Lady Gaga Launches Foundation With MacArthur, Harvard

NEW YORK — Lady Gaga is launching a foundation with the help of the MacArthur Foundation and Harvard University.

The Grammy-winning singer announced Wednesday that she is launching the Born This Way Foundation, a nonprofit focusing on youth empowerment and "issues like self-confidence, well-being, anti-bullying, mentoring and career development."

Gaga's partners include the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The California Endowment and the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University.

The foundation will be directed by the 25-year-old singer and her mother, Cynthia Germanotta.

"Together we hope to establish a standard of Bravery and Kindness, as well as a community worldwide that protects and nurtures others in the face of bullying and abandonment," Gaga said in a statement.

The multiplatinum singer is known for speaking out for others. She recently said she wanted to meet with President Barack Obama to discuss her concerns over bullying, and she visited Maine last year to support the repeal of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays.

She has won Grammys, released three platinum efforts – including her latest album, "Born This Way" – and has a massive online presence: The singer has over 15 million Twitter followers and 44 million Facebook fans.

"Lady Gaga will help empower and give voice to young people who find themselves overwhelmed, undersupported, disconnected, isolated, bullied, or struggling," said Dr. Bob Ross, the CEO and president of The California Endowment. "This brand of leadership is sorely needed in today's world."

The official launch for the Born This Way Foundation will be next year, and an advisory board will be announced soon.

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Online:

http://www.bornthiswayfoundation.org

http://www.ladygaga.com

Comments

[MoreSomeone]

01:48 PM on 11/05/2011

Bully is he word of 2011. Looks like Lady Gaga has the perfect topic for immortalization, since unfortunately neither seems to be going away too soon..

[Knowledgeseeker]

04:35 PM on 11/04/2011

this is another woman I would married

[Knowledgeseeker]

04:34 PM on 11/04/2011

Lady Gaga is an Amazing Woman.

[Shandra Brown Valyear]

02:00 PM on 11/03/2011

I find it inspiring and impressive that a huge star like Lady Gaga puts her money where her mouth is and does everything she can to stamp out bullying and hate. I also find it disgusting when I read on this page that she is really a non entity and only using the issue for PR! Most of the stars that get the most press are the likes of Kim Kardashian, Lindsay Lohan, Brittney Spears and many others with ego problems, drug and alcohol issues, and many many others. So to all you haters talk to the hand!

[SangZe]

08:37 AM on 11/03/2011

The talentless have some uses, I guess.

[medusamadeinusa]

08:13 AM on 11/03/2011

That's a good thing, she should start with her little monsters who are among the most vicious internet bullies.

[ShayneAndrew]

09:38 AM on 11/03/2011

'the most vicious internet bullies' yes because you track all of her little followers and have done research across the web to find out that it's lady gaga's little monsters that are bullying everyone... It makes so much sense.

[medusamadeinusa]

10:09 AM on 11/03/2011

Her fans transformed the Billboard website in a forum for insulting every other pop singer. They spam-insult, I saw other artists get 50 pages of the same lame insults. The same goes for the MTV website.

[eve mahar]

07:46 PM on 11/03/2011

Gaga's fans are no more bullies about other artists than any other singer's fans. Adeles fans and Madonnas fans are horrible to Gaga and her fans. It happens everywhere. Not everyone is like that.

[Proud Bay Man]

02:40 AM on 11/03/2011

"This brand of leadership is sorely needed in today's world."

So true. So true.

Obama, 4 more years. He gets the bigger picture of being bullied!

Thanks for all you have done for us Miss GaGa!

[quicoll]

11:59 PM on 11/02/2011

When your music is a lamefest, get a good PR team to make you stay relevant. Learn the lesson kids.

[eve mahar]

04:15 AM on 11/03/2011

figures the haters would come out and try to find a way to make this a bad thing. Pathetic!

[quicoll]

10:04 AM on 11/03/2011

Of course the haters reply has to be slapped on. She should stick to lip syncing, because she has a good sound engineering behind her and play the piano worth of 1 year of lessons talent.

[Samantha Knapp]

08:55 PM on 11/02/2011

Good Job Gaga! I love the amount of selflessness she exhibits!

[USVietNamVet]

05:35 PM on 11/02/2011

What a wonderful woman she is. Smart, kind, ethical, and good looking. It's well known that she treats others as she wants to be treated. For those of you who are upset at the medial Call the media out to task. Real NEWS medIa coverage died long ago.

[AnimalLover6]

05:19 PM on 11/02/2011

This woman embodies narcissism. She has repeatedly refused even her most ardent fans (you know, the ones who made her rich) an autograph, yet is brilliant at self-marketing: positions herself as an icon for the marginalized (which ensures that her fans--for whom she has nothing but contempt--continue to adulate her), and buys her way into influence. It's repulsive. She's repulsive. The fact that the MacArthur Foundation and Harvard are working with her is reflective of how far our culture has fallen. Her philanthropy is nothing but cynical self-promotion. It will help others--and that's great--but people falling in adoration over some 25-year-old know-nothing, self-promoting twit is just sad.

[eve mahar]

04:19 AM on 11/03/2011

What is sad is your misinformed and negative commentary. Gaga does SO much for her fans, she goes WAY out of her way to meet and talk to fans, and her concern for teens and bullying are very genuine. How can you turn something like this into something bad? She's a superstar, she doesn't NEED to start any foundation, or make any effort like this. She does it because it means something to her.

[lacrosselamore]

04:05 PM on 11/02/2011

Lady GaGa you ard the best. Thank you so very much.

[taxpaying]

03:59 PM on 11/02/2011

Once again, the media is dictating what is on the front page. When what someone who was named one of the most influential women in the world isn't worthy of the front page, why not?

Per the article, '...official launch for the Born This Way Foundation will be next year...'. There's only 2 months left to this year, so is that the reason for not deeming it front page news? It isn't official till next year so bury it?

[eve mahar]

03:45 PM on 11/02/2011

SO proud of Lady Gaga! And people wonder why we love her so much? This foundation is a brilliant idea, and she is perfect for it. I'll be eager to see what they can accomplish and will support her in any way I can.

[useyourbrain]

03:05 PM on 11/02/2011

Why is this not on the front page? It isn't only a "gay" voice thing. It's a humanitarian thing, an educational thing and it's a great idea. I'd rather see stories like this blasted over the internets rather than hear, see or know about what Kardashian and Lohan are doing.