Last year was hard on megagift donors. Uneasiness about the country’s growing inequality revved up the criticism that often follows philanthropy by the wealthy: The gift does nothing for the common good; or it’s a pittance of the donor’s wealth.
In the Philanthropy 50, such critics will find ammunition. Ten of the billionaires on the list gave away less than 1 percent of their wealth. And more than $2 billion went to major American universities and colleges, many of which have enormous endowments.
Still, the Philanthropy 50 also offers a more appealing story. Many of 2015’s biggest gifts aim to drive social change, and several emerging philanthropists are making gifts to the needy.
Crossing the midpoint of the decade, big-gift philanthropy seems at a crossroads.
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NewsConservative Billionaire Richard Scaife Tops List of 50 Biggest Donors
The banking and oil heir left bequests totaling more than $750 million. A little-known theater owner came in second, with $605 million in donations. Read about the trends and some of the most interesting donors. -
News
In a University’s Remarkable Year, One Big Gift Led to Another
For Northwestern, cultivating big donors was important, but momentum was magical. -
News
Gifts by the Philanthropy 50 Include Big Bets for Social Change
Media mogul Gerry Lenfest, steel magnate David Dornsife, and Hyatt hotel scion J.B. Pritzker were among those making donations last year that were noteworthy for both their size and their purpose. -
Opinion
New York Rises Anew as Nation’s Center of Philanthropy
Largely forgotten in the fuss over Silicon Valley’s new wealth, New York philanthropy roars back from the recession. -
News
4 New Yorkers Show Silicon Valley How it’s Done
These Big Apple philanthropists demonstrate that not every fresh idea is coming from the booming tech corridors on the West Coast. -
News
Mystery Money: Small Charity Searches for Meaning Behind a Surprise $125 Million Gift
Read about the search to find out more about the man who contributed to a charity out of the blue. -
News
How The Chronicle Compiled Its List of the Top 50 Donors
The Philanthropy 50 shows how much wealthy Americans contributed to charitable organizations last year. -
News
The Rich List
Find out how many of the people on the Philanthropy 50 are also on the Forbes 400 and how many are Giving Pledge signers. -
News
Big Gifts That Didn’t Make the List
The Philanthropy 50 counted contributions only to charitable groups and includes pledges but not payments on those pledges. -
News
6 Graphics to Tell You More About the 2016 Philanthropy 50
Learn where the money went, which states have the most big donors, which got the most in contributions in 2015, and more.
