No. 11: David Koch

Amount donated in 2012: $137-million

Top beneficiary: Metropolitan Museum of Art

Other notable gifts: $35-million to the National Museum of Natural History; $20-million to Technology Children’s Centers at Vassar Street; $10-million to the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute at the Mount Sinai Medical Center

Background: Mr. Koch is executive vice president of Koch Industries, an industrial conglomerate that was founded by his father, Fred C. Koch.

Mr. Koch, 72, made three large commitments in 2012. He pledged $65-million to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to redesign its outdoor plaza, $35-million to the National Museum of Natural History to build a new dinosaur exhibit hall, and $10-million to the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute at the Mount Sinai Medical Center to establish the David H. and Julia Koch Research Program in Food Allergy Therapeutics. He did not disclose a payment schedule.

In addition, Mr. Koch gave $20-million to help build the Technology Children’s Centers at Vassar Street, a new child-care center at his alma mater, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Mr. Koch earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemical engineering at the institute in 1962 and 1963, respectively.

The philanthropist also gave $5-million to the Allen-Stevenson School, a private boys’ elementary school; $1-million to Columbia University for it nephrology division; and $1-million to the New York City Opera.