Between March 2017 and August 2019 Ed Sheeran embarked on the highest-grossing tour of all time. So with millions in the bank, how does Ed spend his fortune? Does he give to charity?
Ed Sheeran is extremely philanthropic and donates a lot of the money he makes to charity. Speaking to OK! Magazine about his approach to money, Ed said: “I have enough to be comfortable and the rest goes to help people”.
While Ed follows a ‘word hard; play hard’ mentality, he tends not to spend his money frivolously. How much money has Ed Sheeran donated to charity? Which charities does he donate to? Stay tuned to find out!
Ed’s Approach to Money
Most of us can only imagine the luxuries we would buy if we became millionaires – fancy cars, designer clothes, a portfolio of mansions. And if you look to the likes of Kylie Jenner, Beyoncé, or the Beckham’s that’s exactly what they do.
According to Ed Sheeran, however, there’s more to life than money and possessions. While chatting to OK! Magazine, Ed revealed:
“It’s like ‘earn a penny, spend a penny’ with me. As soon as it comes in, it goes out. I don’t have much value on it. […] I have more value on my friends and family being OK. A lot of my money goes to charity or children’s hospitals near where I live”.
So it seems that Ed is very aware of the immense privilege he possesses as a white, heterosexual, able-bodied, male with a huge following and a lot of money. He wants to use his platform for the greater good of society by helping those who are less fortunate.
Which Charities Does Ed Support?
With that in mind, here’s a list of charities that Ed Sheeran has supported in the past:
- Alzheimer’s Research UK
- Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice
- Boston Children’s Hospital
- British Youth Music Theatre
- Centre Point
- Charity:water
- Children’s Cancer Association
- Crisis
- East Anglia Children’s Hospital
- Ed Sheeran Suffolk Music Foundation
- Elton John AIDS Foundation
- Grammy Foundation
- Memorial Sloan-Kettering
- Musicians on Call
- No Cold Homes
- ONE Campaign
- One25
- Red Nose Day
- St Elizabeth Hospice
- Teenage Cancer Trust
- The Circle
This is not an exhaustive list, but it is enough to demonstrate the sheer breadth of Ed’s philanthropic endeavors. He supports a wide range of organizations, typically those aimed at helping disadvantaged and vulnerable individuals. That is, he tends to donate to charities aimed at homelessness, helping children with life-threatening illnesses, and sex workers.
St Elizabeth’s Hospice
In 2018, one particularly large contribution saw Ed donate more than 300 items to St Elizabeth’s Hospice to help with their Zest initiative. Based in Ipswich, St Elizabeth’s is aimed at improving the lives of people living with progressive and terminal illnesses.
Amongst the items Ed donated was a personalized ice hockey shirt, signed tour hoodies, an acoustic guitar songbook, a signed David Beckham football shirt, vinyl records, a life-size cardboard cut-out of Ed, TMNT action figures and even a pair of boxers with “sexy b*stard” embroidered on the waistband.
Speaking of his donation, Ed said:
“I’m really pleased to be able to help St Elizabeth Hospice with their Zest initiative. The care of young adults living with terminal illnesses is vital and I’m so pleased that the auction will raise both awareness and support for this important cause”.
One25
Elsewhere, in 2012 Ed performed an exclusive gig in Bristol aimed at helping female sex workers. The gig came about after Ed volunteered at Crisis, a homeless shelter in London. During one shift he spoke to a lady called Angel who worked in the sex industry. Angel’s story taught Ed a lot and ultimately inspired him to write his smash hit ‘The A Team’.
He told the BBC: “It’s good to show insight that these people are real people with real emotions and they deserve the same charity work as anyone else. […] And with certain subjects like this they’re often washed over and people don’t necessarily give them the attention they deserve”.
The gig went on to raise more than £40,000 for the project, which in turn has helped tons of vulnerable women in need.