The Giving Pledge announced Tuesday that 14 more billionaires, including the CEOs of DoorDash and Pinterest, had promised in 2021 to donate more than half their fortunes, raising the total to 231 philanthropists from 28 countries.
Founded in 2010 by Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates, and Warren Buffett, the Giving Pledge aims to foster a culture of philanthropy among the world’s wealthiest to tackle the world’s biggest problems.
“I’ve always believed that if you’re in a position to help somebody, you should do it,” Gates said in a statement. He said the new group will “continue to learn from each other and find new ways to maximize the positive impact of our philanthropy.”
This year’s new Giving Pledge philanthropists include Tony Xu, the CEO and co-founder of DoorDash, and his wife, Patti Bao; Ben Silbermann, CEO and co-founder of Pinterest, and his wife, Divya Bhaskaran; and Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht, co-founders of design platform Canva.
Jon Ayers, former CEO of veterinary services firm IDEXX Laboratories and current chairman of Panthera, the global wildcat conservation organization, also signed the pledge with his wife, Helaine. He said they wanted to learn from other philanthropists to be more effective with donations.
“I think it’s a commitment of not just money, but it’s a commitment of time to be good,” said Ayers, 65. “I think it’s a very, very important responsibility.”
Ayers and his wife have become the largest private supporters of lion conservation in the world. Earlier this year, Ayers pledged $20 million over the next 10 years to Panthera to preserve wildcats and their ecosystems around the world. After joining the Giving Pledge, he said, he plans to donate even more to Panthera and other nonprofits that are dedicated to wildcats and nature conservation.
Ayers, who became a quadriplegic after a bicycling accident in 2019, said that his work in trying to protect wildcats, which are vital to their ecosystems, has become inspirational to him.
“The challenges of my condition are pretty significant,” he said. “It’s not an easy condition to endure, but by having a purpose, it helps me be excited every day.”
Other new Giving Pledge philanthropists have found singularly important causes for them.
Jack Schuler, former president of Abbott Laboratories and a founding investor of Ventana Medical Systems, and his wife, Renate, plan to give all his wealth to the Schuler Education Foundation, which he founded to help send underserved students to selective colleges.
Jared Isaacman, CEO of Shift4 Payments, and his wife, Monica, signed the pledge after Jared made a $100 million commitment to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He helped raise millions more for St. Jude through a three-day private spaceflight in September for himself and three other space tourists.
India’s Anil Agarwal, the Netherlands’ Steven Schuurman, Brazil’s David Vélez and Mariel Reyes, and the South Korean couples Kim Bong-jin and Bomi Sul, and Miseon Hyeong and Kim Beom-su, also committed to the Giving Pledge. Americans Ric and Brenda Elias, Jeff T. Green, and Byron and Tina Trott also signed it in 2021.
“I’m inspired to see how the Giving Pledge has grown into a movement of over 230 philanthropists from around the world who are committed to giving away the vast majority of their wealth to address some of the most pressing issues in our society,” French Gates said in a statement.
Editor’s note: This article is part of a partnership the Chronicle has forged with the Associated Press and the Conversation to expand coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits. The three organizations receive support for this work from the Lilly Endowment. The AP is solely responsible for the content in this article.
