One year after the release of his star-studded single and animated short film for “Earth”, Lil Dicky (Dave Burd) is donating over $800,000 to help combat climate change and contribute to COVID-19 support.
Along with the environmentally-conscious song/video’s release, Burd launched a charitable initiative to raise money to help battle climate change. One year and 750 million streams later, Lil Dicky has detailed the various beneficiaries of his “Earth” donations. According to a press release from the Lil Dicky camp on the “Earth” donations,
The following six organizations will each receive a $100,000 grant. These grantees are all on the frontlines fighting the climate crisis in three major categories: renewable energy, protecting nature and sustainable food.
Amazon Frontlines—Building power with indigenous peoples to protect the Amazon rainforest and our climate.
Carbon Cycle Institute—Advancing carbon farming and regenerative agricultural land management to build soil carbon as a central climate strategy on ranches and farms throughout the U.S.
Global Greengrants Fund—Funding grassroots level regenerative agriculture efforts, a method of farming that restores the health and biodiversity of farmland and draws carbon back into the soil.
Quick Response Fund for Nature—Funding rapid response land acquisition, a proven conservation strategy to protect properties crucial to conserving threatened and endangered species.
Shark Conservation Fund—Protecting shark and ray species which are critical to the health of our oceans.
The Solutions Project—Accelerating the transition to 100% clean energy by providing real-time support to pivotal frontline leaders and organizations in the U.S.
In addition to the $600,000 in cumulative donations to the various environmental organizations listed above, Burd has allocated $215,000 to launch a COVID-19 x Climate Response Fund in partnership with the Solutions Project. This will fund organizations coordinating response efforts in areas deeply impacted by COVID-19 where climate injustice is already rampant—grants will be made to New York City (UPROSE, The Point), Los Angeles (East Yard Communities for Environmental Justice, SCOPE), Philadelphia (Philly Thrive, A Just Philadelphia), and Indigenous populations throughout the United States (Native Renewables, Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation).
“I’m very honored and humbled that we’re able to give this money to these organizations, and super thankful of all of the artists on this song who made this possible. And of course, thank you to every Earthling out there for listening and spreading the word. Unfortunately, the fight to save this planet isn’t even close to over, and we’re going to have to amplify our efforts way more to turn this thing around. Because pretty soon, it’ll be too late,” says Burd.
He adds, “And even though times have never been scarier with the COVID-19 pandemic, it has shown me something: that we can modify our day-to-day behavior to adapt to a crisis when it’s right in front of us. Even if you don’t feel the climate crisis at every moment, it is truthfully right in front of us. And all across the world, humanity has banded together to combat the spread of COVID-19, putting convenience aside for the greater good. If we keep that same energy and apply it towards the environment, we can probably save the Earth. We should definitely do that.”
“Earth”, released in celebration of Earth Day in 2019, features cameos from an abundance of mainstream artists and celebrities including Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Halsey, Zac Brown, Brendon Urie, Hailee Steinfeld, Wiz Khalifa, Snoop Dogg, Kevin Hart, Adam Levine, Shawn Mendes, Charlie Puth, SIA, Miley Cyrus, Lil Jon, Rita Ora, Miguel, Katy Perry, Lil Yachty, Ed Sheeran, Meghan Trainor, Joel Embiid, Tory Lanez, John Legend, Backstreet Boys, Bad Bunny, Psy, and more.
“Earth” was produced by Benny Blanco and Cashmere Cat and the short film was co-directed by Nigel Tierney of Emmy Award®-winning content studio RYOT, Federico Heller of 3Dar and Iconic Engine and executive produced by Scooter Braun, SB Projects, Mike Hertz and Zeda Stone of RYOT.
Watch the video for “Earth” by Lil Dicky below:
Lil Dicky – “Earth” (Official Music Video)
[Video: Lil Dicky]
Lil Dicky has been in the headlines of late for his new FXX comedy series, Dave, which airs on Wednesdays and hits Hulu the following day. Based on his own life, Burd stars in the show and also takes writing and producing credits. The show centers on a neurotic man in his late twenties who has convinced himself that he’s destined to be one of the best rappers of all time.