Lady Gaga's youth-focused nonprofit donates to Portland organization

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The nonprofit founded by megastar Lady Gaga and her mother has donated thousands of dollars to a Portland organization.

On July 23, Artist Mentorship Program — which connects local youth experiencing homelessness with the arts — was announced as one recipient of the Kindness in Community Fund.

The grant program is a collaboration from clothing brand Cotton On and digital platform Channel Kindness, a project from the pop star and actress’ Born This Way Foundation.

The organizations doled out a total of $3 million. This amounts to nearly $50,000 on average for the 65 groups worldwide that were selected for funding.

Artist Mentorship Program will use the grant to build on its services spanning back to 1994. The nonprofit’s offerings include free meals, one-on-one music lessons, arts-and-culture-focused activities and professional recording studios — similar to the ones that Lady Gaga has used throughout her career.

According to AMP’s latest Impact Report, the nonprofit served around 10,000 meals last year and delivered about 500 pounds of food each week in 2023.

“The support from the Kindness in Community Fund is invaluable to AMP, especially as a grassroots organization,” the organization said. “This funding enables us to expand our programs and services, ensuring that we can meet the growing needs of the youth in our community. With this support, we can continue to provide nutritious meals, essential resources, and transformative educational opportunities.”

Lady Gaga founded Born This Way Foundation in 2012 along with her mother Cynthia Germanotta, who now serves as president. The nonprofit works to empower young people and destigmatize conversations surrounding mental health.

Channel Kindness especially serves as a “safe space for young people to tell their stories of kindness, resilience, and community.”

Other grant recipients include South Carolina’s LGBTQ+ youth organization We Are Family, Washington, D.C.-based homelessness nonprofit Sasha Bruce and the National Youth Foundation.