Editing George Lucas (section)

==Philanthropy==
Lucas is the wealthiest film celebrity in the world. His personal net worth is estimated to be between $7.5–9.4&nbsp;billion,<ref>{{cite web|date=December 20, 2019|title=George Lucas is one of America's wealthiest celebrities|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/star-wars-george-lucas-net-worth-movies-house-spending-2019-7|website=businessinsider.com|access-date=October 29, 2020|archive-date=December 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201227194258/https://www.businessinsider.com/star-wars-george-lucas-net-worth-movies-house-spending-2019-7|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=George Lucas|url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/george-lucas/#1630c2e6e637|website=forbes|access-date=October 29, 2020|archive-date=September 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924160039/http://www.forbes.com/profile/george-lucas/#1630c2e6e637|url-status=live}}</ref> making him one of the [[List of celebrities by net worth|richest people in the entertainment industry]]. Lucas has pledged to give half of his fortune to charity as part of an effort called [[The Giving Pledge]] led by [[Bill Gates]] and [[Warren Buffett]] to persuade America's richest individuals to donate their financial wealth to charities.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2010/08/05/gates_buffett_get_40_pledges/ |title=Gates, Buffett get 40 pledges |work=[[The Boston Globe]] |agency=AP |date=August 5, 2010 |access-date=April 17, 2020 |archive-date=December 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201227194340/http://archive.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2010/08/05/gates_buffett_get_40_pledges/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Lucas |first1=George |title=George Lucas & Mellody Hobson |url=http://cms.givingpledge.org/pdf/letters/Lucas_Letter.pdf |website=The Giving Pledge |access-date=January 31, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150131161307/http://cms.givingpledge.org/pdf/letters/Lucas_Letter.pdf |archive-date=January 31, 2015 |date=August 11, 2014 |quote=My pledge is to the process; as long as I have the resources at my disposal, I will seek to raise the bar for future generations of students of all ages. I am dedicating the majority of my wealth to improving education.|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===George Lucas Educational Foundation===
In 1991, The George Lucas Educational Foundation was founded as a nonprofit operating foundation to celebrate and encourage innovation in schools. The foundation's content is available under the brand [[Edutopia]], in an award-winning web site, social media and via documentary films. Lucas, through his foundation, was one of the leading proponents of the [[E-Rate]] program in the [[Universal Service Fund|universal service fund]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://markey.house.gov/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=3399&Itemid=125 |title=2008 Rep. Ed Markey's opening statement on universal service |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080625213543/http://markey.house.gov/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=3399&Itemid=125 |archive-date=June 25, 2008}}</ref> which was enacted as part of the [[Telecommunications Act of 1996]]. On June 24, 2008, Lucas testified before the [[United States House of Representatives]] subcommittee on [[United States House Energy Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet|Telecommunications and the Internet]] as the head of his Foundation to advocate for a free wireless broadband educational network.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080624-universal-service-fund-should-be-blown-up-like-death-star.html |title=Universal Service Fund should be "blown up" like Death Star |author=Nate Anderson |website=Ars Technica |date=June 24, 2008 |access-date=June 14, 2017 |archive-date=December 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201227194303/https://arstechnica.com/uncategorized/2008/06/universal-service-fund-should-be-blown-up-like-death-star/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Proceeds from the sale of Lucasfilm to Disney===
In 2012, Lucas sold Lucasfilm to The Walt Disney Company for a reported sum of $4.05&nbsp;billion.<ref name="British Broadcasting Corporation"/> It was widely reported at the time that Lucas intended to give the majority of the proceeds from the sale to charity.<ref>{{cite news |last=Solomon |first=Brian |title=Donating Star Wars Billions Will Make George Lucas One Of The Biggest Givers Ever |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/briansolomon/2012/11/04/donating-star-wars-billions-will-make-george-lucas-one-of-the-biggest-givers-ever/ |work=Forbes |access-date=May 25, 2014 |archive-date=December 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201227194304/https://www.forbes.com/sites/briansolomon/2012/11/04/donating-star-wars-billions-will-make-george-lucas-one-of-the-biggest-givers-ever/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="hollywood-reporter-disney-proceeds-to-charity">{{cite news |last=Ben Block |first=Alex |title=George Lucas Will Use Disney $4 Billion to Fund Education |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/disney-deal-george-lucas-will-384947 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=May 25, 2014 |archive-date=April 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210421005652/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/disney-deal-george-lucas-will-384947 |url-status=live }}</ref> A spokesperson for Lucasfilm said: "George Lucas has expressed his intention, in the event the deal closes, to donate the majority of the proceeds to his philanthropic endeavors."<ref name="hollywood-reporter-disney-proceeds-to-charity" /> Lucas also spoke on the matter: "For 41 years, the majority of my time and money has been put into the company. As I start a new chapter in my life, it is gratifying that I have the opportunity to devote more time and resources to philanthropy."<ref name="hollywood-reporter-disney-proceeds-to-charity" />

===Other initiatives===
In 2005, Lucas gave $1 million to help build the [[Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial]] on the [[National Mall]] in Washington, D.C., to commemorate American civil rights leader [[Martin Luther King Jr.]]<ref>[http://www.mlkmemorial.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=hkIUL9MVJxE&b=1601407&ct=2331431 "Star Wars creator George Lucas donates $1 Million for Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Project"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201227194307/https://1map.com/mlkmemorialorg |date=December 27, 2020 }}, ''Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial'', October 20, 2005. Retrieved September 27, 2012.</ref>

On September 19, 2006, the University of Southern California announced that Lucas had donated $175–180&nbsp;million to his alma mater to expand the film school. It is the largest single donation to USC and the largest gift to a film school anywhere.<ref>Stuart Silverstein, [https://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-091906usc-lucas,0,5365847.story?coll=la-home-headlines George Lucas Donates USC's Largest Single Gift]{{dead link|date=June 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}, ''Los Angeles Times'', September 19, 2006.</ref> Previous donations led to the already-existing George Lucas Instructional Building and Marcia Lucas Post-Production building.<ref name=USCLUC>[http://cinema.usc.edu/about/facilities/george-lucas-instructional-building.htm George Lucas Instructional Building] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091130183844/http://cinema.usc.edu/about/facilities/george-lucas-instructional-building.htm |date=November 30, 2009 }}, USC School of Cinematic Arts.</ref><ref name=USCLPB>[http://cinema.usc.edu/about/facilities/post-production.htm Marcia Lucas Post-Production] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100711233127/https://cinema.usc.edu/about/facilities/post-production.htm |date=July 11, 2010 }}, USC School of Cinematic Arts.</ref>

In 2013, Lucas and his wife Mellody Hobson donated $25&nbsp;million to the Chicago-based [[not-for-profit]] After School Matters, of which Hobson is the chair.<ref name="chicagotribune.com"/>

On April 15, 2016, it was reported that Lucas had donated between $501,000 and $1&nbsp;million through the Lucas Family Foundation (now the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation) to the [[Obama Foundation]], which is charged with overseeing the construction of the [[Barack Obama Presidential Center]] on Chicago's [[South Side, Chicago|South Side]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sweet |first1=Lynn |title=George Lucas new major donor to Obama presidential library |url=http://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/george-lucas-foundation-donates-to-obama-foundation/ |access-date=April 18, 2016 |newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |date=April 15, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160420161204/http://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/george-lucas-foundation-donates-to-obama-foundation/|archive-date=April 20, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2021, Lucas and his wife Mellody Hobson made a donation to NYU through the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation to establish the [[Martin Scorsese Institute of Global Cinematic Arts]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Communications |first=NYU Web |title=NYU Tisch School of the Arts Receives Major Gift to Establish the Martin Scorsese Institute of Global Cinematic Arts |url=http://www.nyu.edu/content/nyu/en/about/news-publications/news/2021/december/nyu-tisch-school-of-the-arts-receives-major-gift-to-establish-th |access-date=2024-02-04 |website=www.nyu.edu |language=en |archive-date=May 10, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240510123509/https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2021/december/nyu-tisch-school-of-the-arts-receives-major-gift-to-establish-th.html |url-status=live }}</ref>