List of philanthropists

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Herodes Atticus, a Greek philanthropist of Classical Rome active during the second century (antiquity) Herodes Atticus - bust - Athens Museum.jpg
Herodes Atticus, a Greek philanthropist of Classical Rome active during the second century (antiquity)

A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; donating their time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes. The term may apply to any volunteer or to anyone who makes a donation, but the label is most often applied to those who donate large sums of money or who make a major impact through their volunteering, such as a trustee who manages a philanthropic organization or one who establishes and funds a foundation. [1]

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A philanthropist may not always find universal approval for their deeds. [2] Common accusations include supporting an unworthy cause (such as funding art instead of fighting world hunger) or having selfish motivation at heart (such as avoiding taxes or attaining personal fame). A philanthropist is also someone who cares for someone else's needs instead of their own.

Notable philanthropists

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MrBeast - Youtuber - Comedian - given, donated at least 6 million dollar - founder of Team Trees and Team Seas

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Greatest philanthropists by amount of USD

The following table orders the greatest philanthropists by the estimated amount given to charity, corresponding to USD.

NameAmount givenCause
Jamsetji Tata $102.4 billion [24] Education, healthcare
Bill Gates $79 billion [59] Healthcare, extreme poverty, education, access to information technology
Warren Buffett $32.1 billion [60] Healthcare, education, AIDS-prevention, sanitation
George Soros $32 billion [61] Healthcare, anti-fascist publications, human rights, economic, legal, and social reform
Azim Premji $21 billion [62] Education, healthcare
MacKenzie Scott $14 billion [63] Racial equality, LGBTQ+ equality, functional democracy, and climate change [64]
Michael Bloomberg $12.7 billion[ citation needed ]Environment, public health, arts, government innovation and education
Li Ka-shing $10.7 billion[ citation needed ]Education, healthcare
Andrew Carnegie $9.5 billion[ citation needed ]Libraries, education, peace
Elon Musk $7.6 billion [65] Science education, COVID-19 relief, renewable energy
Chuck Feeney $6.8 billion[ citation needed ]Healthcare, youth, aging, poverty, human rights
Alisher Usmanov $5.8 billion [66] [67] Art, science, sport, healthcare
The Sainsbury family $5 billion [66] [67] Art, education, human rights, youth, aging
Christopher Hohn $4.5 billion [68] Youth, poverty, education
Carlos Slim Helu $4.2 billion [68] Arts, education, healthcare, sports, downtown restoration
Alwaleed Philanthropies $4 billion [69] Alwaleed Philanthropies collaborates with a range of philanthropic, government and educational organizations to combat poverty, empower women and youth, develop communities, provide disaster relief and create cultural understanding through education.
The Weston family $2.3 billion [66] [67] Innovations, healthcare, aging, environment
Phil Knight $2 billion [70] Education, healthcare, intercollegiate athletics
James E. Stowers $2 billion [71] Healthcare
Hansjoerg Wyss $1.9 billion [68] Climate change, poverty
Howard Hughes $1.56 billion[ citation needed ]Healthcare
Ted Turner $1 billion[ citation needed ]United Nations Foundation
Stephan Schmidheiny $1.5 billion [68] Environment, sustainable development
Vitalik Buterin $1 billion [56] Donated $1 billion worth of the cryptocurrencies Shiba Inu and Ether to a COVID-19 relief fund in India.
T. Boone Pickens $500 Million [56] Donated $500 million for education.

See also

Related Research Articles

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Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material gain; and with government endeavors that are public initiatives for public good, such as those that focus on the provision of public services. A person who practices philanthropy is a philanthropist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Sainsbury, Baron Sainsbury of Turville</span> British politician, businessman and philanthropist

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Azim Premji</span> Indian business tycoon, investor (born 1945)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charitable organization</span> Nonprofit organization with charitable purpose

A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atlantic Philanthropies</span> Private philanthropic foundation

The Atlantic Philanthropies (AP) was a private foundation created in 1982 by American businessman Chuck Feeney. The Atlantic Philanthropies focused its giving on health, social, and politically left-leaning public policy causes in Australia, Bermuda, Ireland, South Africa, the United States and Vietnam. It was among the largest foreign charitable donors in each of the countries in which it operated, and was the single largest funder of programs that encouraged the civic engagement of older people and of comprehensive immigration reform in the United States. With the single largest advocacy grant ever made by a foundation, the Atlantic Philanthropies committed $27 million to win passage of the Affordable Care Act in the United States. About half of the Atlantic Philanthropies' grants were made in donations that allow lobbying.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laura Spelman Rockefeller</span> American philanthropist, schoolteacher

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruth Lilly</span> American philanthropist

Ruth Lilly was an American philanthropist, the last surviving great-grandchild of Eli Lilly, founder of the Eli Lilly and Company pharmaceutical firm, and heir to the Lilly family fortune. A lifelong resident of Indianapolis, Indiana, Ruth Lilly is estimated to have given away nearly $800 million of her inheritance during her lifetime, mostly in support of the arts, education, health, and environmental causes in Indianapolis and in Indiana.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philanthropy in the United States</span> Overview article

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Chen Yidan, also known as Charles Chen, is a Chinese internet entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is a co-founder of Tencent, founder of the Chen Yidan Charity Foundation, and founder of the Yidan Prize Foundation.

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Further reading