Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation Raises Nearly $45 Million at Auction Gala
The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation hosted its third annual fundraising auction gala earlier this week, raising nearly $45 million to support the foundation’s mission of protecting the earth from climate change and environmental crisis.
The event was hosted in Saint-Tropez by DiCaprio, the founder and chairman of the foundation, LDF Global Fundraising Chairman Milutin Gatsby who created the concept for the evening, LDF Chief Executive Officer Terry Tamminen and LDF Executive Director Justin Winters, with support from Julius Baer and Chopard.
Albert II, Prince of Monaco was honored with the foundation’s first “New World Leadership Award,” which recognizes the legacy of environmental conservation displayed by its recipient.
Simon de Pury conducted the live auction, which was filled with unique experiences, luxury collectibles and memorabilia – including personal items given by DiCaprio, and a collection of fine art from universally renowned artists Jeff Koons, Pablo Picasso, Urs Fischer, Olafur Eliasson, and Adrian Villar Rojas, among many others.
Event Chairs included Boris F.J. Collardi, CEO of Julius Baer, Philippe Cousteau, Jonah Hill, Kate Hudson, Tobey Maguire, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Caroline Scheufele, Kevin Spacey, Cate Blanchett, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Robert De Niro, Scarlett Johansson, and Charlize Theron.
The Foundation recently announced its largest-ever round of grant making, a $15.6 million portfolio to fund wildlife and habitat protection, ocean conservation, indigenous rights programs, and the implementation of innovative solutions to combat climate change. Since 1998, LDF has given away over $59 million to fund environmental projects across the globe.
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