Our good sis Zendaya may be leaving her footprints in the sand with latest film “Dune: Part Two,” but her generosity and loyalty remain at Cal Shakes Theater in Bay Area.

Zendaya donated $100,000 to the Shakespearean theater that took her from a young ingenue–taking theater classes there in third grade, according to San Francisco Chronicle–to a two-time Emmy winner.

“We’d been talking to Zendaya for the last year and a half about the challenges that theaters are facing — that Cal Shakes has faced — coming out of the pandemic, and she enthusiastically offered to show us some support,” Cal Shakes executive director Clive Worsley told SFGATE. “It’s amazing, and we’re really really grateful for it.”  

Zendaya’s mom worked as a house manager for the Bay Area theater for a decade–which led to Zendaya getting bit by the acting bug.

“Zendaya was an incredibly talented young performer right out of the gate — as an actor, singer and a dancer — and her exploration of that talent was encouraged by the folks around her,” Worsley told SFGate. “And, for us, it’s great if your students are good actors, but more importantly it’s how they show up. And Zendaya always showed up as a good castmate, community member and enthusiastic teammate. She made it about the other person.” 

Zendaya teamed up with Women Donors Network to provide the hefty donation to the theater’s North Star Fund.

“Women Donors Network (“WDN”) has approved a 2024 501(c)(3) grant of $100,000 for California Shakespeare Theater (Cal Shakes).” Leena Barakat, the President and CEO of the Women Donors Network said in a statement. “We are very pleased to be able to offer this general support grant in partnership with Zendaya.”

Cal Shakes will use the donation to upgrade sound and lighting systems, enhance the café and fund their upcoming 50th anniversary production of As You Like It.

Fingers crossed that Zendaya will pull up to see the play and reminisce on her Cal Shakes stage debut.