purchase laptops, software licenses, and instruments so students can participate fully in coursework and ensembles.
Blake Lively
Blake Lively has worked with the Child Rescue Coalition to raise awareness about technology used to track and stop the sharing of child sexual-abuse material. Her support has helped fund law-enforcement trainings and public-education campaigns about digital safety.
She has also supported organizations that provide trauma-informed counseling and legal services for survivors. Fundraising efforts she’s joined have expanded therapy scholarships and advocacy programs that guide families through court processes.
Kristen Bell
Kristen Bell co-founded This Saves Lives, a social-impact snack company that funds life-saving nutrition for children through partners that distribute ready-to-use therapeutic foods. The model ties product sales to measurable shipments of nutrient-dense packets used in community malnutrition programs.
Bell also supports classroom and community mini-grants, often targeting teachers’ supply needs and local relief funds. These contributions cover basics like books, science kits, and emergency assistance for families navigating housing or utility crises.
Yara Shahidi
Yara Shahidi launched Eighteen x 18 (now We Vote Next) to increase youth civic participation through nonpartisan education, registration tools, and digital town halls. The initiative collaborates with student groups to distribute deadline reminders and explain ballot processes.
Shahidi has also worked with girls’ leadership programs to provide mentorship and scholarship connections. Workshops she supports cover public speaking, media literacy, and application coaching, helping participants build practical skills for school and community projects.
Emma Thompson
Emma Thompson is a longtime champion of the Helen Bamber Foundation, which supports survivors of torture and human trafficking with therapy, legal assistance, and medical care. Her advocacy helps fund multidisciplinary teams that stabilize clients and rebuild safety.
She has also backed Refuge and other domestic-violence services, supporting shelter expansion, helplines, and prevention education. These programs train staff, upgrade facilities, and coordinate with local authorities to protect survivors and children.
America Ferrera
America Ferrera co-founded She Se Puede (now operating as Poderistas), a digital community that equips Latinas with civic tools, health resources, and entrepreneurship content. The platform partners with nonprofits to host voter education, small-business webinars, and wellness workshops.
Ferrera has also worked with voter-engagement coalitions that provide registration support on campuses and in community centers. These collaborations distribute multilingual guides, run text-banking programs, and connect new voters to reliable information sources.
Sophia Bush
Sophia Bush has served on advisory boards for education nonprofits like Pencils of Promise, helping fund school builds, teacher training, and WASH programs in partner countries. Fundraising campaigns she’s led have financed classroom construction and literacy materials.
She is also a consistent supporter of clean-water initiatives through groups such as charity: water, backing community wells and maintenance training. Project updates document borehole drilling, pump installations, and local committees that sustain systems over time.
Lily Collins
Lily Collins has worked with Bystander Revolution, an anti-bullying organization that produces practical, short videos and guides for students, parents, and educators. The resources focus on simple actions—documenting incidents, supporting targets, and setting norms—that reduce harassment.
Collins has also supported anti-trafficking and mental-health charities that provide crisis lines and counseling services. Campaigns she’s joined help fund clinician training, peer-support groups, and digital outreach so people can access help quickly.
Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore served as a World Food Programme Ambassador Against Hunger and supported school-meal programs that improve attendance and nutrition. Her fundraising helped finance staples like fortified porridge and cooking oil for distribution through schools.
Barrymore has also backed community-development projects linked to girls’ education, including scholarships and school-infrastructure upgrades. These investments cover classroom repairs, desks, and sanitation facilities that make it easier for students to stay in school.
Share the actresses and initiatives you’d add to this list in the comments!
