Taylor Swift, Not Just a Musician, but a Philanthropist

A woman who wears many hats.

Taylor Swift gifted a generous $5 million to Feeding America in order to help fund disaster relief efforts post-Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton barreling through Florida. 

The “Florida!!!” singer's donation came as a shock because of the sheer amount of zeroes, but in reality, Swift’s selfless acts are not few and far between.

Recently named the world’s wealthiest female musician, Swift is worth a whopping $1.6 billion. Despite her hefty sum of real estate and high-end wardrobe, Swift has never been frivolous and flashy with her finances. She gave bonuses totaling $55 million to The Eras Tour crew. A self-made, humble woman knows there wouldn't be her if there hadn’t been them. 

Swift’s philanthropic efforts also went beyond The Eras Tour crew. She donated to various food banks across the US and UK, stopping to perform and still giving more. From donating to fans in need, to supporting cancer research and pandemic relief, Swift continues to create invisible strings beyond her music. 

But despite her efforts, it’s never enough. People continue to scrutinize her and demand her to speak up on various issues that she can’t safely speak about. She was relentlessly criticized for her carbon footprint, despite the fact that she simply couldn’t swim across the ocean to tour. Swift has created a bond — a relationship — with her fans over her nearly two decades of being in the industry. And in a relationship, there are boundaries and standards. 

Swift does what she can, and has proven to be a victim of misogyny and double standards. It’s vital to hold celebrities accountable, but also ourselves. 

Swift’s philanthropic efforts show that Swift knows that being a celebrity, a billionaire at that, comes with moral, controversial obligations. Her messages go beyond the music. She has donated $6.5 million to charity this year alone. 

Swift has close to 30 instances of donating lavishly bountiful amounts of money to various charities and reliefs. From disaster recovery, educational help, to animal advocacy, Swift quietly gives and gives. 

Shining a light on Swift’s glittering gifts to others is important, and will hopefully inspire other celebrities and billionaires to take after her. Her donations prove that she may be seen as the archer, she may be seen as the prey, but she’ll always stay a creator, a giver, and a lover of love. 

And some of the greatest love is the love she gives.