The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation donated $50,000 on Wednesday to the Adrian Grenier-backed Kickstarter campaign for “52: The Search for the Loneliest Whale.”
The endowment from DiCaprio’s non-profit — combined with contributions from 3,300 other backers — has helped raise over $330,000 for Grenier’s crowd-funded project, which focuses on the “Lonely Whale,” an animal which has spent his entire life in solitude, calling out at a frequency that no other whale understands.
The funds will be used to help scientists find “52,” and also to create a documentary that explores the expedition and the fight against noise pollution.
As is the case with many Kickstarter campaigns, backers of “52: The Search for the Loneliest Whale” are eligible for tiered rewards based on the size of their donation. The top prize in this case, offered to the first six contributors to pledge at least $7,500, is a “private whale watching experience” with Grenier.
It’s unclear whether DiCaprio or possibly a representative from his foundation will partake.
“Thank you to the 3,300 backers and The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation for making this science based creative project come to life. These donations validate our ongoing efforts and to get their vote of confidence is a huge moral boost for myself and team Lonely Whale,” Grenier said in a statement to TheWrap.
“The Foundation has been a leader in environmental conservation and I have been inspired by their work. I see how effective they are in many of their initiatives and take my cues from them. This is just the beginning and I can’t wait to share more news with the community.”
15 Apocalyptic Movies and TV Shows That Chill, Charm and Chuckle (Photos)
"The Walking Dead" TV's 18-49 ratings leader features more humans than Will Forte's "Last Man on Earth" -- and way more zombies.
AMC
"WALL-E" The end of days has never been cuter than in this Disney/Pixar film, which featured an adorably hard-working robot.
Disney/Pixar
"Falling Skies" A rag-tag group of humans, led by Noah Wyle, struggles to survive an alien invasion of Earth.
TNT
"Divergent" Fitting in has never been harder as Shailene Woodley plays a girl marked for death when she fails to fit into her society's caste system.
Summit Entertainment
"12 Monkeys" Terry Gilliam's manic look at a future devastated by disease, and Brad Pitt devastated by a wonky eye.
Universal Pictures
"The Maze Runner" A group of teens tries to survive a deadly maze in this hit adaptation of the YA novel series.
Twentieth Century Fox
"This Is the End" Well, not everyone survived the apocalypse in this movie, but we got to see Channing Tatum in a pretty precarious situation.
Columbia Pictures
"Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior" An early Mel Gibson vehicle about a wasteland where water is more valuable than gold.
Kennedy Miller Productions
"The 100" One hundred juvenile delinquents are sent to a ravaged Earth to test its habitability. How's that for community service?
The CW
"I Am Legend" Will Smith plays a brilliant doctor who tries to cure a man-made disease that turns humans into nocturnal mutants.
Warner Bros
"Terminator Salvation" In the only "Terminator" entry to take place after Judgment Day, Christian Bale plays human freedom fighter John Connor.
Warner Bros.
"Planet of the Apes" Damn, dirty apes enslave Charlton Heston and fellow human beings on our own planet, of all places.
Twentieth Century Fox
"Battlestar Galactica" The iconic sci-fi series got a modern update with Edward James Olmos at the helm.
Syfy
"28 Days Later" "Peaky Blinders" star Cillian Murphy stars in this tale of the survivors of a zombie outbreak and their desperate search for sanctuary.
Twentieth Century Fox
"Waterworld" You'd better not be the type who gets sea sick if you want to survive this Kevin Costner epic. Also, you pretty much need to have an endless supply of gas for your jet ski.
Universal Pictures
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In recognition of Fox’s new ”Last Man on Earth,“ TheWrap looks at other projects that tackled the end times