Skip to content

The Weeknd receives Allan Slaight Humanitarian Spirit Award

Singer honoured for his support of various causes
31330457_web1_2022121512120-2a3f673247a96d8b098d8fc3bdd144f22bf2db347320d0ca96e810c21b19921d
The Weeknd performs in Vancouver, on Tuesday, August 23, 2022. The Canadian pop superstar has received the 2022 Allan Slaight Humanitarian Spirit Award. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Pop superstar The Weeknd is being recognized for his support of charitable causes with an award from the Slaight Family Foundation.

The Toronto native is the recipient of this year’s Allan Slaight Humanitarian Spirit Award.

In a statement, the foundation says The Weeknd, whose given name is Abel Tesfaye, will have a $50,000 donation made on his behalf to a charity of his choosing.

Among the causes Tesfaye has supported in recent years is a global hunger fund with the United Nations called the XO Humanitarian Fund, which says it has raised $5 million.

The Slaight Family Foundation also praised his support for the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation; Colin Kaepernick’s Know Your Rights Camp; and a University of Toronto fund for a course on Ge’ez, an ancient language of Ethiopia.

Previous recipients of the Allan Slaight Humanitarian Spirit Award include Indigenous singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie,Toronto rock band Rush and the late singer-songwriter Gord Downie.

RELATED: Canadian songwriters made on average $67 in royalties from digital platforms in 2021