Steve Martin (right) and Alec Baldwin (left) will serve as co-hosts of the 82nd Academy Awards®. Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2009 will be presented on Sunday, March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide. credit: Bob D'Amico/ABC

Academy Awards night will prove to be beneficial for a number of charities, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced.

On Oscar night, charities in 51 cities will host official Oscar viewing parties during the Academy Awards ceremony as part of Oscar Night America (ONA). ONA is the Academy’s grassroots outreach program - and the intent on Oscar Sunday is to raise funds to directly benefit the charities hosting those parties.

And how cool is this? Many of those party planners are being encouraged to add Academy Award-like elements to their function like red carpet arrivals for local celebrities complete with paparazzi photographers, predict-the-winner contests and live entertainment.

There are plenty of other parties being planned for that Sunday, but these specific cities will be making a difference while they’re having fun.

The 2010 Oscar Night America charities and cities are:

The Center for Family Resources, Atlanta, GA

LifeWorks, Austin, TX

AIDS Interfaith Residential Services, Baltimore, MD

The Ellie Fund, Boston, MA

Shea’s Performing Arts Center, Buffalo, NY

United Family Services, Charlotte, NC

Virginia Film Festival, Charlottesville, VA

Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL

People Working Cooperatively, Inc., Cincinnati, OH

USA Film Festival and KidFilm Festival, Dallas, TX

Denver Film Society, Denver, CO

Southgate Community Players, Detroit, MI

Waterfront Film Festival, Grand Rapids, MI

Community Theatre of Greensboro, Greensboro/Winston-Salem, NC

Junior League of Greenville, Greenville, SC

The Academy Awards ceremony takes place Sunday, March 7th, and airs live from the Kodak Theatre on ABC.