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‘Forbes 400' and ‘Giving Pledge’ Billionaires Who Gave Big in 2018

By  Maria Di Mento
February 12, 2019
‘Forbes 400' and ‘Giving Pledge’ Billionaires Who Gave Big in 2018

Philanthropy 50 Donors on the Forbes 400 Gave $5.5 Billion

Only 21 people on the Forbes 400 list of the wealthiest Americans appear among this year’s Philanthropy 50 list. That could be a sign that many of the wealthiest people in America aren’t big givers. But there are important caveats: Some billionaires don’t regularly make the Philanthropy 50 because they donate infrequently in very large amounts. Others may give anonymously or choose not to disclose their charitable giving publicly or to the Chronicle.

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Philanthropy 50 Donors on the Forbes 400 Gave $5.5 Billion

Only 21 people on the Forbes 400 list of the wealthiest Americans appear among this year’s Philanthropy 50 list. That could be a sign that many of the wealthiest people in America aren’t big givers. But there are important caveats: Some billionaires don’t regularly make the Philanthropy 50 because they donate infrequently in very large amounts. Others may give anonymously or choose not to disclose their charitable giving publicly or to the Chronicle.

Philanthropy 50 rankDonorAmount donatedForbes rankNet worthShare of wealth donated
1 Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos $2,000,000,000 1 $160,000,000,000 1.3
2 Michael Bloomberg $767,000,000 10 $51,800,000,000 1.5
3 Pierre and Pam Omidyar $392,000,000 38 $11,600,000,000 3.4
4 Stephen Schwarzman $390,000,000 34 $13,800,000,000 2.8
6 Paul Allen $261,432,500 21 $20,300,000,000 1.3
7 Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan $213,598,215 4 $61,000,000,000 0.4
8 John and Laura Arnold $204,300,000 239 $3,300,000,000 6.2
12 Bill and Melinda Gates $138,000,000 2 $97,000,000,000 0.1
17 Raymond and Barbara Dalio $102,800,000 25 $18,100,000,000 0.6
21 Marc and Lynne Benioff $100,300,000 84 $6,400,000,000 1.6
22 Denny Sanford $100,000,000 316 $2,600,000,000 3.8
32 Julian Robertson Jr. $60,000,000 168 $4,300,000,000 1.4
45 Bob and Renee Parsons $48,195,560 328 $2,500,000,000 1.9
5 Steve and Connie Ballmer $295,000,000 14 $42,300,000,000 0.7
10 Edward Bass $160,000,000 344 $2,400,000,000 6.7
29 Sheldon and Miriam Adelson $70,000,000 15 $35,500,000,000 0.2
35 Brian Acton $50,000,000 215 $3,600,000,000 1.4
35 Marc and Carolyn Rowan $50,000,000 251 $3,200,000,000 1.6
44 Stewart and Lynda Resnick $49,092,584 114 $5,600,000,000 0.9
47 Leon and Debra Black $40,000,000 76 $6,800,000,000 0.6
47 Gary and Kathleen Rollins $40,000,000 153 $4,500,000,000 0.9

Philanthropy 50 Donors Who Signed the Giving Pledge Gave $2.7 Billion

Among the 143 U.S. signers of the Giving Pledge, 14 individuals or couples landed a spot on the Philanthropy 50. Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates started the Giving Pledge in 2010 to persuade the world’s wealthiest people to commit to giving at least half of their fortunes to charity.

Philanthropy 50 RankDonorAmount donated
2 Michael Bloomberg $767,000,000
3 Pierre and Pam Omidyar $392,000,000 *
6 Paul Allen $261,432,500
7 Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan $213,598,215 *
8 John and Laura Arnold $204,300,000 *
12 Bill and Melinda Gates $138,000,000 *
14 Irwin and Joan Jacobs $108,841,000 *
17 Raymond and Barbara Dalio $102,800,000 *
19 Sheryl Sandberg $100,730,025 *
21 Marc and Lynne Benioff $100,300,000
22 Denny Sanford $100,000,000
30 Ernest and Evelyn Rady $67,980,000
32 Julian Robertson Jr. $60,000,000 *
45 Bob and Renee Parsons $48,195,560 *

*Indicates the primary gift went to the donor’s own foundation or donor-advised fund.

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A version of this article appeared in the February 12, 2019, issue.
Read other items in this Bezoses and Bloomberg Top Chronicle List of the 50 Donors Who Gave the Most to Charity package.
We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
Major-Gift FundraisingFundraising from Individuals
Maria Di Mento
Maria directs the annual Philanthropy 50, a comprehensive report on America’s most generous donors. She writes about wealthy philanthropists, arts organizations, key trends and insights related to high-net-worth donors, and other topics.
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  • Bezoses and Bloomberg Top Chronicle List of the 50 Donors Who Gave the Most to Charity
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