Apple Donates $10 Million to 'One World: Together At Home' Special to Support WHO's COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund

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Lady Gaga has teamed up with the World Health Organization and Global Citizen for a "One World: Together At Home" special to raise money to battle the ongoing pandemic, and Apple is donating money to the cause.


Apple CEO Tim Cook announced the donation in a video shared on the YouTube channel for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Lady Gaga called Apple's $10 million donation "quite sizable."

In the video, Jimmy Fallon and Lady Gaga FaceTime Cook, who confirms Apple's plans to donate to the initiative. According to Gaga, more than $35 million has already been raised by tech companies ahead of the special.

"One World: Together at Home" is set to air on Saturday, April 18 at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time/8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. It will be available on major cable networks and it will be live streamed by Apple, Amazon, FaceBook, YouTube, and more. Funds raised both ahead of and during the event will support the World Health Organization's COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.

The event will feature appearances and musical performances from Alanis Morissette, Andrea Bocelli, Billie Eilish, Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day, Burna Boy, Chris Martin, David Beckham, Eddie Vedder, Elton John, FINNEAS, Idris and Sabrina Elba, J Balvin, John Legend, Kacey Musgraves, Keith Urban, Kerry Washington, Lang Lang, Lizzo, Maluma, Paul McCartney, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Shah Rukh Khan, and Stevie Wonder.

Apple has also sourced and donated over 20 million N95 masks to healthcare professionals, and its design, engineering, operations, and packaging teams are working to design, produce, and ship millions of face shields to medical workers.

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Top Rated Comments

AgentOSX Avatar
AgentOSX
63 months ago
WAIT... WHAT?

They are going to donate to WHO? The same WHO who until January 27th told us that COVID-19 wasn't very communicable and that flight and border monitoring and restrictions are not necessary? The same WHO who parroted and spread false information from the origin country for two months?

Sorry, but most of the reason this bug spread to Italy, Spain, German, Iran the US... the rest of the world... is because WHO was completely incompetent.

They do not deserve any money or attention. They should be disbanded and tossed on the rubbish heap of history along with Yamamoto, Chamberlain and Gavrilo Princip.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iRutherford Avatar
iRutherford
63 months ago
I don't wanna be negative, but COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund? What do they do with it?

I hope it's not just one of those questionable Lady Gaga partnerships/donation drives designed to raise money to make people feel better (e.g. her Born This Way Foundation who chalked up millions of the money they raised as "administrative costs" and only spent $5,000 on actual charity ('https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/mar/14/lady-gaga-denies-born-this-way-foundation-funds')) instead of actually helping them.

Apple, as usual, is generous when it comes to social causes, but I hope they didn't blow money on a yet another "YAAAASSSS KWEEN!!!!!111 SLAY!" Lady Gaga scam.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iRutherford Avatar
iRutherford
63 months ago

Making people feel better is not helping people nowadays? Do you know how many people, especially young LGBTQ youths, don't have access to mental health professionals?

Through the BTW Foundation many got help. Not every charity has to be about giving money or food to the needy. Some need psychological support and that can save lives, literally.

Anyway, good on Gaga for asking money from corporations instead of people who are already hit by this virus and the recession.
Except she didn't even do that. Here's the breakdown of the expenses of her Born This Way "Foundation".

Money raised: $2.1 million in net assets + $2.6 million in donations

Expenses:

* $5,000 in charity work and grants to individuals and organizations
* $348,000 on an outreach bus
* $300,000 in strategic consulting (web design)
* $50,000 in social media
* $62,836 on stage productions
* $50,000 on event coordination
* $406,552 in legal fees
* $150,000 in "philanthropic consulting", whatever that is
* $58,768 in publicity fees
* $60,000 in research
* $78,000 in travel
* $72,000 in salaries
* $10,000 in other foundation expenses
* $808,661 in others - unspecified

This led to a reporter questioning where the money went. Roger Friedman said, "It’s unclear that anyone was really helped by the Born this Way Foundation other than lawyers, consultants, publicists and travel agents." (Source ('https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/mar/14/lady-gaga-denies-born-this-way-foundation-funds'), Source 2 ('https://www.celebitchy.com/355142/lady_gagas_born_this_way_foundation_wasted_15_million_is_it_fraud/'))

When Gaga was "raising awareness" in a bus during this Born This Way "Foundation" thing, she was already on tour, so there's literally nothing they needed to spend on this other than time, and maybe speeches. It's a scam.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nfl46 Avatar
nfl46
63 months ago
Wow. That’s pretty amazing! Much respect to her for putting this all together, and thank you to Apple for a VERY generous donation!

They may end up raising nearly 100 million (I’m guessing) after the show airs on April 18th.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
timber Avatar
timber
63 months ago
Yesterday my hometown received a 5 millon dollar donation in kind (ventilators, masks, suits, the works) from a single individual (a Taiwanese business woman, Ming Chu Hsu)
It wasn't even on the news until the cargo had arrived and was being unloaded on the tarmac (something not to be discounted on the current times)
Apple could do more.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Agent OrangeZ Avatar
Agent OrangeZ
63 months ago

I’m sure I’m gonna be raked over the coals for this, but Apple has hundreds of billions of dollars in cash. They won’t even notice that this money is gone.

To those whom much has been given, much is expected. This isn’t much.
There is it is. The person that says $___ Million isn't enough. When in reality any "million" is far more than most people can do... and it is substantial.

Also... though... not to completely trash their intentions.... but in addition to the help the money goes to... this appearance with Fallon and Gaga is the best damned iPhone commercial Apple could ever do. They just showed two stars use Facetime to video chat with Apple's CEO. That is going to make all sorts of people feel warm and fuzzy about the iPhone... in a time for social distancing and on the (damn near) eve of the new $399 iPhone. WIN WIN for Apple.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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