List of philanthropists


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.
A philanthropist may not always find universal approval for their deeds. Common accusations include supporting an unworthy cause or having selfish motivation at heart. A philanthropist is also someone who cares for someone else's needs instead of their own.

Notable philanthropists

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  • Usher Raymond – singer-songwriter; founding Chairman of the New Look Foundation

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  • Zerbanoo Gifford – founder of the ASHA Foundation. President of the World Zoroastrian Organisation.

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 billionEducation, healthcare
Bill Gates$79 billionHealthcare, extreme poverty, education, access to information technology
Warren Buffett$32.1 billionHealthcare, education, AIDS-prevention, sanitation
George Soros$32 billionHealthcare, anti-fascist publications, human rights, economic, legal, and social reform
Azim Premji$21 billionEducation, healthcare
MacKenzie Scott$14 billionRacial equality, LGBTQ+ equality, functional democracy, and climate change
Michael Bloomberg$21.1 billionEnvironment, public health, arts, government innovation and education
Li Ka-shing$10.7 billionEducation, healthcare
Andrew Carnegie$9.5 billionLibraries, education, peace
Alisher Usmanov$7.3 billionArt, science, sport, healthcare
Chuck Feeney$6.8 billionHealthcare, youth, aging, poverty, human rights
The Sainsbury family$5 billionArt, education, human rights, youth, aging
Christopher Hohn$4.5 billionYouth, poverty, education
Carlos Slim Helu$4.2 billionArts, education, healthcare, sports, downtown restoration
Alwaleed Philanthropies$4 billionAlwaleed 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 billionInnovations, healthcare, aging, environment
Phil Knight$2 billionEducation, healthcare, intercollegiate athletics
James E. Stowers$2 billionHealthcare
Hansjoerg Wyss$1.9 billionClimate change, poverty
Howard Hughes$1.56 billionHealthcare
Ted Turner$1 billionUnited Nations Foundation
Stephan Schmidheiny$1.5 billionEnvironment, sustainable development
Vitalik Buterin$1 billionDonated $1 billion worth of the cryptocurrencies Shiba Inu and Ether to a COVID-19 relief fund in India.
Michael Jackson$500 million+Healthcare, poverty, youth, cancer research, education
T. Boone Pickens$500 millionEducation