In 2020 alone, his foundation worked with partners in more than 50 countries to save over 45 million acres of natural spaces and help 835 vulnerable species.
The foundation of Academy Award winner Leonardo DiCaprio has raised more than $100 million for the battle against climate change.
The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation demonstrates how much he cares about the planet. The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, founded in 1998, aims to safeguard the world's last natural areas and save fragile animals from extinction. Back then, the actor was only 24 years old. And now, 20 years later, his ambition of making the world a better place is beginning to take form.
The Foundation (LDF) was founded the same year when the actor had just finished his part as Jack in the blockbuster film Titanic. The initial purpose of the foundation was to safeguard the Earth's last wild areas and to develop solutions to achieve a healthy interaction between people and the natural environment, per Togetherband.
His foundation has now collaborated with Global Wildlife Conservation and launched Re:Wild in 2021. In 2020 alone, they worked with partners in more than 50 countries to save over 45 million acres of natural spaces and help 835 vulnerable species.
In 2018, his foundation raised millions of dollars for the cause. A statement from DiCaprio on the foundation’s website at the time read, "I am pleased to announce $11 million in new grants across our six programme areas, bringing the total financial impact of LDF to over $100 million." He further said, "When I founded LDF 20 years ago, I did so based on the simple idea that we could make a real difference by directly funding some of the most effective environmental projects."
He added, "Whether it be individuals, grassroots movements, or major nonprofits, we wanted to focus on getting critical funding to those who could have the greatest impact," per Gulf News. He has also been seen working with a number of environmental groups, notably the World Wildlife Fund, throughout the years.
In 2014, DiCaprio was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace for Climate Change. He also sits on the board of several environmental organizations, like, WWF, the Natural Resources Defense Council, International Fund for Animal Welfare, Pristine Seas and Oceans 5."
DiCaprio utilized his platform to highlight topics near to his heart after winning his Best Actor award for The Revenant in 2016. He said, "The Revenant was about man's relationship to the natural world — the world that we collectively felt in 2015 as the hottest year in recorded history. Our production had to move to the southernmost tip of this planet just to be able to find snow."
He added, "Climate change is real, it is happening right now, it is the most urgent threat facing our entire species, and we need to work collectively together and stop procrastinating."
Cover Image Source: Getty Images/Rich Fury
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