February 2022

Despite the continuing Covid threat and racial-justice problems, the nation’s wealthiest donors have largely returned to old standbys — handing out big sums to universities, medicine, and their own foundations. But there are exceptions and some interesting new faces.

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.

Mark and Robyn Jones believe their donation to Montana State University will have a bigger impact than if they had made a similar gift to Harvard Business School, where Mark earned an MBA.

When Jared Isaacman led the first all-civilian trip to space, he and his wife, Monica, donated $125 million to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital — and encouraged others to give as well.

Austin Russell, the founder of Luminar Technologies, determined that per capita philanthropic giving in Orlando lagged other cities.

Only 22 people on the 2021 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

Some of America’s biggest donors gave primarily to their foundations or donor-advised funds last year. Here is a sampling of how much those grant makers received and how much they gave to nonprofits in 2021.

Find out more about America’s 50 biggest donors: their ages, sources of wealth, where they live, and where they give. And see the entire Philanthropy 50 report featuring our analysis of the list and giving trends among megadonors.

The 22nd annual Philanthropy 50, the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s list of America’s biggest donors, is based on gifts and pledges of cash, stock, land, and real estate to nonprofit organizations in 2021.

This week we are featuring articles from our recent archive on issues that are of special interest to our readers. Nonprofits and their advancement teams are under fire on political and social issues, with supporters using contributions to try to force change.

Opioid manufacturers donated tens of millions of dollars to patient-advocacy and physicians’ groups. Those organizations downplayed addiction risks and helped create a massive market for deadly pain killers.

Ready2Respond works to strengthen flu-vaccine programs in low- and middle-income countries.

Event-planning experts explain how to entertain donors, maximize giving, and keep staff and supporters safe.

Somos El Poder provides professional development to help member organizations boost their fundraising revenue.

Alix Guerrier, head of GlobalGiving, will lead the organization. Together the two crowdfunding groups have channeled nearly $2 billion to schools and international projects.

Addressing the accelerating climate crisis must include the creation of environmentally friendly schools and curricula that educate young people about the perils of climate change — and the role they can play in fighting it.

Foundation leaders need to be honest with themselves about why lofty language about race and diversity hasn’t translated into real change at their organizations. In some cases, they may need to consider adopting different words — and unexpected messengers.

The addition of three outsiders to the family fund is an important first step, but we need to keep our eye on how the new trustees deal with demands for a power shift and greater feedback from the people the philanthropy serves.