SOURCE OF WEALTH: Actress
FUNDING AREAS: Animals
OVERVIEW: Katherine Heigl and her mother, Nancy, founded the Jason Debus Heigl Foundation (JDHF) which seeks to "eliminate the needless suffering inflicted on animals by human cruelty, indifference and ignorance." The foundation does have a website with application guidelines.
BACKGROUND: Katherine Heigl was born in 1978 in Washington D.C. Heigl began modeling as a kid, starring in commercials, and auditioning for television and film screen roles. She has gone on to much success, starring in such films as The Ugly Truth, 27 Dresses and Knocked Up.
ISSUES:
ANIMALS: Heigl and her mother, Nancy, founded the Jason Debus Heigl Foundation (JDHF) in 2008. Jason, Heigl's brother and Nancy's son, passed away in a car accident. In life, Jason was a passionate animal lover. The foundation supports animal advocacy interested in "increasing awareness of the inhumane treatment of animals, funding and encouraging free spay/neuter programs and clinics, and educating the public about the horrors of puppy mills and dog fighting."
JDHF offers financial support to qualified partner organizations around the country, including humane societies, rescue organizations, no kill shelters and advocacy groups. By qualified organizations, JDHF means that they provide "rescue, foster and transport services; offering free obedience training and pet care education; and are directly involved in fighting against the inhumane treatment of animals."
JDHF also steers internal rescue group The Heigl Hounds Of Hope, which saves vulnerable dogs from high kill shelters in Southern California.
LOOKING FORWARD: Heigl is only in her 40s and very much engaged in Hollywood, but expect steady money to continue to flow to animal rights causes, particularly given the personal forces involves. Apart from JDHF, Heigl may also have other more direct avenues of giving, and some important gifts may be missing from this rundown.
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