Many of the biggest public philanthropists in the world spend a lot of time and money on good causes. Some of the most generous donors in the world are on this list, and their impact is big.
Each year, the 10 most generous people in the public eye give more than $6 billion to charities. Some groups that give money to good causes are well-known, but others aren't.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help people in developing countries live healthy lives. They do this because they believe that every life has equal value. It also wants to make sure that everyone in the United States has the chances they need to do well.
The Foundation has a fund with 49.8 billion dollars in it. It also runs several charity programs, such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.
He is the chairman and chief executive officer of Berkshire Hathaway, which owns Coca-Cola, Heinz ketchup, IBM computers, and Dairy Queen. Buffett is a good investor, promising to give 99% of his money to charity.
He has been giving back to the community since 1964, when he and his first wife, Susan Thompson, set up the Buffett Foundation. The Foundation is known for working on issues that support the right to choose.
Since 1979, George Soros has given away $32 billion. Through the Open Society Foundations, a charity he runs, he helps liberal democratic institutions in 37 countries worldwide.
Soros's charitable work includes trying to spread nonviolent democracy in countries that used to be communist. He has also given money to independent groups like Global Witness and Transparency International, fighting corruption in the natural resource extraction industry.
Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, are two of the most well-known people who give money to good causes. They own a lot of Facebook, but most of their money goes to the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, which started in December 2015.
The group works on social innovation with a focus on technology. It also tries to improve health care and education. Its main goal is to help people reach their full potential and give everyone the same chances.
Pierre and Pam Omidyar, who started eBay, gave at least half their $8 billion fortune to charity. Using the family foundation to help people, they have set up a wide range of organizations and projects that work in different fields and locations to improve people's lives.
Pierre is a technologist and philanthropist who believes that change is possible with the right mix of insight, innovation, talent, and timing. He loves to challenge the way things are by investing in both for-profit businesses and charities.
Gordon Moore, who helped start Intel, and his wife, Betty, set up the Foundation to help people in the future. The Moores support scientific breakthroughs, environmental protection, and better patient care to reach this goal.
When making grants, rigorous scientific research and interventions with the potential to make a difference are prioritized. Geographically, California and the San Francisco Bay Area are high on the list, but grants are given worldwide.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which is also called the Gates Foundation, is the world's biggest private charity. It was started by Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda, who helped start Microsoft.
Its grants and advocacy work are all about getting rid of unfairness worldwide. It has programs in developing countries that focus on medical research, public health, and education. The Foundation has offices in Washington, D.C., New Delhi, India, Beijing, and London. Its main office is in Seattle, Washington.
The Wellcome Trust is a private foundation that gives money to science research. It is the second biggest charity for health care in the world.
A portfolio of different assets pays for the Trust's work. These include stocks and shares that are available to the public, private equity, venture capital, real estate, and hedge funds.
Most of the programs that the Mastercard Foundation helps fund are in Africa and focus on helping young people learn and access financial services. They also work with partners to help with research and improve technology, among other things.
Their Scholars Program helps young people from all over the world who are smart and talented get a Master's degree. Its goal is to make leaders who can change things for the better in their communities.
Alwaleed Philanthropies is a Saudi Arabian NGO that works to build bridges for a more compassionate, tolerant, and accepting world. The goal of the Foundation is to fight poverty, give women and young people more power, build communities, help people after disasters, and teach people about other cultures.
In September 2019, the charity group promised $5 million to work with Gavi to stop diseases from spreading in cities with low incomes. The Foundation also donated to UNICEF to help with the Measles and Rubella Initiative, which aims to protect millions of vulnerable children from these dangerous diseases.