Words by Abi Scaife
Whether you fell in love with her as Hannah, or as Miley, Miley Cyrus is one of the biggest names in pop culture.
What a lot of people don’t know is that she’s also really committed to doing good - and today marks the 10th anniversary of the Happy Hippie Foundation, the charity she set up all the way back in 2014.
While her charity has now been renamed the Miley Cyrus Foundation, Happy Hippie remains an integral part of her not-for-profit work and is responsible for a huge amount of the good she has done throughout her career.
Miley has always been a big philanthropist, but Happy Hippie really kickstarted her positive impact. Here are three amazing things that Happy Hippie and the Miley Cyrus Foundation have done in the last 10 years!
Back in 2014, when the Happy Hippie Foundation first began, Miley won the award for Video of the Year at the MTV Video Music Awards.
Instead of accepting the award herself, Miley sent Jesse in her place - a young man who accepted the award in honour of "the 1.6 million runaways and homeless youth in the United States who are starving, lost and scared for their lives right now."
Viewers were asked to make donations to a charity called My Friend’s Place, a charity that supports young people experiencing homelessness in moving towards wellness, stability and self-sufficiency. In twenty-four hours, more than $200,000 was raised for this incredible organisation.
Later that year, Miley went on to register the Happy Hippie Foundation as a charity, inspired by the incredible generosity of viewers that night.
Neither Happy Hippie nor The Miley Cyrus Foundation take any public donations - they are both privately funded by Miley herself. Because of that, when they support fundraising events, all the money goes directly to their programmes or the other charities they are working with.
The Foundations have worked closely with charities like the MAC AIDS Fund, Gender Spectrum, and Zebra Youth, encouraging Miley’s supporters to donate to or get involved with their all-important causes.
There are always charities in need of help - but sometimes, when the worst happens, there is a time-sensitive need to get involved. Miley’s foundations have supported so many communities in the wake of crises or tragedies, like the tragic shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando.
Miley’s charities have also been seen to collaborate with The Dollywood Foundation, set up by Miley’s godmother, Dolly Parton.
After the 2016 Great Smoky Mountains wildfires, what was then the Happy Hippie Foundation donated to the Dollywood Foundation's My People Fund to help those affected in the Tennessee area.
Seeing those with a lot of money and privilege donate to important causes is incredible - we can’t wait to see what the next ten years bring for the Miley Cyrus Foundation.
You can support the Miley Cyrus Foundation and Happy Hippie on their mission through their websites.
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
The Fore. This charity is transforming lives and society by turbo-charging exceptional small charities and social enterprises. Support them here.
The Brother’s Trust. This charity is run by Tom Holland’s family, aiming to shine a light on charities where generous donations can be used to maximum effect. Find out more.
The Henry Smith Charity. This is a grant giving charity that aims to use its resources to help people and communities in the UK. Learn more here.
This article aligns with the UN SDG Partnership for the Goals.
