We doubt when President Barack Obama released more than $787 billion in stimulus funds he expected a star who makes about $20 million a movie to tap into its funds.
But that’s what Brad Pitt’s The Make It Right Foundation just did. As first reported by Variety, the foundation is applying as “part of a consortium” for federal stimulus funds to build new “green” homes in areas of New Orleans that were decimated by Hurricane Katrina.
“The stimulus money would be seed funding for an expansion of Make It Right,” said Trevor Neilson, Pitt’s philanthropic and political adviser, referring to new building projects in Newark, N.J.
Some cynics may argue this is not the first time a Pitt project has taken advantage of government subsidies. “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” was shot on location in Louisiana, a state that subsidized $22 million of the project to increase local film production. The movie’s payout is the largest in the state’s history.
If doling out the money ends up in the hands of Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s, Pitt can bank on getting his cash. Their meeting in March featured Pelosi with an ever-present star-stuck smile.
