Editing Stephen King (section)

==Philanthropy==
King subsidizes the [[National Poetry Foundation]], which was directed by his professor and mentor [[Burton Hatlen]], and has endowed scholarships named for another professor, Edward Holmes. Mark Singer also notes Bangor's "most monumental testament to King's philanthropy", the "Shawn T. Mansfield Baseball Complex, dedicated six years ago in memory of the son of a Little League coach and friend of King's who died at fourteen of cerebral palsy."<ref name=":Singer" /> King has stated that he donates approximately $4&nbsp;million per year "to libraries, local fire departments that need updated lifesaving equipment ([[Jaws of Life]] tools are always a popular request), schools, and a scattering of organisations that underwrite the arts".<ref name="DailyBeast" /><ref name="GuardianTax">{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/may/01/stephen-king-tax-the-rich | title=Stephen King: I'm rich, tax me | newspaper=The Guardian | date=May 1, 2012 | access-date=March 30, 2015 | author=Flood, Alison | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150324122246/http://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/may/01/stephen-king-tax-the-rich | archive-date=March 24, 2015 | url-status=live}}</ref> The Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation, chaired by King and his wife, ranks sixth among Maine charities in terms of average annual giving, with over $2.8&nbsp;million in grants per year, according to [[The Grantsmanship Center]].<ref name="Grantsmanship">{{cite news | url=https://www.tgci.com/funding-sources/ME/top | title=Top Giving Foundations: ME | newspaper=The Grantsmanship Center | access-date=March 30, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402105604/https://www.tgci.com/funding-sources/ME/top | archive-date=April 2, 2015 | url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2002, King, [[Peter Straub]], [[John Grisham]] and [[Pat Conroy]] organized the Wavedancer Benefit, a public reading to raise funds for the actor and audiobook reader [[Frank Muller]], who had been injured in a motorcycle accident.<ref>{{cite news |date=February 1, 2002 |title=Stephen King scares up support for fallen friend |work=[[USA Today]] |url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/spotlight/2002/02-01-king-spotlight.htm |url-status=dead |access-date=November 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110425074150/http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/spotlight/2002/02-01-king-spotlight.htm |archive-date=April 25, 2011}}</ref> Their reading was released as an audiobook.<ref>{{cite web| date= 2002| title= The Wavedancer Benefit: A Tribute to Frank Marshall| url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780743527361}}</ref> In November 2011, the STK Foundation donated $70,000 in matched funding via his radio station to help pay the heating bills for families in need in his hometown of Bangor, Maine, during the winter.<ref>{{cite news |first=Alison |last=Flood |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/nov/10/stephen-king-donate-70000-maine?intcmp=239 |title=Stephen King to donate $70,000 to heat Maine homes |newspaper=The Guardian |location=UK |date=November 10, 2011 |access-date=May 1, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131228090520/http://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/nov/10/stephen-king-donate-70000-maine?intcmp=239 |archive-date=December 28, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> In February 2021, King's Foundation donated $6,500 to help children from the Farwell Elementary School in [[Lewiston, Maine]], to publish two novels on which they had been working over the course of several prior years, before being stopped due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Maine]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Guzman |first1=Joseph |title=Stephen King donation to elementary students will allow them to publish their own books |url=https://thehill.com/changing-america/enrichment/education/538690-stephen-king-donation-to-elementary-students-will-allow |access-date=February 14, 2022 |work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]] |date=February 12, 2021}}</ref>