Milana Vayntrub, best known for playing Lily Adams in AT&T commercials, has raised more than $500,000 for Los Angeles wildfire victims by launching a creative fundraising initiative built around exclusive, flirty photo content.
The actress and activist shared details of the effort on Instagram this week, explaining that the idea came after witnessing the devastation caused by the fires earlier this year. “I had a crazy idea for an experiment,” Vayntrub wrote, saying she wanted to find a fast, direct way to get money into the hands of people who urgently needed it.
Her initial campaign offered exclusive photos in exchange for donations benefiting a single mother named Bridget, whose life was upended by the fires. The response was immediate for the Lily actress and comedian. Within four days, the campaign raised $170,000.
According to Vayntrub, those funds helped Bridget replace critical medical equipment, clothing, and her car, and secure a full year of housing for herself and her disabled son, allowing him to resume in-home medical care.
Buoyed by that success, Vayntrub expanded the effort under the banner “Only Philanthropy,” a tongue-in-cheek nod to subscription platforms, but with a charitable mission. In just one additional week, the initiative raised an additional $350,000 for My Tribe Rise, a grassroots organization supporting elderly, disabled, and underinsured wildfire survivors as they rebuild.
“We’ve raised over half a million dollars together,” Vayntrub wrote. “Now let’s grow this into something bigger, stranger, more powerful, with more creators jumping in.”
According to the Only Philanthropy website, the project “trades exclusive content for real-world impact,” offering supporters something playful while delivering rapid financial relief to people in crisis. Calling the initiative “the best thing I’ve ever been part of,” Vayntrub encouraged others to get involved, asking followers to suggest additional creators and causes for future campaigns.
REELated:
Jessica Alba hated nude scene in Fantastic Four
