The 20 Greatest Female Celebrity Role Models

The most inspiring women in the spotlight tend to do more than entertain. They build schools, fund health programs, create foundations, and use their influence to open doors for people who rarely get invited into the room. Their projects run year round, often across continents, and they focus on measurable impact like scholarships awarded, clinics supplied, or laws changed.

This list looks at women whose day jobs made them famous and whose offstage work changes lives. You will see education initiatives, mental health funds, refugee advocacy, climate action, and community programs that keep growing. Each entry highlights concrete efforts and the organizations behind them, so you know exactly what they do and who benefits.

Michelle Obama

As First Lady, Michelle Obama launched national efforts that targeted kids’ health, college access, and girls’ education. Let’s Move focused on childhood wellness through school meals and activity, Reach Higher encouraged students to complete education after high school, and Let Girls Learn supported community driven projects for adolescent girls around the world.

After the White House, she expanded this work with the Girls Opportunity Alliance, which connects grassroots leaders with resources for girls’ education. She also backs voter participation efforts and partners with community groups to provide mentoring and career pathways for first generation students.

Angelina Jolie

Angelina Jolie spent many years working with the UN refugee agency to visit camps, brief policymakers, and help direct attention to conflicts that displace families. Her foundation supports education and health programs in regions impacted by crisis and funds legal aid for children and survivors of war related violence.

She also cocreated initiatives that train investigators and support survivors of conflict related sexual violence. Her advocacy includes backing laws that improve protections for refugees and survivors, and she regularly funds scholarships for children who have lost access to school due to war.

Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey’s education work centers on the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa, which provides a full secondary education along with housing, counseling, and leadership training. Graduates receive ongoing support to complete university and start careers.

Her philanthropy also funds scholarships and community rebuilding after disasters. Through partnerships with hospitals and research centers, she has supported health screenings and programs that expand access to care for underserved communities.

Malala Yousafzai

Malala Yousafzai cofounded Malala Fund to champion 12 years of free, safe, quality education for girls. The fund supports local advocates in countries where girls face the biggest barriers, and it invests in projects that remove obstacles like early marriage, unsafe travel, and lack of teachers.

She works directly with leaders to influence policy on girls’ secondary education and financing. The fund’s research tracks progress by country and helps community partners expand programs that keep girls in school and connect them to future employment.

Beyoncé

Through BeyGOOD, Beyoncé funds scholarships, small business relief, and disaster response. The foundation has supported students at historically Black colleges and universities and provided grants to community organizations after hurricanes and during public health emergencies.

BeyGOOD also works on workforce development and entrepreneurship by offering training and capital to local businesses. Tour partnerships often include donations to food banks and community centers in host cities, along with volunteer activations that bring fans into service projects.

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift regularly funds arts and education programs, including donations to school music departments and literacy groups. She has supported local food banks and community organizations in cities on her tours, often coordinating with venue regions to deliver bulk staples and operational funding.

Her giving also extends to disaster relief and public health causes. She has provided grants for crisis assistance to musicians and crew, and she supports organizations that offer legal aid and advocacy for survivors of violence.

Rihanna

Rihanna’s Clara Lionel Foundation supports education programs, climate resilience, and emergency response. The foundation funds scholarships, builds climate smart infrastructure in vulnerable regions, and supplies communities after hurricanes and earthquakes.

It also invests in initiatives that improve access to health services, including maternal health programs and clinics that serve remote areas. The foundation’s grants prioritize local partners, which helps projects scale in culturally responsive ways.

Selena Gomez

Selena Gomez founded the Rare Impact Fund to expand youth mental health services. The fund aims to increase access to counseling in schools, train providers, and reduce wait times by supporting innovative care models and technology that meets teens where they are.

She has also raised funds for lupus research and public health campaigns. Earlier in her career, she served as a UNICEF Ambassador, where she supported clean water projects and child protection programs in multiple countries.

Shakira

Shakira’s Pies Descalzos Foundation builds and supports public schools in underserved areas of Colombia. The model combines high quality classrooms with nutrition, health services, and parent engagement, which improves attendance and graduation rates.

She has worked with international partners on early childhood development and has served as a global advocate for education policy. Her foundation also trains teachers and provides materials so schools can maintain improvements over time.

Serena Williams

Serena Williams launched Serena Ventures to invest in founders building solutions in fintech, health, and education, with a strong focus on women and underrepresented entrepreneurs. The fund backs companies that create jobs and expand access to essential services.

She also advocates for maternal health after experiencing life threatening complications following childbirth. Her support includes funding for organizations that train medical staff, provide emergency supplies, and advance policies that improve outcomes for mothers.

Simone Biles

Simone Biles helped reset global conversations about athlete well being when she prioritized mental health during the Olympic Games. She continues to support programs that provide counseling and performance psychology to young athletes through partnerships with youth sports organizations.

She also uses her platform to advocate for safer sport. Her testimony and ongoing work have pushed for stronger safeguarding standards, independent reporting systems, and trauma informed support for survivors.

Greta Thunberg

Greta Thunberg helped grow Fridays for Future from a single school strike into a global youth movement for climate action. The network organizes weekly demonstrations and coordinated international strike days that keep emissions targets and climate finance in the news cycle.

Her activism includes speaking at legislative hearings and climate summits to press for science based policies. She also directs prize funds to groups that protect forests, support climate education, and develop renewable energy access for communities off the grid.

Priyanka Chopra Jonas

Priyanka Chopra Jonas serves as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, advocating for children’s rights, girls’ education, and access to health care. Field visits and campaigns highlight vaccination drives, sanitation projects, and programs that keep girls in school.

She also runs a foundation that supports education and medical treatment for children in India. Partnerships with nonprofits provide scholarships, uniforms, and transportation so students can complete school without interruption.

Laverne Cox

Laverne Cox advances transgender rights through policy advocacy, public education, and storytelling. She helped bring wider attention to trans experiences through the series ‘Orange Is the New Black’ and through documentaries and panels that feature trans creators and experts.

Her work supports organizations that provide legal aid, housing referrals, and employment services for trans youth and adults. She also promotes media training that helps newsrooms and studios represent trans people accurately and respectfully.

Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library mails free books each month to children from birth to school age. The program partners with local groups who enroll families and cover shared costs, which allows the library to expand county by county and reach households in rural and urban areas.

Beyond literacy, she has funded wildfire recovery efforts and contributed to medical research through a major gift that supported vaccine development. Her philanthropy often pairs funding with volunteer mobilization to speed up delivery of services.

Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga cofounded the Born This Way Foundation to support youth mental health. The foundation funds peer support training, research on kindness and community connection, and school based programs that reduce bullying and increase access to help.

She has organized large scale benefit events that raise emergency funds for health workers and communities in crisis. Ongoing partnerships with crisis lines and counseling providers help connect young people to immediate support.

Zendaya

Zendaya supports hunger relief and disaster response through long standing work with Convoy of Hope. Fundraising campaigns tied to her projects have supplied meals, hygiene kits, and job training for families recovering from crises.

Her film and TV work, including ‘Euphoria’ and the ‘Spider-Man’ series, often pairs with youth outreach in host cities. She has backed scholarships and classroom grants, and she collaborates with brands on inclusivity initiatives that open doors for young creatives.

Viola Davis

Viola Davis is a longtime supporter of the Hunger Is campaign, which funds breakfast programs and supplies for schools that serve children facing food insecurity. The initiative helps districts expand meal service so students can focus in class and improve attendance.

She also supports arts education and opportunities for young actors through scholarships and mentorship. Her work in ‘How to Get Away with Murder’ and ‘The Woman King’ often coincides with talks and masterclasses that encourage students to pursue training and leadership roles behind the camera.

Emma Watson

Emma Watson served as a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador and helped launch HeForShe, which invites men and boys to support gender equality in practical ways at school, at work, and in government. The campaign tracks concrete commitments like scholarships, hiring goals, and campus safety upgrades.

She advocates for ethical fashion through partnerships that promote transparency in supply chains. Projects have highlighted fair wages, organic materials, and certifications that help shoppers support brands with strong labor and environmental standards.

Yara Shahidi

Yara Shahidi founded Eighteen x 18, later known as WeVoteNext, to encourage first time voters to register and participate in every election. The initiative partners with schools and community centers to host registration drives, explain ballot basics, and share nonpartisan resources.

She also works with mentoring programs that support girls’ leadership and college readiness. Through Yara’s Club and related projects, students receive tutoring, college application guidance, and networking that connects them to internships and scholarships.

Share the role model who inspires you most in the comments.