Zendaya Makes Incredible Six-Figure Donation Amidst ‘Dune: Part Two’ Success

Zendaya just made a $100,000 donation to The California Shakespeare Theater – or “Cal Shakes” – where she learned to act as a child. The 27-year-old actress is currently riding high on the success of Dune: Part Two, which exceeded expectations in its opening weekend. However, according to a report by SFGate, Zendaya has been planning to help support this theater for a long time.

Zendaya began spending time at Cal Shakes as a child when her mother, Claire Stoermer, worked as the theater’s house manager in the summer. The theater’s executive director Clive Worsley told SFGate that Zendaya “spent a lot of time hanging around backstage, rubbing elbows with actors” in those days. She eventually started taking acting classes herself, and it wasn’t long before she was cast in roles in the theater. Years later, she did not hesitate to give back to the theater where she got her start.

“We’d been talking to Zendaya for the last year and a half about the challenges that theaters are facing – that Cal Shakes has faced – coming out of the pandemic, and she enthusiastically offered to show us some support,” Worsley explained. “It’s amazing, and we’re really really grateful for it.”

That support finally took shape in the form of a $100,000 donation through the Women Donors Network. Worsley said that she also supports Cal Shakes in person whenever possible, stopping by to give a talk to other actors or simply to say hello. He said that her donation will go towards supporting the upcoming production of As You Like It, including updates to the in-house cafe and upgrades to the lighting system.

Women Donors Network CEO Leena Barakat gave a statement to reporters as well, saying: “We are very pleased to be able to offer this general support grant in partnership with Zendaya. We hope that our funding supports your work and helps further your strategic vision, wherever funds are most needed.”

Zendaya grew up in Oakland and has shown lots of support to her local community since becoming a celebrity. Worsley noted: “For us, it’s great if your students are good actors, but more importantly it’s how they show up. And Zendaya always showed up as a good castmate, community member and enthusiastic teammate. She made it about the other person.” He noted that Zendaya worked with actor Colman Domingo at Cal Shakes, and they later worked together on HBO’s Euphoria. He said: “It’s full-circle. It’s a really sweet story about her trajectory.”