Wallis Annenberg is one of the most powerful and influential philanthropists in Los Angeles, someone who’s left a lasting—and radical—footprint on cultural institutions all over town. Just to name a few, there’s the Annenberg Space for Photography; the Wallis Annenberg GenSpace, a community center for older Angelenos; and the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, where Vanity Fair holds its annual Oscar party.
She’s also funded medical research at Cedars-Sinai hospital, advocated for animal welfare by building a pet adoption facility to help ease the overcrowding at animal shelters in L.A., and helped students advance their education at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California.
To celebrate Annenberg’s decades-long philanthropic service, the Women’s Guild Cedars-Sinai honored her Thursday with a humanitarian award at their annual Spring Luncheon in Beverly Hills. “I try to give from my heart, first and foremost,” Annenberg said in an email ahead of the luncheon. “I try very hard to not simply throw money at problems, no matter how worthy they are. At Annenberg, we try to do something different. We invest in innovators, rule-breakers, people who are creating brand new models for change. That way, their example can be copied, and leveraged, creating change on a scale that no philanthropist could ever afford.”
The daughter of late billionaire media-mogul Walter Hubert Annenberg, who amassed a fortune by creating a publishing empire that included TV Guide and Seventeen magazine, Annenberg has distributed more than $1 billion to more than 3,000 nonprofits since becoming chairman of the board, president, and chief executive officer of the Annenberg Foundation in 2009. Her father established the foundation in 1989, one year after his media company was sold to Rupert Murdoch for $3 billion.
“I believe very deeply that when you’re fortunate in your own circumstances, some form of giving back is an obligation, a responsibility,” wrote the 83-year-old Annenberg. “At the same time, Winston Churchill once said, ‘We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.’ I’ve certainly found that to be true. My giving means a lot more to me—does a lot more to fill my soul, if you will—than anything I’ve ever gotten.”
At the luncheon, over 500 distinguished guests—including past Women’s Guild president Gina Furth and actor Kristen Bell—gathered to support Annenberg at the Beverly Wilshire hotel. Bell, who sat next to Annenberg, narrated a film highlight reel of Annenberg’s major contributions that was shown at the ceremony. Ann Philbin, director of L.A.’s Hammer Museum, took to the stage to hand Annenberg her award.
“Wallis Annenberg is a bad-ass… She really likes to have fun. If you happen to play bridge or games of any kind or a true sports fan or watch a football game, you really have a leg up in the friendship department with Wallis,” said Philbin, a close friend of 24 years, in her remarks. “She has a wicked sense of humor, a mischievous spirit and she loves more than anything to create moments of joy for her friends and for the people that she loves. There’s a constant feeling around her that she is celebrating life, and what a thrill it is to be alive.”
While accepting the award, Annenberg announced she would donate $1 million to the Women’s Guild Neurology Project. “This honor really does mean the world to me,” Annenberg said in her written response. “I’ve been a patient at Cedars myself, the vast majority of my friends and family have passed through its doors. I’ve always tried to support the most innovative local institutions, the things that make L.A. the very best it can be, as well as national and global ones. Cedars is at the very top of that list.”
Annenberg has brought her children into the philanthropic fold. Three of them (Lauren Bon, Gregory Annenberg Weingarten, and Charles Annenberg Weingarten) have taken on leadership roles at the Annenberg Foundation. “I’ve seen how it’s energized them, how the ability to give and to help has deepened their own sense of purpose in the world,” she wrote. “It may be a responsibility, but it’s a joyous one, a profoundly nourishing one.”
Although she is one of the top donors to fund the arts in Los Angeles Annenberg also admires the philanthropic efforts of many Hollywood stars. She applauds Norman Lear for championing democracy and civil liberties—”We need him more than ever,” she said. She also respects George and Amal Clooney for supporting survivors of human rights abuses, Jamie Lee Curtis for supporting pediatric medicine, Debbie Allen for bringing dance to underserved communities, Geena Davis’s work in battling for gender equality, and Bell for helping children of conflict.
“These are people taking their fame, their notoriety, and using it for good, which is a wonderful thing,” she said. “But the real heroes of philanthropy are the unsung heroes, the people who are on the front lines of these issues. What I try to do in my own work is identify the people who are making the biggest difference, and shine a spotlight on them. Those of us with resources, with some kind of public profile, we’re just the kindling, really. Not the spark, and certainly not the fire. We can’t ever forget those who do the real, hands-on work of change.”
