Feb. 7, 2017

Phil and Penny Knight gave $500 million to the University of Oregon last year – and $400 million to Stanford. Altogether, almost half of Philanthropy 50 contributions in 2016 went to colleges and universities.

News

Colleges Get Unusually Large Share of Contributions

By Maria Di Mento and Drew Lindsay

Nearly half of giving by the country’s biggest donors went to higher education, with $1 of every $5 benefiting elite universities with multibillion-dollar endowments.

FACES OF GIVING: Financier Robert Smith (left) and Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg make their first appearances this year on <em>The Chronicle'</em>s annual list of America's biggest donors. Philanthropy 50 perennial Michael Bloomberg ranks No. 2.

News

Phil Knight Tops Chronicle’s List of Biggest Donors of 2016

By Maria Di Mento and Drew Lindsay

The Nike co-founder and veteran philanthropist headlines our annual ranking, while self-made women and tech moguls herald change in the giving ranks.

PHILANTHROPIC ROOTS: Roxanne Quimby lived for years in rural Maine before amassing the natural-products fortune that allowed her to buy up and preserve tens of thousands of acres of the state's North Woods.

News

Philanthropist Shows Her Love of Nature by Locking Up Land

By Megan O’Neil

Roxanne Quimby once lived in a shack without electricity or running water to be closer to the outdoors. After amassing a fortune as a co-founder of Burt’s Bees, she found a much grander way to honor nature.

JUST GETTING STARTED: Robert Smith, who is reportedly worth $2.5 billion, has funded scholarship and training programs and was one of the biggest donors to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

News

Wealthy Financier Helps Build Momentum for Black Philanthropy

By Drew Lindsay

Robert Smith, Carnegie Hall’s first African-American board chair, is making a splash with his giving.

Opinion

Big Philanthropists Increasingly Face Scrutiny and Criticism

By Drew Lindsay

Praise for megadonors like Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and David Rubenstein is now tinged with questions about whether their good works are really good for society.

BACKLASH AGAINST ELITES?: John Arnold says that skepticism of the wealthy is natural and healthy, but he fears that too much criticism may result in reduced giving.

News

John Arnold Defends His Philanthropy, Big Gifts, and Mark Zuckerberg

By Drew Lindsay

“It is easier to criticize a personality than an organization,” Mr. Arnold says in an interview with The Chronicle, in which he also explains his support for a controversial Baltimore surveillance program.

News

Philanthropy 50: Where They Live, Where They Give, and More

By Maria Di Mento and Nidhi Singh

We break down our ranking by geography, age, and source of wealth and examine a decade of big-donor giving.

IN THEIR WHEELHOUSE: A tire helps Alexandria Boxing Club fighters Jean Jacques Rousseau (in white shirt) and Clinso Brumfield practice throwing and taking punches at close range.

News

Boxing Nonprofit Trains Young Champs In and Out of the Ring

By Rebecca Koenig

Along with winning medals at the Olympics and other international competitions, veterans of the Alexandria Boxing Club serve as role models for teens in and around Washington, D.C.

News

Leaders Must Listen to Solve Big Problems, Author Says

By Alex Daniels

The corporate-style leadership increasingly in vogue in philanthropy is ill-suited for tackling complex social issues, the author of a forthcoming book argues.

Experimental physicist Michael Biercuk leads a tour of the Quantum Control Laboratory at the University of Sydney. The university is home to Project Q, which explores the peace and security implications of a quantum age.

Opinion

Opinion: How Philanthropy Can Help Usher in the Quantum Age

By Stephen Del Rosso

As quantum theory takes root in the social as well as the physical sciences, foundations should invest in efforts to better our grasp of this powerful idea and its potential for both good and ill.

News

How Many Forbes 400 Billionaires Gave Big in 2016?

By Maria Di Mento

The number who made the Philanthropy 50 may surprise you. Plus: We list the Giving Pledge members who stepped up last year.

News

How The Chronicle Compiled Its List of the Top 50 Donors

By Maria Di Mento

Inside the methodology for tallying which philanthropists gave away the most in in 2016.

Opinion

Opinion: Why Philanthropy Is Not a Profession

By Howard Gardner

The values and passions that motivate donors and grant makers are tough to teach and codify.

Susan Casey-Lefkowitz, the Natural Resources Defense Council's chief program officer, is overseeing a plan to preserve environmental rules in the United States. David Goldston, director of government affairs, says the environmental movement is stronger today thanks to climate-change battles of recent years.

News

With Anti-Trump Windfall, Nonprofits Are Digging In for a Fight

By Caroline Preston

Nonprofits like the Natural Resources Defense Council are hiring lawyers setting up hotlines, beefing up staff, recruiting more volunteers, launching defense funds, and more.

News

ACLU’s Tough Talk on Trump Leads to Huge Fundraising Success

By Timothy Sandoval

Time will tell if the American Civil Liberties Union’s aggressive stance will continue to resonate with donors.

Opinion

Opinion: Philanthropy’s Preoccupation With Airing Failures Is a Mixed Blessing

By Benjamin Soskis

Too often donors seem to forget that real people and communities were hurt as grant makers took approaches that didn’t work out.

Erin Barkan, a lead operations specialist at Girl Scouts of the USA, is planning to take 12 weeks of paid maternity leave.

Advice

Girl Scouts’ 12 Weeks of Paid Parental Leave Is Rarity Among Nonprofits

By Megan O’Neil

The organization draws strong praise for its benefit to new mothers and fathers, but nonprofits in general still lag far behind the corporate world.

Mott Foundation president Ridgway White took quick action during the Flint, Mich., water crisis, providing the city $4 million to switch to a safe water supply.

News

Flint Water Crisis Proves Mettle of New Foundation Leader

By Alex Daniels

Under the leadership of 37-year-old President Ridgway White, the Mott Foundation provided money to deal with the city’s unsafe water even before a state of emergency had been declared.

A portrait of Ray and Joan Kroc adorns the lobby of a Salvation Army performing-arts center at a youth facility in San Diego. Ms. Kroc left the Salvation Army $1.5 billion in a bequest.

News

New Book on Joan Kroc Tells of Her Sometimes Whimsical Philanthropy

By Maria Di Mento

The donor who made a $1.5 billion bequest to the Salvation Army and gave $225 million to NPR preferred handing out checks to working under the constraints of a foundation.