Bootleg Betty
The Charities Bette Midler Supports
By Mister D
April 17, 2025
Bette Midler supports a wide range of charities and causes, with a strong focus on environmental conservation, arts and culture, health, education, and humanitarian efforts. Below is a comprehensive list of charities and organizations she has been associated with, based on available information:
Environmental and Civic Space
- New York Restoration Project (NYRP): Founded by Midler in 1995, NYRP is a nonprofit dedicated to creating and maintaining green spaces in New York City’s five boroughs. It has revitalized 52 community gardens, planted over one million trees through the MillionTreesNYC initiative, and restored parks like Fort Tryon and Highbridge Park. Midler actively participates in fundraising events like the Hulaween gala and spring picnic to support NYRP.
- Central Park Conservancy: Supports the maintenance and restoration of Central Park in New York City.
- City Parks Foundation: Focuses on enhancing parks and recreational spaces in New York City.
- Friends of Hudson River Park: Works to protect and enhance Hudson River Park in NYC.
- Westchester Land Trust: Promotes land conservation in Westchester County, New York.
- National Audubon Society: A national organization focused on bird conservation and environmental education.
- Audubon Women in Conservation: A program under the Audubon Society supporting women in environmental leadership.
- Rainforest Fund: Supports global rainforest conservation and indigenous rights.
Arts and Culture
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met): Supports one of the world’s leading art museums in NYC.
- Metropolitan Opera (Met Opera): Funds opera performances and arts education.
- Museum of the City of New York: Preserves and presents the history of New York City.
- Municipal Art Society: Advocates for urban planning and historic preservation in NYC.
- Carnegie Hall Society: Supports Carnegie Hall’s music programs and performances.
- 52nd Street Project: Pairs inner-city children with professional theater artists to create original theater, promoting arts education.
- Exploring The Arts: Supports arts education programs for youth.
- Jeckyl Foundation: Midler’s foundation that restores auditoriums and stages in NYC public schools, enhancing arts education. Recent grantees include McKinney School of the Arts and Public High School 105.
Health
- Smile Train: Trains local doctors to perform cleft repair surgeries for children in poverty-stricken areas. Midler has praised their work for transforming children’s lives.
- Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes: Focuses on research and treatment for childhood diabetes.
- Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation: Funds research for multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer.
- Mount Sinai: Supports medical research and healthcare services.
- MS Foundation for Women: Advances women’s health and reproductive rights.
- Breast Cancer Research Foundation: Funds breast cancer research and awareness.
- Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research: Supports Parkinson’s disease research.
- Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC): Provides HIV/AIDS support services, including meals, mental health services, and HIV testing. Midler has participated in events like the virtual AIDS Walk: Live From Home in 2020.
Humanitarian and Human Services
- Doctors Without Borders: Provides medical aid in crisis zones worldwide.
- Human Rights First: Advocates for human rights and social justice globally.
- The Mirembe Project: Focuses on human rights and empowerment in developing countries, particularly in the Global South.
- Coalition for the Homeless: Supports homeless individuals and families in New York City.
- God’s Love We Deliver: Delivers meals to people with serious illnesses in NYC.
- Lower Nine: Aids post-Hurricane Katrina recovery in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward.
- Worldwide Orphans Foundation (WWO): Provides education, medical care, and psychosocial support for orphans and vulnerable children in developing countries. Midler has supported WWO by auctioning tickets to NYRP’s Halloween Gala.
- Hope North: A Ugandan school and community providing education, vocational training, and support for children affected by conflict, including former child soldiers. Midler has served on the host committee for their fundraising gala.
- Love Our Children USA: Focuses on preventing child abuse and supporting at-risk youth.
- Habitat for Humanity: Builds affordable housing for families in need.
- St. Francis Food Pantries and Shelters: Provides food and shelter to those in need in New York City.
Education
- Yale University Parent’s Fund: Supports Yale University’s educational programs.
- UCLA Development: Funds educational initiatives at the University of California, Los Angeles.
- Communities in Schools: Helps students stay in school and succeed academically.
- Edible Schoolyard NYC: Promotes garden-based education and healthy eating in schools.
- Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City: Supports educational and community initiatives in NYC.
Other Causes
- Bette Midler Family Foundation: Midler’s private foundation, based in Nashville, TN, supports various charitable causes, though specific grantmaking details are limited due to lack of public IRS data.
- Adopt-a-Highway: In 1991, Midler donated $2,000 monthly to a crew cleaning a two-mile section of the Ventura Freeway in California.
Notable Advocacy and Events
- LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS Advocacy: Midler has been a longtime ally of the LGBTQ+ community and those affected by HIV/AIDS. Her performances at the Continental Baths in the 1970s built a loyal gay following, and she has supported GMHC and participated in events like the Elton John AIDS Foundation Benefit (2005) and the Design Alliance to Combat AIDS Masquerade Gala (1988).
- Hulaween Gala: An annual fundraising event for NYRP, where Midler enlists celebrity friends like Stevie Wonder and Elton John to perform, raising significant funds for green spaces.
- Virtual AIDS Walk (2020): Midler joined Gloria Estefan and others in a live-streamed event to benefit GMHC and San Francisco’s Positive Resource Center (PRC).
Broader Causes
Midler’s philanthropy also extends to causes like:
- Abuse and Adoption: Supporting organizations addressing child abuse and fostering.
- Animals: Advocating for animal rights and protection.
- Poverty and Disaster Relief: Contributing to efforts to alleviate poverty and aid disaster recovery.
Notes
- Midler’s philanthropy is channeled through her Bette Midler Family Foundation and the Jeckyl Foundation, though the latter focuses heavily on NYC public school arts programs.
- Her environmental work, particularly through NYRP, is her most prominent contribution, driven by her frustration with urban litter and neglect in New York City.
- Midler’s support often involves active participation, such as hosting galas, performing at benefits, or physically volunteering (e.g., cleaning parks).
- Some sources note that Midler’s grantmaking through her family foundation has decreased in recent years, and the Jeckyl Foundation operates with low transparency.
This list reflects Midler’s diverse and impactful charitable efforts, showcasing her commitment to improving communities locally and globally.
