Carmelo Anthony makes Giving Back 30 celebrity philanthropy list

Los Angeles, CA -- The Giving Back Fund (GBF), the premier resource in celebrity philanthropy, announced today that Oprah Winfrey tops the inaugural Giving Back 30, a ranking of the celebrities who have made the largest personal public donations to charity in 2006. Rounding out the top five are the estates of the late fashion designer Geoffrey Beene and the late actor Jack Lord and his wife Marie, singer/actress Barbra Streisand, and golfer Tiger Woods.

The list (see below) includes celebrities from many walks of life: sports figures (Woods, Carmelo Anthony of the NBA’s Denver Nuggets, golfer Arnold Palmer, tennis great Andre Agassi, NFL standouts, recently-retired New York Giant Tiki and his twin brother Ronde Barber of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, NASCAR driver Tony Stewart, poker player Mike Sexton and cyclist Lance Armstrong); actors (the Lord estate, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, Nicolas Cage, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and his wife Dany Garcia Johnson, Susan Saint James and her husband, TV executive Dick Ebersol, Denzel Washington and Elizabeth Taylor); musicians (Streisand, Pat Boone and his wife Shirley, Paul McCartney, Gloria Estefan and Dolly Parton); media personalities (Winfrey, Rosie O’Donnell, Martha Stewart, “Dr. Phil” McGraw and his wife Robin); sports and entertainment moguls (David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg and his wife Marilyn); an artist (LeRoy Neiman); a designer (the Beene estate); and a game show host (Bob Barker).

“Encouragement-by-example is the main reason for the Giving Back 30 list,” said Marc Pollick, President and Founder of The Giving Back Fund. “Ten years ago when Slate magazine first published the Slate 60 reporting on the most generous American philanthropists, the last donor on their list gave $5 million. This year the last donor donated $30 million to charity,” Pollick continued. “This is the type of growth we are hoping to inspire within the sports and entertainment communities. One cannot help but be influenced by the generosity of his or her peers.”

The Giving Back Fund, established in 1997, seeks to cultivate and nurture a new group of philanthropists within the sports and entertainment communities and to help establish role models who will inspire others to give back. GBF has, through its Best Practices consulting services and professional management of charitable ventures, mentored athletes and entertainers to leverage their powerful influence to raise funds for and awareness about charitable causes and important social issues. GBF is launching several new programs to help ensure that new generations of sports and entertainment professionals learn how to be effective philanthropists. In addition to publishing this list, The Giving Back Fund is preparing case histories on lessons learned and effective methodologies employed by successful celebrity philanthropists, which will be available online (www.GivingBack.org) this year.

GBF submitted its findings for the Giving Back 30 to a committee of philanthropic, sports, and entertainment experts to ensure that the reporting methodology was consistent and followed accepted practices. Committee members included Paul G. Schervish, Professor and Director of the Center on Wealth and Philanthropy (CWP) at Boston College; Scott A. Edelman, co-chair of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher Media and Entertainment Practice; Stacy Mann, Director of Marketing Programs for Network for Good; Ken Shropshire, Professor and Director, Wharton Sports Business Initiative; and Crystal Allene Cook, Program Manager for See Jane.

To compile the most accurate information, The Giving Back Fund reviewed media reports of charitable giving by sports and entertainment professionals; made inquiries to more than 250 celebrity publicists, attorney, agents, agencies, and managers for information about their clients; sent requests to more than 150 charities known for their celebrity affiliations; and contacted the major sports leagues and associations. Only donations that could be claimed as tax-deductions by individuals, couples or families were considered. Information was confirmed by at least one source other than the initial media source. Complete methodology is available online at www.GivingBack.org.