From left: Ariana DeBose, Julianne Moore, Colman Domingo and Demi Moore attend the Kering Foundation's Fourth Annual Caring for Women Dinner at The Pool on September 11, 2025 in New York City. Courtesy of Kering/Getty Share on Facebook Share on X Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Print the Article Post a Comment One word consistently was mentioned among the stars attending Thursday's Kering Foundation Caring for Women Dinner at New York's The Pool restaurant and event space - hope, a word and emotion many declared was more vital than ever. "It's really special to be in a room full of people who are optimistic about the change that can happen when really smart, passionate people put their hearts and minds into something," said Seth Meyers, attending with his wife, human rights attorney Alexi Ashe. "I feel like we're just going to be surrounded by people like that tonight, and it's hard not to see that as a ray of hope." Related Stories Lifestyle TUNL Gala Returns to New York Fashion Week Lifestyle Naked Dressing Hits New Peak as Margot Robbie Bares Her Butt and Dakota Johnson Strips Down This fourth-annual event, which benefits NGOs focused on combating violence against women and children, raised more than $4.5 million this year, up from $3 million in 2024. With non-profit organizations of every kind finding their grants abruptly cut or canceled by the Trump Administration this year, private fundraising is under the spotlight to do more. "Every year is a different kind of chaotic next level, and this year, definitely," said Salma Hayek Pinault, who with her husband, Kering chairman François-Henri Pinault, served as two of the night's co-hosts. "At the same time, it inspires you even more. This is an event that's about unity and community - and that's actually the theme this year, community. But community doesn't mean isolating with people who share only your same opinion. That's why we try to have all kinds of people. There are all kinds of characters in there. And it's not political; it's just a meaningful, inspiring night." François-Henri Pinault and Salma Hayek Pinault Courtesy of Kering/Getty Also, don't look at Hayek Pinault as solely a figurehead of this evening; she's far from it. "We don't just hire people to do it," she added in her interview with The Hollywood Reporter. "I was here all morning, decorating, checking the flowers, listening to the sound of the videos to make sure they're not too loud, or that the lighting feels intimate. We think of everything." Ariana DeBose speaks onstage inside the event. Courtesy of Kering/Getty The packed cocktail party in the room adjacent to The Pool included Jessica Chastain, Demi Moore, Colman Domingo, Dakota Johnson, Julianne Moore, Diane von Furstenberg, Jeff Koons, Linda Evangelista, Adrien Brody and Georgina Chapman, Jeff and Lauren Bezos, Mariska Hargitay, Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn, editor Edward Enninful and Ariana DeBose as the evening's emcee. All were on hand to support and learn more about the four organizations both being honored and the recipients of this year's funds: Sanctuary for Families, FreeFrom, Violence Intervention Program and Equality Now. "I'm very interested in Sanctuary for Families, which came to my attention this year because of the Kering Foundation," Chastain told THR. "I'm such a New Yorker, and they're a New York-based organization, so I'm thinking about what I can do with my time. They focus on gender violence and one in three women face gender violence in their lifetime, which is just unacceptable. Even if you're not able to help financially, there are many, many ways you can help these organizations to help end this epidemic on women." Seth Meyers and Diane von Furstenberg Courtesy of Kering/Getty "I am at a place in my life in which I am maintaining my discipline to hope," Hargitay added. "That's what it takes now in the way we've been steamrolled and what's been happening with [non-profit] organizations. Every penny we can give ultimately adds to that hope. Tonight this room is filled with people who can make a difference, and it's an opportunity to share and hold each other up." Many of the night's attendees also were keen to meet Dolores Huerta, the 95-year-old icon who is known for her work in both the labor and feminist movements. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2012. "Federal funding for women and children are under threat, and events like tonight are the only way right now that we can continue the progress that's being made," she told THR. "Unless women can live in peace and feel protected and supported, the country will never fulfill our promise of democracy." Huerta added with a smile, "We'll never have peace in the world until feminists take power." Key to the night's fundraising was a live auction that included a variety of one-of-a-kind items and expe