Biggest donations to Australia’s bushfire relief

A mind-blowing amount of money has been donated to charities, organisations and communities to aid Australia’s bushfire relief.

Several charities and local and international identities have pledged enormous amounts of money towards assisting Australia’s bushfire relief efforts.

More than $100 million has been raised through the combined efforts of charities, local fundraising pages, huge corporations and a growing group of Hollywood A-listers – with many donating at least $500,000.

Leading the charge is Australian billionaire Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest, who last week announced a $70 million bushfire recovery package.

Mr Forrest said he and his wife, Nicola, were “so proud to be Australians” and see everyone rallying together “during this cataclysmic time”.

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Andrew and Nicola Forrest have pledged $70 million to relief efforts. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

The Western Australian mining magnate will spend $50 million on a “national blueprint” for fire and disaster resilience to develop new approaches to fight the threat of bushfires.

In addition, he will provide $10 million through the couple’s Minderoo Foundation to build a “volunteer army” to deploy to regions devastated by bushfires and another $10 million for communities in collaboration with the Australian Red Cross, the Salvation Army and other agencies on the ground.

Below are just some – given thousands of funds have been created over the past few weeks – of the enormous, publicly declared donations made:

Australian comedian Celeste Barber has raised a record-breaking amount of money for the nation’s bushfire relief. Picture: Diimex

• Comedian Celeste Barber’s Facebook fundraiser has raised more than $50 million, breaking the record for the largest fundraiser hosted on the social media platform.

Barber was initially raising funds for The Trustee for NSW Rural Fire Services and Brigades Donations Fund but, after the unprecedented number of donations, she has said the funds will be distributed to all states. The money raised will also be spread to Victoria and South Australia, the Red Cross and families of those killed in the fires, to be decided in consultation with NSW RFS.

• The Paul Ramsay Foundation has “set aside $30 million” to support communities affected by the bushfires, with an initial $3 million to be given to the Red Cross, the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR) and St Vincent de Paul Society. The remaining funds will be allocated to longer-term work with disadvantaged communities, the foundation – set up by the late private hospital tycoon Paul Ramsay – said in a statement.

• The Packer Family Foundation and the Crown Resort Foundation donated $5 million to support the firefighting effort and recovery, including an initial pledge of $1 million to the NSW RFS.

• News Corp executive chairman Rupert Murdoch and his wife Jerry have pledged $2 million to bushfire relief in addition to News Corp’s $5 million contribution, and proceeds from the sale of every metro newspaper and advertisements placed in them on January 21. The funds will be directed to charitable organisations in Australia benefiting local firefighters, providing emergency services to communities affected by the fires and participating in the long-term revival of those communities.

Lachlan and Sarah Murdoch have pledged $2 million to recovery efforts in rural areas. Picture: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images/AFP

• News Corp co-chairman Lachlan Murdoch and wife Sarah last week pledged $2 million to rural relief and recovery efforts.

• Atlassian co-founders Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar have each donated $1 million.

• Ellen DeGeneres launched a GoFundMe for “Australia Bushfire Relief” that has raised more than $1.5 million of a $5 million target.

• Cricket legend Shane Warne raised $1,007,500 for bushfire relief by auctioning off his baggy green cap.

• Actor Chris Hemsworth announced on Instagram he and his family had donated $1 million to bushfire relief.

• Sir Elton John announced a $1 million donation during the Sydney leg of his Aussie farewell tour.

• Australian billionaire businessman Anthony Pratt, who owns package and recycling business Visy Industries, has promised to donate $1 million to the FRRR.

• United Petroleum is contributing $1 million to the National Bushfire Disaster Appeal managed by Bendigo & Adelaide Banks, as well as offering free bottles of water and pies to emergency services personnel and volunteers in bushfire-affected areas.

• Shopping centre owner and billionaire John Gandel and his philanthropist wife Pauline have given $1 million, split across appeals by the Australian Red Cross, Salvation Army and St Vincent de Paul Society.

• Australian author, fitness empire owner and mother-of-four Sophie Guidolin donated $500,000 each to the NSW RFS and South Australia’s Country Fire Service and will also hold bootcamps to raise money for Kangaroo Island.

• Heavy metal band Metallica announced their $750,000 donation to the NSW RFS and Country Fire Authority in Victoria while in Melbourne.

Jeff Bezos, the second-richest man in the world, donated more than $500,000 to relief efforts. Picture: Mandel Ngan/AFP

• Amazon founder and the world’s second-richest man, Jeff Bezos, donated $690,000 to bushfire relief efforts.

• Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban jointly donated $500,000 to local fire services.

• American singer and actor Bette Midler has pledged to donate $500,000.

• Kylie and Dannii Minogue have donated $500,000 for “immediate firefighting efforts” and ongoing support.

• American singer Pink was one of the first celebrities to donate, pledging $500,000 to local fire services.

• Hospitality heavyweight Justin Hemmes, who heads the Merivale empire, has donated $500,000 to the NSW RFS and hopes the amount is matched by donations from staff and patrons.