Foundation Guide

A Tour of Our Global Community of Giving

 Rihanna

Rihanna

Early life and Education

Rihanna was born to Monica and Ronald Fenty. Her mother was of Afro-Guyanese descent and worked as an accountant. Rihanna’s father was of African, Irish, English, and Scottish descent and worked as a warehouse supervisor. She has two brothers, two half-sisters, and a half-brother.

Growing up in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna sold clothing at a family-owned street stall and attended Charles F. Broome Memorial Primary School and Combermere School. Her father’s crack cocaine addiction and alcoholism deeply impacted her life and the physical and emotional abuse her family suffered from him.

Foundation Guide - Rihanna

Early Career

Rihanna rose to fame very quickly and became known for her experimental music style and unique fashion style. She is now regarded as a fashion icon and was twice included in Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World list. The young star has won several awards and owns a successful luxury fashion brand, Fenty.

Road to success

Rihanna rose to fame very quickly and became known for her experimental music style and unique fashion sense. She is now regarded as a fashion icon and was twice included in Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World list. The young star has won several awards and owns a successful luxury fashion brand, Savage X Fenty, and a cosmetics brand, Fenty Beauty

Philanthropy

Shortly after her first album launch, Rihanna became an active philanthropist. In 2006, she launched the Believe Foundation to help terminally ill children. In 2008, she designed clothing for the H&M Fashion Against AIDS line. Rihanna has performed at several charity benefits through the years, generously donating her talent and time to good causes. 

Projects and organizations Rihanna supports

In addition to her generous philanthropic efforts, Rihanna also supports the following projects:

The Clara Lionel Foundation

Rihana launched the Clara Lionel Foundation to honor her grandparents. The foundation helps communities worldwide during natural disasters, advocates positive policy changes, and funds educational initiatives in primary and secondary schools. In 2016, the foundation joined forces with the Campaign for Female Education in Malawi to help get girls into classrooms. The program also provides female entrepreneurs microgrants, scholarships, and a professional development initiative. 

The Diamond Ball

In 2014, Rihanna created the Diamond Ball, an annual event attracting A-list celebrities and their charitable donations. In 2017, the event raised over $5 million. Besides raising funds, Rihanna also uses the ball to create awareness of important issues worldwide and to let people know why they should donate to these causes. 

Donations for Relief Efforts

Some of the donations Rihanna has made for relief efforts include:

  • $100,000 food bank donation for victims of Hurricane Sandy
  • $5 million to Covid-19 relief
  • $700,000 worth of ventilators to Barbados
  • $2.1 million to individuals and children suffering from domestic violence during the lockdown.

Rihanna is a shining example of a young superstar using her fame for a good cause.