SOURCE OF WEALTH: Comedian, Radio & TV Host
FUNDING AREAS: Children & Youth, Human Services
OVERVIEW: Steve Harvey and his wife Marjorie move their philanthropy through the Steve and Marjorie Harvey Foundation, through which they support young girls and boys. The foundation’s actual grantmaking is modest, however.
BACKGROUND: Born in West Virginia in 1957, Steve Harvey attended West Virginia State University. He got his start in stand-up comedy and was one of the four comedians featured in the Spike Lee Film The Original Kings of Comedy. He currently hosts a syndicated radio show and TV shows Family Feud and Little Big Shots.
ISSUES:
CHILDREN & YOUTH: The Steve and Marjorie Harvey Foundation seeks to help children through programs that foster excellence in youth. The foundation runs a program called Girls Who Rule the World, a mentoring camp where young women are exposed to the “benefits and importance of positive self-image, educational achievement, cultural enrichment and more.” It also runs The Steve Harvey Mentoring Program for Young Men, which in a recent year hosted a weekend mentoring program for 100 young men.
OTHER: The foundation engages in modest grantmaking and has recently supported youth organizations such as Restoring the Path. It also supported a Turkey Giveaway to needy families in several U.S. cities.
LOOKING FORWARD: Harvey is barely into his 60s and still very much engaged in the entertainment business. He has said, “I know it sounds corny, but I’m starting really to think about my life in terms of ‘What are they going to say about me?’ Do I want it just to be said this guy was a king of Comedy?…The sense of wanting to do something meaningful is upon me now.” These sentiments may spell greater giving in the coming years.
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