The 62-year-old star - who won an Oscar for Best Actress on Sunday night (26.02.12) for her portrayal of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in `The Iron Lady` - pledged the money to a charter school in the Rhode Island city of Central Falls, America, after a tip off from fellow actress Viola Davis.

The Oscar-nominated `The Help` star - who lost out to Meryl in the Best Actress category at the Academy Awards - is said to have informed the Hollywood actress that the school was in danger of being closed down.

Angelo Garcia - founder and director of the Segue Institute for Learning, which contains more than 200 students - revealed a cheque from Meryl`s Silver Mountain Foundation had been received, and it was accompanied by a note saying it was on behalf of Viola, who grew up in Central Falls.

Meryl`s donation is her second act of generosity this week after she gave $10,000 to benefit another education program at Rhode Island College that helps low-income high school students to attend college.

Mariam Z. Boyajian, director of the Upward Bound program, told the Providence Journal: "I was pleasantly surprised."
sections: Celebrities