In 2020, donors on the Philanthropy 50, our annual ranking of America’s biggest philanthropists, gave more to HBCUs, social-justice groups, and charities that serve the poor and homeless than ever before. Experts think the change could have staying power.
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Interactive
America’s Biggest Donors — the 25th Anniversary of Our Annual Philanthropy 50
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. -
Philanthropy 50
Jeff Bezos, MacKenzie Scott, and Michael Bloomberg Top List of America’s 50 Biggest Charity Donors
America’s 50 top donors channeled big sums to food banks, Covid relief, and racial-justice efforts. -
Philanthropy 50
Nonprofits Working on Racial Justice and Poverty See Windfalls From Rich Donors
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. -
Individual Giving
Diverse Donors to Watch: Blacks, Hispanics, and Other Often-Overlooked Supporters
Roughly 14 percent of millionaires are people of color, and that number seems likely to grow as demographics keep changing. -
Philanthropy 50: Ethics
Donors in Trouble Pose a Quandary for Nonprofits
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. -
Philanthropy 50
2020’s Top Donors: ‘Forbes 400' and ‘Giving Pledge’ Billionaires Who Gave Big
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. -
Philanthropy 50
2020’s Top Donors: Where They Live, Where They Give, and More
Find out more about America’s 50 biggest donors: their ages, sources of wealth, where they live, and where they give. -
Philanthropy 50
How the Chronicle Compiled Its List of the Top 50 Donors of 2020
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.