Philanthropy 50: List of America’s top 50 donors of 2021
These are the donors who gave the most in 2021, according to the Philanthropy 50, an annual ranking compiled by the Chronicle of Philanthropy
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Your support makes all the difference.These are the donors who gave the most in 2021, according to the Philanthropy 50, an annual ranking compiled by the Chronicle of Philanthropy. A searchable database with more information on the donors and their beneficiaries is available at philanthropy.com.
1. Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates
Microsoft co-founder (Bill); founder of Pivotal Ventures investment firm (Melinda)
$15 billion
Biggest gift: $15 billion to Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
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2. Michael Bloomberg
Founder of Bloomberg financial-news company
$1.7 billion
Biggest gift: Various
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3.William Ackman and Neri Oxman
Pershing Square Capital Management founder and wife
$1.2 billion
Biggest gift: $1.2 billion to Pershing Square Foundation, Bill Ackman and Neri Oxman Foundation, and Oxman-Ackman Family Fund
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4. Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan
Facebook co-founder (Mark) and pediatrician (Priscilla)
$1.05 billion
Biggest gift: $723 million to Chan Zuckerberg Donor Advised Fund at Silicon Valley Community Foundation
___
5. Sergey Brin and Nicole Shanahan
Google co-founder and wife
$816.1 million
Biggest gift: $464 million to Sergey Brin Family Foundation
___
6. Jack Dorsey
Co-founder of Twitter and Block
$764.6 million
Biggest gift: $764.6 million to Jack Dorsey Donor Advised Fund at Fidelity Charitable and other DAFs
___
7. Denny Sanford
Banker
$725 million
Biggest gift: $650 million to Sanford Health
___
8. Phil and Penny Knight
Nike co-founder and wife
$700 million
Biggest gift: $500 million to University of Oregon
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9. Jeff Bezos
Amazon founder
$510.7 million
Biggest gift: $200 million to Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum
___
10. Patrick and Shirley Ryan
Businessman and wife
$480 million
Biggest gift: $480 million to Northwestern University
___
11. Eric and Wendy Schmidt
Former Google CEO and wife
$382.8 million
Biggest gift: $358.5 million to Eric and Wendy Schmidt Fund for Strategic Innovation
___
12. Steve and Connie Ballmer
Former Microsoft CEO and wife
$355.9 million
Biggest gift: $355.9 million to Ballmer Group Donor Advised Fund at Goldman Sachs Philanthropy Fund
___
13. Pierre and Pam Omidyar
Founder of eBay and wife
$332 million
Biggest gift: Various
___
14. John and Laura Arnold
Retired hedge-fund manager (John) and former lawyer (Laura)
$270 million
Biggest gift: $270 million Laura and John Arnold Foundation
___
15. Goodwin Family
Real-estate developers
$250 million
Biggest gift: $250 million to Break Through Cancer
___
16. Charles Koch
Koch Industries chairman and CEO
$240.5 million
Biggest gift: $109 million to Stand Together Trust
___
17. Sobrato Family
Real-estate developers
$212.1 million
Biggest gift: $162 million to Sobrato Family Foundation
___
18. Irwin and Joan Jacobs
Qualcomm co-founder and wife
$209.9 million
Biggest gift: $100 million to Salk Institute for Biological Studies
___
19. Jerome Richardson and Rosalind Sallenger Richardson
Businessman and wife
$150 million
Biggest gift: $150 million to Wofford College
___
20. Jared and Monica Isaacman
Founder of Draken International and Shift4 Payments and wife
$145 million
$125 million to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
___
21. John and Tashia Morgridge
Chairman emeritus of Cisco Systems and wife
$135 million
Biggest gift: $135 million to University of Wisconsin at Madison
___
22. Oscar Tang and Agnes Hsu-Tang
Financier (Oscar) and archaeologist and art historian (Agnes)
$125 million
Biggest gift: $125 million to Metropolitan Museum of Art
___
23. Daryl and Christine Burton
Real-estate developers
$123.9 million
Biggest gift: $123.9 million to Arizona Community Foundation
___
24. William Miller III
Financier
$101.3 million
Biggest gift: $50 million to Johns Hopkins University and $50 million to Santa Fe Institute
___
25. (tie) Mark and Robyn Jones
Insurance company founders
$101 million
Biggest gift: $101 million to Montana State U. College of Nursing
___
25. (tie) Frank and Monica McCourt
Financier and wife
$101 million
Biggest gift: $100 million to Georgetown University
___
27. (tie) Harry and Linda Fath
Businessman and wife
$100 million
Biggest gift: $50 million to Mercy Ships and $50 million to University of Notre Dame
___
27. (tie) Penny Pritzker
Businesswoman
$100 million
Biggest gift: $100 million to Harvard University
___
27. (tie) Arthur Riggs
Geneticist
$100 million
Biggest gift: $100 million to City of Hope
___
27. (tie) Julian Robertson Jr.
Financier
$100 million
Biggest gift: $100 million to Robertson Foundation
___
31. K. Lisa Yang
Former investment banker
$82 million
Biggest gift: $51.7 million to Massachusetts Institute of Technology
___
32. Bruce and Elizabeth Dunlevie
Benchmark Capital founder and wife
$80 million
Biggest gift: $80 million to Lucille Packard Foundation for Children’s Health
___
33. Melanie Smith Taylor
Olympic gold medalist
$79.5 million
Biggest gift: $79.5 million to University of Tennessee at Martin
___
34. (tie) James and Paula Crown
Henry Crown and Company president and wife
$75 million
Biggest gift: $75 million to University of Chicago
___
34. (tie) Paul and Joyce Robsham
Real estate developers
$75 million
Biggest gift: $75 million to Boston College
___
36. Austin Russell
Luminar Technologies founder
$70 million
Biggest gift: $70 million to Central Florida Foundation
___
37. Robert and Karen Hale
Granite Telecommunications co-founder and wife
$63.1 million
Biggest gift: $30 million to Connecticut College
___
38. Helene Houle
Businesswoman
$60 million
Biggest gift: $60 million to Mayo Clinic
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39. John and Carolyn Sonnentag
Business owners
$57 million
Biggest gift: $57 million to University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire Foundation
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40. Agnes Neill Williams
Lawyer
$56.5 million
Biggest gift: $24.3 million to College of the Holy Cross
___
41. Arley Cathey
Businesman
$54.5 million
Biggest gift: $54.5 million to University of Chicago
___
42. Peter and Stephanie Nolan
Financier and wife
$52.5 million
Biggest gift: $50 million to Cornell University
___
43. Tessa Ader
Jewelry designer
$50.2 million
Biggest gift: $50.2 million to University of Virginia
___
44. Richard and Nancy Kinder
Businessman and wife
$50.04 million
Biggest gift: $50.04 million to Kinder Foundation
___
45. (tie) Donald and Andrea Friese
Businessman and wife
$50 million
Biggest gift: $50 million to Providence Tarzana Foundation
___
45. (tie) Robert and Donna Manning
Financier and wife
$50 million
Biggest gift: $50 million to University of Massachusetts
___
45. (tie) Paul and Cleo Schimmel
Biophysical chemist and wife
$50 million
Biggest gift: $50 million to Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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45. (tie) Leonard Stern
Businesman
$50 million
Biggest gift: $50 million to New York University, Leonard N. Stern School of Business
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49. Charles (Buddy) Weill Jr.
Investor
$48.2 million
Biggest gift: $48.2 million to Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro
___
50. Doris Kelley Christopher
Businesswoman
$45 million
Biggest gift: $45 million to University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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