Ben Affleck and Matt Damon to receive award in honour of Robin Williams

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are set to receive an award in honour of their late Good Will Hunting co-star Robin Williams.

The childhood friends and frequent collaborators, who starred opposite the late funnyman in the 1997 film, will receive the 9th Robin Williams Legacy of Laughter Award from Glenn Close's nonprofit, Bring Change to Mind, in San Francisco later this month.

The honour, which recognises the recipient's "impact and the power of storytelling and connection to spark real change", will be presented to Affleck and Damon by Williams's children Zak, Zelda and Cody Williams.

"Robin wasn't just someone we admired. He made our dreams come true. We owe everything to him. He said yes to our movie and we got it made," the actors said in a joint statement to The Hollywood Reporter. "Receiving the Legacy of Laughter Award, created in honour of Robin Williams, is incredibly meaningful to us. His legacy isn't just about his talent and how much he made the world laugh - it's about how deeply he cared. This honour carries his spirit, and that means everything to us."

The Mrs. Doubtfire star died by suicide in August 2014 at the age of 63.

Affleck and Damon won the Best Original Screenplay Oscar for Good Will Hunting, which also earned Williams the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

They follow in the footsteps of Amy Poehler and Ryan Reynolds, among others, who are previous recipients of the Robin Williams Legacy of Laughter Award.

The duo will accept the honour during the organisation's Revels & Revelations Celebration at the Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture on 27 April.

Founded by the 101 Dalmatians star in 2010, Bring Change to Mind is a nonprofit organisation dedicated to ending the stigma and discrimination surrounding mental illness.