Charity can be the smallest, kind gesture. It doesn’t necessarily mean giving away millions of dollars. However, we’d be missing an interesting subject to skip discussing the biggest philanthropists of our time.
Chuck Feeney
Chuck Feeney is one of our favourite philanthropists. He made his fortune from an empire of Duty Free Shoppers network of stores. As he retired he vowed to give away his fortune and die broke. He has donated $8billion to charity during his “Giving While Living” ambition. Perhaps most admirably, Chuck Feeney gave away his billions anonymously, seeking no fame or gratitude for his gifts.
His generosity inspired Bill Gates and Warren Buffet to set up Giving Pledge in 2010. Giving Pledge urges the world’s wealthiest people to donate at least half their fortunes before their deaths. It is far more gratifying to see the impact of a donation rather than waiting til after death! Chuck has said as much and we believe him.
Warren Buffet
$14.7billion is a huge amount of money, and Warren Buffet has given it away to charity over the last 5 years. He is the CEO and chairman of Berkshire Hathaway which was originally a group of textile mills. It has expanded over the years to include GEICO, Fruit of the Loom, Dairy Queen, Duracell and others. He has pledged to give away 99% of his wealth to philanthropy. In 2020 Warren Buffet’s net worth is reported as 86.2billion USD. Fun fact: Warren Buffet eats McDonalds for breakfast! So even if you don’t have billions in the bank, you can still dine out like a billionaire.
Warren Buffett reportedly donated $4.1 billion worth of Berkshire Hathaway shares during his annual summer giveaway, shattering the previous record by a wide margin.
He donated to memorial funds in honor of his wife and three children, as well as to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where the money would be used to combat global poverty and improve health, including the investigation and potential development of a vaccine against Covid-19.
After promising to donate 99 percent of his wealth, Buffett has become the most generous person in history. To help fight poverty, advance healthcare in developing countries, and provide access to quality education in the United States.
Buffett has donated between $2 billion and $3 billion in stock annually to the foundation of his friends Bill and Melinda French Gates.
In 2010, the well-known benefactor developed The Giving Pledge along with Bill and Melinda Gates. To top it all off, he has donated $4 billion to organizations named after his late wife and three children.
Bill & Melinda Gates
One of the most globally well known wealthy couples have given away $9.9billion over the same 5 year span. The subject of their philanthropy is largely around poverty and health. Their involvement in virtually eradicating polio is well documented. Bill and Melinda have also aided women by providing contraceptive services to 120 million people.
You’ve probably heard other reports on donations they have made too. Their foundation continues to give to charity and help those in poverty.
Bill and Melinda Gates recently divorced after being married for 27 years, yet they remain co-chairs of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Accordingly, Forbes will keep tallying the former couple’s contributions together.
The foundation has pledged $5.8 billion in funding for 2020, some of which will go toward developing a vaccine against Covid-19. Since 2007, the Gateses and Warren Buffett have equally shared the foundation’s charitable giving.
Melinda’s generosity does not end at her workplace; her company, Pivotal Ventures, is an investment and incubator. His Open Society Foundations have funded initiatives to promote diversity and inclusion in the media, law, and the economy.
George Soros
$32 billion in charitable donations have been made by George Soros. He primarily supports democratic and human rights organisations. In 2020 George Soros’ networth is reportedly 8.6billion USD. How did he become rich? He is a wall street tycoon, and chairman of Soros Fund Management. Famously he bet against (shorted) the GBP in 1992, earning 1 billion dollars in profits for his hedge fund. He is the founder and chair of Open Society Foundations, a network of projects and foundations spread across more than 100 countries.
His philanthropy started in 1979 when he gave scholarships to black South African students living under apartheid. He also formed the Central European University after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Mr Soros has been very vocal on the damaging effect of the war on drugs, being worse than the drugs themselves. He has played a key role in promoting USA’s medical marijuana movement and same sex marriages. A lot of wealthy people could learn a lot about charity from George Soros!
The Story of Philanthropists Gordon and Betty Moore
The Intel cofounder, long-time CEO, and wife established a charity in 2000 using stock donations. The Moore Foundation and seven other institutions (including the Bezos Earth Fund and Bloomberg Philanthropies) pledged $5 billion in September 2021 to support biodiversity for the next decade.
The world’s most biologically significant 30% of sites will have been safeguarded by then. The Moore Foundation gave out over $350 million that year.
Donations Made by Michael Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg, the ex-mayor of New York City and co-founder of Bloomberg LP, has given away over $12 billion to charity, including $1.6 billion in the last year alone. His advocacy addresses climate change, gun control, and public health.
He has given over $1 billion to anti-smoking causes since 2008 and, in 2018, pledged $1.8 billion to Johns Hopkins University, where he received his bachelor’s degree.
Bloomberg Philanthropies announced a $100 million commitment to four HBCU medical schools by 2020. Bloomberg committed $750 million over the next five years to assist charter schools in 20 metro zones around the United States.
Acts of Charity by Mackenzie Scotts
Scott’s latest Medium writings are highly anticipated by those working in the nonprofit sector. In less than two years, Scott has given away at least $8.6 billion to more than 780 separate organizations.
These groups advocate for various causes, including racial harmony, gender equality, and public health. While Scott revealed the general topic of her December 2021 Medium blog to be charitable giving, she did not reveal the identities of the beneficiaries of her most recent donations.
Scott promised additional details after criticism about his lack of openness prompted him to announce his intention to create a website with a gift registry.
