Kevin Spacey's Favorite Charities and Causes

Since The Old Vic opened their doors under Kevin Spacey's Artistic Directorship in 2004, they have attracted over a million people into the theatre. But ticket sales alone are not enough to pay for their broad spectrum of work and upkeep of the historic building. The Old Vic Trust receives no government subsidy and each year must raise at least £2 million. Any surplus made from productions by the Theatre Company are invested back in the Trust. By supporting The Old Vic, you will ensure they can continue this important work and present world class theatre in the iconic building.

Trigger Street Productions is an entertainment production company formed by Kevin Spacey in 1997. Its credits include Beyond the Sea, The United States of Leland and The Big Kahuna on screen, as well as stage productions of The Iceman Cometh and Cobb.

TriggerStreet.com, originally the URL for the company's online presence, was in 2002 relaunched as an online community for unrepresented screenwriters and short film directors and proved immensely popular in its first few years, with thousands of online users uploading their work, reviewing work by their peers and participating in online competitions and short film festivals. TriggerStreet.com was developed and launched by Kevin Spacey and his business partner Dana Brunetti.

Motion Picture & Television Fund was created by such industry luminaries as Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and D.W. Griffith, who realized the need for reaching out to those in the entertainment industry who fell upon hard times. The Motion Picture & Television Fund mission remains the same today: to protect and preserve the health and quality of life of those who devote so much of their lives to a career in the entertainment industry. And so the fund turns to members and friends of the industry to help fulfill this mission by Taking Care of Our Own.


BuyOnceGiveTwice is a network through which people can buy lovely things and benefit charity at the same time. It's a win-win situation. Charities and bona fide good causes can auction lots on the site. Charity supporters (individual people or companies) can auction items through the site - it's a great way of donating to charity without actually writing a check. Buyers can bag themselves items which range from the everyday to the once-in-a-lifetime experiences. And it feels good to be giving, by buying.	Declare Yourself is a national nonpartisan, nonprofit campaign to empower and encourage every eligible 18-29 year-old in America to register and vote in local and national elections. Using the power of strategic media and retail partnerships, celebrity spokespeople, and most importantly, mobile and Internet technology, Declare Yourself's campaign blankets the landscape of popular culture, as well as universities and high schools, with a simple, clear message: REGISTER and VOTE!

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international medical humanitarian organization created by doctors and journalists in France in 1971. Today, MSF provides aid in nearly 60 countries to people whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe, primarily due to armed conflict, epidemics, malnutrition, exclusion from health care, or natural disasters. MSF provides independent, impartial assistance to those most in need.	Happy Hearts Fund provides a brighter future where natural disaster created misery. In the period of time after a natural disaster when first response is completed HHF bridges the gap to post disaster recovery. HHF identifies schools that have been devastated and are located in communities of significant need. By rebuilding these schools, providing IT tools and sustainable opportunities they have seen children, families and entire communities become empowered and uplifted.

In 1995 Keep Memory Alive began as a simple event designed to celebrate the life of a loving father - Lou Ruvo. Today, Keep Memory Alive continues as the main awareness, education and development arm of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. And with its worldwide cooperative research network, Keep Memory Alive is more equipped than ever before to rid the world of memory disorders forever.	Sense is the leading national charity that supports and campaigns for children and adults who are deafblind. Sense provides expert advice and information as well as specialist services to deafblind people, their families, carers and the professionals who work with them. They also support people who have sensory impairments with additional disabilities. The organization's vision is of a world in which all deafblind children and adults can be full and active members of society.

K9 Connection brings the magic of dogs and kids together. At risk twelve to eighteen year old kids train homeless shelter dogs in basic obedience, assisting the dogs to develop the skills neded to become adoptable. K9 connection empowers high-risk youth to apply the lessons they teach the dogs to their own lives: to develop an awareness of the risks of uncontrolled and impulsive behavior, and to believe in the power of positive reinforcement as an alternative to force and violence.	The all-encompassing environment MediCinema installs includes Surround Sound, tiered seating, big screen and a bright foyer. Everyone needs a little escapism in their lives, especially if they’re in hospital. There’s often not very much to look forward to, so a visit to the cinema can give a much needed boost to the spirits and it provides a family outing that is otherwise difficult to achieve in hospital.

Old Vic director Kevin Spacey has thrown his weight behind a new scheme designed to seek out and create opportunities for young creative entrepreneurs. The scheme, entitled the Ideas Fund, will provide financial support for the very best young creative entrepreneurs. The £1 million per year fund has been launched by IdeasTap, a charity and online magazine created by the Peter De Haan Charitable Trust. The organisation seeks to encourage new ideas and new ways of working between young people and organisations by offering inspiration, practical advice and links to the creative industry for young creative entrepreneurs and artists aged 16 - 25.	International Medical Corps is a global, humanitarian, nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives and relieving suffering through health care training and relief and development programs. Established in 1984 by volunteer doctors and nurses, International Medical Corps is a private, voluntary, nonpolitical, nonsectarian organization. Its mission is to improve the quality of life through health interventions and related activities that build local capacity in underserved communities worldwide. By offering training and health care to local populations and medical assistance to people at highest risk, and with the flexibility to respond rapidly to emergency situations, International Medical Corps rehabilitates devastated health care systems and helps bring them back to self-reliance.

Founded in 1985, the Screen Actors Guild Foundation is an educational, humanitarian and philanthropic 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The mission of the Screen Actors Guild Foundation is to enhance the lives of actors by investing in programs which help them in their professional endeavors. Their programs reflect the concerns and interests of SAG members as well as their desire to "give back" to their communities.	The Ecology Trust and the Aspinall Foundation distributes funds to frontline and unsung organizations battling to protect the environment, both domestically and globally. Whereby the Aspinall Foundation is a charity that sets out to protect threatened species such as elephant, rhino, cheetah, chimpanzee, mountain gorilla, African wild dog, and marine species such as the sea turtle.

Youth charity The Prince's Trust helps change young lives. It gives practical and financial support, developing key workplace skills such as confidence and motivation. It helps 14- to 30-year-olds who have struggled at school, have been in care, are long-term unemployed or have been in trouble with the law. The Prince’s Trust helps 100 more young people each working day. More than three in four young people The Trust helped last year got a job, went back to school or began training. Most importantly, these young people developed the confidence to create a brighter future.	Best Buddies is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Founded in 1989 by Anthony Kennedy Shriver, Best Buddies is a vibrant, international organization that has grown from one original chapter to more than 1,400 college, high school and middle school campuses across the country and internationally.