Late Actor Robin Williams’s Son Goes NFT for Mental Health

Interest in NFTs has continued to surge through February, as more mainstream goes digital. While trading activity may have slowed in in recent weeks, the numbers are still well above December trading volumes.

Leading NFT marketplace OpenSea had an impressive start to the year. NFT trading volumes hit a record high, pointing to another stellar year ahead. According to figures from Dune Analytics, monthly trading volumes had surged to $4.96bn on Ethereum (ETH) before falling back. At the time of writing, February volume on Ethereum stood at $2.68bn.

High Profile NFTs and Auction Houses

Back in early 2021, NFTs grabbed the limelight and never looked back. Everydays: The First 5000 Days, created by digital artist Beeple, went at auction for a whopping $69m. For artists, the sale was pivotal, with the world’s famous auction houses and virtual uniting. Both Christie’s and Sotheby’s have been particularly active in the NFT space following Beeple’s auction at Christie’s. Interest in NFTs has been so rampant that Sotheby’s created a dedicated Metaverse auction site.

NFT Philanthropy

With interest in NFTs unlikely to abate any time soon, the NFT market place has become a “go to” for raising funds for charity. “Giving Block” is one platform that accepts crypto donations. The platform provides an ecosystem for charities and nonprofit organizations to fundraise Bitcoin and other cryptos. Giving Block’s 2021 annual report highlights the rise in NFT Philanthropy. More than “$12.3m in crypto donations were made from known NFT projects to dozens of charities on The Giving Block platform”.

There were also collaborations, with NFT artists and nonprofts partnering in fund raising campaigns. Notable campaigns included #NFT Tuesday, a one-day NFT celebration of NFT charitable giving with charity auctions hosted by Sotheby’s and CoinDesk among others. Orangutan Outreach was another notable, with the organization receiving donations from the Bored Ape Yacht Club team.

With a firm link between cryptos, NFTs and the charity world, others have turned to NFTs.

Robin Williams’s Son Goes NFT for Mental Health

Robin Williams was an actor and comedian who had major roles in films including Good Morning Vietnam, Mrs Doubtfie, Dead Poets Society, and Good Will Hunting, for which he won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. The actor died by suicide in 2014 after struggling with mental health issues and Lewy body dementia, which was diagnosed post mortem.

This week, news hit the wires of an NFT project launched to honor Robin Williams, with the proceeds to go to mental health services for low-income young people.

Zak Williams, the son of the late actor, and artist Jesus Martinez collaborated and minted the NFTs on Martinez’s SuperRare profile. The proceeds of the sale will go to Bring Change to Mind (BC2M), co-founded by actress Glenn Close. The charity’s mission is “To end the stigma and discrimination surrounding mental illness”.