A lot of well-known celebrities donate a ton of money to charities each year, and 2014 was no exception. The causes that celebrities contribute to range from high-profile campaigns to off-the-radar charities dear to their hearts for a variety of reasons.
After celebrities spent the summer dumping ice over their heads, all in the name of a good cause, it's not surprising that the ALS Association takes the top spot in the list of Top Celebrity Supported Charities for 2014, as reported by Celebrity Intelligence charity data.
Over 300 celebrities took part in the viral campaign, from both sides of the Atlantic, raising record figures for the cause in the process. What started with three nominations from golfer Greg Norman quickly spread through Los Angeles to London, revealing an interconnected web of who knows who and cementing the combined power of celebrities and social media in driving campaigns.
Social media campaigns proved very popular in 2014 with Twitter trending #IceBucketChallenge, #WakeUpCall, #NoMakeUpSelfie all attracting a host of star supporters, from Anna Kendrick to Kym Marsh.
Beyond such challenges, the majority of celebrity support to charities and causes came in the form of a donation to an auction, either a one-off handmade creation or an item of clothing or shoes.
The top celebrity giver to charities this year was Joanna Lumley. The actress and activist lent her support to 11 charities. Out of these, six feature in our Top 30 celebrity-supported charities for 2014, including Epilepsy Action, Royal British Legion and Small Steps Project.
Ricky Gervais, who sits at number 2 in our most charitable celebs list, spent 2014 focusing his support on animal causes; donating money to the Manchester and Cheshire Dogs' Home following the devastating fire, and lending his support to campaigns for David Shepherd's Wildlife Foundation, Humane Society International and World Animal Protection.
Lena Dunham used her U.S. book tour to showcase her support for a number of different women's rights charities, such as Planned Parenthood and Young Women Empowered, as well as organizations that encourage youth writing programs, such as Austin Bat Cave and 826 Boston.
Here are the Top 20 Charitable Celebrities for 2014 compiled by Celebrity Intelligence:
1. Joanna Lumley
2. Ricky Gervais
3. John Bishop
4. Melanie C
5. Paloma Faith
6. Benedict Cumberbatch
7. Stephen Fry
8. Abbey Clancy
9. Selena Gomez
10. Twiggy Lawson
11. Alesha Dixon
12. Ian Somerhalder
13. Lena Dunham
14. Emma Stone
15. Nikki Reed
16. Rankin
17. Anne Hathaway
18. Pharrell Williams
19. Amanda Holden
20. Rosie Fortescue
Here are the Top 30 Celebrity-Supported Charities for 2014:
1. ALS Association
2. Epilepsy Action
3. UNICEF United Nations Children's Fund
4. Oxfam GB
5. Stand Up To Cancer
6. Sport Relief
7. BBC Children in Need
8. Willow Foundation
9. Royal British Legion
10. Alder Hey Children's Charity
11. British Heart Foundation
12. Save the Children
13. MIX NYC Hospital
14. The Global Poverty Project
15. Lily Sarah Grace Development
16. Teenage Cancer Trust
17. Small Steps Project
18. NSPCC
19. St Mungo's
20. Operation Smile
21. Barnardo's
22. Cancer Research UK
23. NAVS
24. PETA
25. Coram
26. Love is Louder
27. Duke of Edinburgh's Award
28. St. Jude's Children's Research
29. U.S Agency for International Development
30. World Animal Protection
