Most generous people: Top 10 Philanthropists in the World
Before we begin naming the top 10 philanthropists in the world, let’s first understand who is a Philanthropist. Philanthropy is the desire to promote the welfare of others. It is usually expressed by the generous donation of money to good causes. So, a person who engages in philanthropy by donating their time, money, and also reputation is called a ‘Philanthropist’.
Here is a list of the top 10 philanthropists in the world:
Bill and Melinda Gates
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is an American private foundation which was founded by Bill and Melinda Gates in 2000. It is based in Seattle, Washington, and is reported as the largest private foundation in the world with a financial endowment of $46.8 billion. The purpose of the foundation is to provide healthcare, education, and to end poverty worldwide. The foundation has so far given $35.8 billion to serve healthcare, extreme poverty, education, and access to information technology. Many rich people across the world have joined in their causes.
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The top 10 philanthropists in the world also include:
Warren Buffet
Warren Edward Buffet is the fourth wealthiest person in the world. With a net worth of $88.9 billion, Warren Buffet has donated $34 billion into healthcare, education, AIDS prevention, and sanitation. He was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2011. In 2006, Warren Buffet made the largest charitable donation in history when he announced to give 83% of his fortune to Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This charity was worth $30.7 billion.
Azim Premji
Azim Hashim Premji is the chairman of Wipro. He is also known as the Czar of the Indian IT Industry and is currently the tenth richest person in India. So far, the Azim Premji Foundation has given $21 billion in causes for education and healthcare. Azim Premji was also the first Indian to sign up for The Giving Pledge that encouraged the wealthiest people to make a commitment to give away their wealth for philanthropic causes.
Li Ka-Shing
Li Ka-Shing is the 30th richest person in the world. He is a philanthropist from Hong Kong with an estimated net wealth of $29.4 billion. He has given away nearly $10.7 billion to serve causes of education and healthcare.
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More from the top 10 philanthropists in the world
Andrew Carnegie
With the focus to serve causes including Libraries, education, and peace, the Scottish-American Andrew Carnegie gave away $9.5 billion. He spent his last years as a philanthropist between 1901 to 1919. Andrew Carnegie established over 3000 public libraries throughout the US, Britain, Canada, and other English-speaking countries. He also actively invested in education around the same time.
Chuck Feeney
Charles Francis, aka Chuck Feeney is an Irish-American philanthropist. He is the founder of The Atlantic Philanthropies which is one of the largest private foundations in the world. Feeney gave away $6.8 billion into serving causes like healthcare, aging, youth, poverty, and human rights.
George Soros
George Soros is a Hungarian-American philanthropist who has donated over $32 billion through his philanthropic agency, the Open Society Foundation. He has also served causes including healthcare, anti-fascist publications, human rights, economic, legal, and social reforms between 1979 to 2011.
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top 10 philanthropists in the world
Alwaleed Philanthropies
The Alwaleed Philanthropies is a charitable organization that was founded by Al-Waleed bin Talal in 1980. With a mission to help alleviate suffering and transcend international borders globally, the foundation established centers and programs at institutes with higher education around the world. The foundation has given away $4 billion to combat poverty, empower women & youth, develop communities, provide disaster relief, and create cultural understanding through education.
Phil Knight
Philip Hampson Knight is an American philanthropist. He is the co-founder and chairman of Nike and is also the owner of the stop motion film production company, Laika. He is the 21st richest person in the world and has given away nearly $2 billion into serving causes like education, healthcare, and intercollegiate athletics.
James E. Stowers
James E Stowers also called Jim Stowers Jr was an American philanthropist who donated in the healthcare segment. He donated a total of $2 billion to Stowers Institute for Medical Research which was founded by him and his wife, Virginia Stowers in 1994. The institute’s mission is to make a significant contribution to humanity with the help of medical research by expanding the understanding of the secrets of life as also by improving the quality of life with innovative approaches to the causes, treatment, and prevention of diseases.
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