Apollo Theater’s Biggest Fundraiser Ever
Tyler Perry made a $500,000 monetary gift to the Apollo.
The Apollo Theater’s Spring Benefit event exceeded expectations with a record-breaking $3.7 million dollars.
This amounted to the most monetary donations this historic New York institute has ever brought in at a fundraising event, according to the Apollo.

Tyler Perry was presented with the Apollo Theater’s Impact Award by The View co-host and Academy Award winner Whoopi Goldberg. While accepting the award, he made a surprise announcement: a $500,000 monetary gift to the Apollo.
“My studio [in Georgia] was once a former Confederate-owned Army base where there were 3.9 million Negro slaves, and there were Confederate soldiers plotting and planning on how to keep them enslaved,” Perry said. “Now, that same land is owned by one Negro—and I know the importance of what it means to honor our history. It’s very important that we all give our support, and with that said, I’d like to give a half-million dollars to make sure this theater continues to grow and thrive,” Perry concluded.
This year’s fundraising event was hosted by Kenan Thompson; among the guests were Phylicia Rashad, Samuel and LaTanya Jackson, Susan Kelechi Watson, Daymond John, Stephanie Mills, and Anthony Hamilton. There were also performances by The Roots and Ogi, with an appearance by drumline group Marching Cobras.
Proceeds from the fundraiser will support the nonprofit organization’s artistic education and community programs collaborations. It will also support the Apollo’s commitment to using arts and culture to articulate and project the African American narrative and create 21st-century performing arts initiatives.