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鈥檚 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鈥檚 Know Your Rights Camp; and a University of Toronto fund for a course on Ge鈥檈z, 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.
