Taylor Swift may be famous for her chart-topping hits and record-breaking tours, but she is also widely recognized for her incredible generosity.
From supporting fans in need to making multi-million-dollar donations, the hitmaker has been known for giving back.
In fact, Grey’s Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo revealed that Travis Kelce’s girlfriend once gave her the “biggest check” she had ever received for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
With countless examples of her using her wealth to help others, here are some of Swift’s most generous moments.
A Generous Donation for a Good Cause
During her recent appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show, Pompeo revealed that Swift surprised her with a generous donation to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
“They have an amazing program at Children’s where they make music for the babies in the NICU and for the parents who have to go to work all day and they can’t be with the kids,” she said. “They record their voices singing nursery rhymes or telling them stories, and they play it for the babies in the day when the parents can’t be there.”
At the time, Pompeo and her husband, Chris Ivery, were volunteering at the hospital when she joined Swift in the 2014 music video for Bad Blood.
So as she wanted to try her luck for a good cause, she asked the highest-grossing touring artist to write a “big, old check” for the hospital.
“Without a blink of an eye,” Swift wrote a paycheck that made Pompeo’s jaw drop.
$197 Million Bonus for Eras Tour Crew
Another way that Swift showed her generosity was when she gave out a whopping $197 million in bonuses to her entire team at the end of her Eras Tour last year.
The 35-year-old made sure no one would be left behind as it included even the truck drivers, caterers, merch team, carpenters, security, and physical therapists. Of course, dancers, bandmates, choreographers, videographers, and the hair, make-up, and wardrobe teams also received massive paychecks.
According to the billionaire herself, it was her way to express her gratitude to everyone who made her dreams possible—bringing the concert series to life.
“We have toured the entire world with this tour, we have had so many adventures,” she told the crowd during her final show in Canada in December. “It has been the most exciting, powerful, electrifying, intense, most challenging thing I’ve ever done in my entire life.”
Paying a Fan’s Student Loans
Swift is one of the biggest stars known for supporting her fans. A notable example came in 2015 when she helped a supporter, Rebekah Bortnicker, pay off her student loans.
Swift sent her a care package that included a personally painted picture, various gifts, and an envelope containing a check.
The attached note read, “Now you’re $1,989 closer to paying off those student loans.”
Donating to Food Banks
It was in 2017 when Swift first donated to the Houston Food Bank after the devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey, resulting in deaths and extreme damage.
In honor of her mother, Andrea Finlay Swift, who graduated from the University of Houston, she gave survivors a helping hand. Of course, the organization thanked her for her “very sizable” donation.
This was followed by another donation to the Ohio food bank in 2020. She also contributed to local food banks in Glendale, Arizona, and Las Vegas prior to her Eras Tour stops in both cities in 2023.
“@TaylorSwift has made a generous gift to Three Square, allowing us to provide thousands of meals to families and individuals struggling with hunger,” Nevada’s Three Square organization wrote in a post on Instagram.
Supporting Nashville Tornado Relief Efforts
The “Fortnight” singer donated $1 million to Nashville after it was hit by a devastating tornado in 2020, destroying homes and killing at least 24 people.
Being from Nashville herself, Swift shared in an Instagram Story that she was devastated to see so many people in Middle Tennessee lose their homes and more.
“I’ve made a donation to the Middle Tennessee Emergency Response Fund,” she revealed.
Thanks to Swift, her donation helped rebuild homes and provide emergency assistance.
Helping Fans During the Pandemic
Swift made sure her fans were taken care of during the COVID-19 crisis by providing direct financial assistance.
The superstar donated $13,000 to two mothers’ GoFundMe pages after reading a Washington Post article about Americans struggling to pay rent due to the government’s delayed stimulus agreement in 2020.
She also gave $50,000 to a mother of five whose husband had died of COVID-19 in 2021. The woman had requested financial relief to ease their worries about “basic necessities, as well as to support their continued growth, goals, and aspirations” on a GoFundMe page.
Making a ‘Sizable Donation’ to a Pet Rescue Foundation
Another “sizable donation” Swift made was for Beth Stern’s pet rescue foundation, Beth’s Furry Friends.
In return, the animal advocate named a foster cat after her.
“Welcome new foster from Oman!!” Stern captioned a photo of a cat on Instagram. “Her name is Angel Taylor in honor of recent birthday girl, Taylor Swift, who sent me a sizable donation to Beth’s Furry Friends to help me save more lives.”
Supporting Cancer Charities
In 2012, Swift wrote and released the song “Ronan” in honor of a little boy with the same name. Ronan’s mom, Maya, documented the life and struggles of his son, who had fatal neuroblastoma, in a blog.
She then performed the song at the Stand Up 2 Cancer event in the same year and pledged all her proceeds from the track to cancer charities.
Helping Sexual Assault Survivors
After winning a court case against a DJ who allegedly groped her in 2013, she donated a “generous” amount to actress Mariska Hargitay’s Joyful Heart Foundation, which helps sexual assault victims.
“Taylor is aware of the Joyful Heart Foundation and follows our work,” the organization’s CEO, Maile Zambuto, told Huffington Post. “Her team got in touch with me and we talked a lot about her commitment, all along throughout this ordeal, to wanting to be of service to survivors.”
RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization, confirmed Swift’s donation during Sexual Awareness Month in 2018.
“Thank you @TaylorSwift13 for always standing with survivors,” the organization tweeted. “Your generous donation this week during #SAAPM ensures that survivors and their loved ones get the help they need and deserve.”
Donates to LA Wildfire Relief
The recent Los Angeles wildfire devastated many and Swift came to the rescue by donating to multiple organizations that were helping with wildfire relief efforts.
“The fires in California have devastated so many families, and it’s been heartbreaking to see these stories unfold,” she wrote on her Instagram Story. “So much suffering, loss and destruction.”
Swift has been offering a helping hand to her fans, staff, and others in need. These are just a few of her acts of kindness, not even covering everything she has done to help.