Big in bank balance, bigger in heart: Billionaires who are donating the most

At present the number of billionaires in the world stands at 2,095. Earlier this year, Forbes and Global Citizen partnered up to unveil a list of billionaire philanthropists who have donated the most.  

The list ranks the donors based on how much of their money actually reaches the people who need it, as opposed to being pledged to the billionaire's own charitable foundations.

It also included how much the philanthropists have given, as a percentage of their net worth.

The list is as follows:

1. Warren Buffett

American business magnate Buffett has given away $14.7 billion, which stands nearly 16.3% of his current net worth, in the past five years.

His philanthropic works are particularly focusing on health and poverty alleviation — channeling a lot of donations into the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

2. Bill and Melinda Gates

Tech billionaire Bill Gates and his wife Melinda Gates, the co-founders of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation — the world's largest private charitable foundation, have given away $9.9 billion, an amount near to 9% of their net worth.

Their philanthropic activities support causes such as economic development, health care, and education.

According to Forbes, the Gates Foundation has distributed $50 billion in grants since 1994.

3. George Soros

Hungarian-American investor Soros is one of the most generous donors in terms of his net worth, he has given 37.4% of his wealth, which totals to $3.1 billion.

George Soros's philanthropic works promote human rights and economic development in Eastern Europe through his Open Society Foundations.

4. Michael Bloomberg

Businessman and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg has given $3 billion dollars, 5% of his net worth.

Bloomberg's philanthropic activities promotes public health and gun control, as well as to combat climate change.

5. Walton Family

Walmart founder Sam Walton and his wife Helen launched the Walton Family Foundation.

In the past five years, they have spent a 1.3% of their net worth — spending $2.3 billion.

The foundation's donations primarily funds efforts such as the building of charter schools, and backing new schooling and testing models.

6. Jim & Marilyn Simons

The former math professor and his wife have given $1.65 billion in five years — 7.6% of their net worth — to help promote education in the fields of science and math, as well as funding life science research and research into autism.

7. Chuck Feeney

The co-founder of Duty Free Shoppers has said he aims to give away his entire fortune and die broke.

He has given away $1.6 billion over the past five years through his foundation Atlantic Philanthropies, which is set to cease operations in 2020.

Some of its final initiatives include efforts at promoting health equity throughout the world, and an initiative to reduce the impact of dementia worldwide.

8. Hansjoerg Wyss

Swiss entrepreneur Wyss has given away $1.55 billion — 24.6% of his net worth — to conservation issues, including pledging to donate $1 billion to protect 30% of the Earth's surface by 2030.

9. Pierre Omidyar

The Ebay co-founder has spent $1.4 billion — 10.5% of his net worth — on poverty relief and improved access to education in Africa, India, and Latin America, as well as disaster relief and refugee assistance.

10. Gordon and Betty Moore

The Intel co-founder and his wife have donated $1.5 billion — 11.9% of their net worth — to causes such as environmental conservation in California, scientific research, and higher education.

11. John and Laura Arnold

The former hedge fund manager and his wife focus on using research and advocacy to push for change in criminal justice, healthcare and education.

In the last 5-years, they donated a total of $1.2 billion, giving 36.4% of their net worth of $3.3 billion.

Their work includes creating the Public Safety Assessment, a tool that helps judicial officers assess, using data, whether a person charged with a crime should be eligible for bail; the tool is now used statewide in Arizona, Kentucky, New Jersey and Utah.

 Other initiatives include research on retirement plans and Civica Rx, a not-for-profit generic drug manufacturer that aims to produce essential drugs at affordable prices.

12. Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan

A week after their first child was born, the Facebook CEO and his wife, Priscilla, pledged in December 2015 to give away 99% of their Facebook shares and created the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) to streamline their philanthropy.

In the last 5-years they have donated a total of $1 billion, 1.2% of their net worth of $81.8 billion. Zuckerberg's net worth increased to $107.7 by the end of 2020.

Their philanthropy focuses on education, curing disease and creating inclusive communities by focusing on criminal justice, housing affordability and immigration reform.

In 2018, CZI made a $40 million pledge, to be given out within five years, to the Regional Housing Flexible Fund, a public-private partnership that strives to create affordable housing in the Bay Area.

13. Julian Robertson Jr.

The pioneering founder of hedge fund Tiger Management started the Robertson Foundation to support causes related to the environment, education and medical research.

In the last 5-years he has donated a total of $881 million, 20% of his net worth of $4.4 billion.

The Foundation cofounded the New York City Charter School Center, and created the Robertson Scholars Leadership Program to fund undergraduate education at Duke University and UNC Chapel Hill.

Robertson also established other foundations, including the Tiger Foundation, the Aotearoa Foundation, and in honor of his parents, the Blanche and Julian Robertson Family Foundation.

14. Eli and Edythe Broad

The Los Angeles residents are longtime art patrons; their Broad Art Foundation, created in 1984 as an art lending library, has made more than 8,500 loans to over 500 museums and galleries since its inception.

In the last 5-years, they have donated a total of $816 million, 12% of the $6.8 million net worth.

The foundation also showcases its collection at the Broad, a free contemporary art museum in downtown Los Angeles. The couple supports science and education through their Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation.

They also backed the creation of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, an interdisciplinary institute that aims to use genomic research to cure illnesses like cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

15. Charles Koch

The Koch Industries magnate has put much of his philanthropic efforts toward education. His Charles Koch Foundation gives grants to students and researchers at some 300 colleges, funding research from criminal justice reform and substance abuse to foreign policy and immigration.

Charles has donated a total of $797 million in the last 5 years, which is 1.9% of his $42.8 billion net worth.