FILE - In this Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019, file photo, filmmaker Steven Spielberg poses at the 2019 "An Unforgettable Evening" benefiting the Women's Cancer Research Fund, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, in Beverly Hills, Calif. Spielberg has been awarded Israels prestigious 2021 Genesis Prize, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021.
(Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)NEW YORK – Steven Spielberg said Thursday that he will donate his $1 million Genesis Prize to 10 nonprofits that are working for racial and economic justice.
In February, Spielberg received Israel’s prestigious 2021 Genesis Prize in recognition of his contribution to cinema, his philanthropic works and his efforts to preserve the memory of the Holocaust.
Stan Polovets, co-founder and chairman of The Genesis Prize Foundation, wrote in a statement: “Our democratic foundations are being challenged, and the COVID crisis has further increased social and economic disparities.
Steven Spielberg’s decision to focus his Genesis Prize on the pursuit of racial and economic justice reflects the urgent need for us to act.”President Joe Biden congratulated Spielberg for the award in a letter released Thursday.