Feb. 1, 2021

Charities have long urged the ultrawealthy to look beyond the nation’s largest universities and medical centers in their giving — and in 2020, billionaires answered the call.

Search or browse this year’s list of America’s biggest donors and all the past lists going back to 2000. You can sort by name, amount donated, source of wealth, location, and top cause.

Roughly 14 percent of millionaires are people of color, and that number seems likely to grow as demographics keep changing.

Nonprofits risk their reputations when they accept gifts from questionable donors. Plus, accepting a gift from a bad actor may make that person feel enabled to be bad again.

Find out more about America’s 50 biggest donors: their ages, sources of wealth, where they live, and where they give.

Only 23 people on the Forbes 2020 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.

The Chronicle talked to dozens of nonprofits, philanthropists, and their representatives to find out more about large donations that were made public last year, as well as the philanthropy of big donors who gave quietly.

The pandemic has led to changes in campaign timelines, fundraising priorities, and of course, how fundraisers ask for the major gifts that are critical to helping nonprofits of all kinds — aid groups, arts organizations, and others — reach ambitious goals. Experts believe some of these changes may stick around in the years to come.

These tools can stifle diversity from the start, especially if those conducting the board search are making assumption about identity, leadership qualities, and expertise that reflect stereotypical white male notions about achievement.

The Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association brings its members together with scientists to protect the health of fisheries.

Here are ways that nonprofit managers and leaders can protect and promote the mental, emotional, and physical health of their employees without spending a lot of money.

As the Biden administration takes off and vaccinations begin to slow the deadly Covid virus, this could be the moment to wed a conviction that things will get better with a chastened self-examination from those who have already been doing well.

To address systemic racism, foundations need to value the lived experience of employees, not just data-driven decision making and academic credentials.