Pioneering businessman Andrew Carnegie once said, “The man who dies rich dies disgraced.” Let’s see who the world’s most generous billionaires are.
#15 Mark Zuckerberg - Generosity Index: 4%
As the co-founder and ECO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg is one of the youngest self-made billionaires in the world. He is the member of the Giving Pledge, promising to donate at least half of his fortune. In the fight against Ebola in 2014, Zuckerberg donated $25 million alongside his wife Priscilla. He also endowed $75 million to San Francisco General Hospital through the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. According to Wealth-X, his net worth is $ 40.7 billion, and his lifetime donations are $1.6 billion.
#14 Li Ka-shing - Generosity Index: 5%
Li Ka-shing is a Chinese investor and one of the richest men in Asia. He established the Li Ka-shing Foundation in 1980 to donate to culture, healthcare, education and community-related causes. The Foundation supports the establishment of the only privately funded public university in China, Shantou University. He is also a supporter of many US universities, including Stanford University, UC Berkeley and University of California. Mr. Li’s net worth is $26.6%, and his lifetime donations are $1.4 billion.
#13 Michael Bloomberg - Generosity Index: 8%
Michael Bloomberg is an American businessman, who is the founder and CEO of Bloomberg media company. He established Bloomberg Philanthropies in 2006, which gives support to causes like environmental preservation, healthcare and education. He further launched a program through Bloomberg Philanthropies named “What Works Cities” in 2015, which is designed to help 100 mid-sized American cities enhance their use of data and evidence to improve people’s lives. Bloomberg’s net worth is $37.7 and his lifetime donations are $3 billion.
#12 Paul Allen - Generosity Index: 12%
Paul Allen is an American business mogul. He’s the co-founder of Microsoft, and the founder and chairman of Vulcan Inc. As the current chairman of the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, he supports a range of global-health causes, including Seattle BioMed, Alzheimer’s research, and Global FinPrint, which is a project working on the preservation of sharks. Paul Allen’s net worth is $17.3 billion, and his lifetime donations are $2 billion.
#11 Pierre Omidyar - Generosity Index: 16%
Pierre Omidyar is an Iranian-American businessman. He is the founder of eBay, serving as its Chairman since 1998. In 1998, Pierre established the Omidyar Foundation alongside his wife Pamela. The Foundation is made up of Ulupono Initiative, Hopelab, Humanity United and Omidyar Network, and it donates to various causes like human rights, entrepreneurship, games and technology, and food and energy. In 2012, Pierre Omidyar and his wife became member of the Giving Pledge, promising to endow most of their fortune. His net worth is $6.2 billion, and his lifetime donations are $1 billion.
#10 Bill Gates - Generosity Index: 32%
Bill Gates is best known as the the co-founder of Microsoft Corporation, however, he is now focusing on charity work. He and his wife started the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which donates to worldwide programs and initiatives ranging from education, urban poverty, global health, emergency relief to agricultural development. Bill Gates’s net worth is $84.2 billion, and his lifetime donations are $27 billion.
#9 George Soros - Generosity Index: 33%
George Soros is a Hungarian-American investor. He establishes the Soros Fund Management. After retiring from SFM, George is now the chairman of Open Society Foundations, which donate to education, health, social services, community development and international causes. Soros also pledged an endowment of €420 million to the Central European University. His net worth is $24.4 billion and his lifetime donations are $8 billion.
#8 Warren Buffett - Generosity Index: 35%
Warren Buffett is an American business tycoon. As the Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett is wealthy and philanthropic. He promised to donate 85% of his fortune to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, as well as other charitable foundations, in 2006. And in 2009, Buffett together with Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates founded The Giving Pledge, whereby billionaires pledge to donate half of their wealth at least. His net worth is $61 billion, and his lifetime donations are $21.5 billion.
#7 Eli Broad - Generosity Index: 45%
Eli Broad is an American entrepreneur. He’s the founder of KB Home and SunAmerica, which are both Fortune 500 companies. Broad established The Broad Foundation, focusing on arts, science and public education. His net worth is $7.3 billion, and his lifetime donations are $3.3 billion.
#6 Azim Premji - Generosity Index: 50%
Azim Premji is an Indian business magnate. He’s the chairman of Wipro Limited, a consulting and IT company. He starts the Azim Premji Foundation to improve India’s school and examination systems. The foundation also works on other educational causes, including computer training and teacher training. Premji’s net worth is $15.9 billion, and his lifetime donations are $8 billion.
#5 Ted Turner - Generosity Index: 57%
Ted Turner is an American media mogul. He’s the founder of Cable News Network (CNN) and vice chairman of AOL Time Warner. Turner runs his philanthropy work through Turner Global Foundation and Turner Foundation, which both invest in wildlife conservation, environmental conservation and community development. He also donate to the UN Foundation, promoting its charity causes on children’s health, world peace, women and population. His net worth is $2.1 billion and his lifetime donations are $1.2 billion.
#4 Gordon Moore - Generosity Index: 77%
Gordon Moore is the co-founder and emeritus chairman of Intel Corporation. He retired from his position in 2006 and then established the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation with his wife. The foundation covers a variety of fields, including environmental conservation, science, the San Francisco community and patient care. Moore’s net worth is $6.5 billion, and his lifetime donations are $5 billion.
#3 Jon Huntsman Sr. - Generosity Index: 128%
Jon Huntsman Sr. is an American businessman. He’s the executive chairman and founder of Huntsman Corporation, a global manufacturer of specialty chemicals. Huntsman devotes most of his charitable donations to cancer-research centres and colleges, because he himself has reportedly survived mouth cancer. He and his wife are also members of Giving Pledge, intending to give away 50% of their fortune. Huntsman’s lifetime donations are $1.2 billion and his net worth is $940 million.
#2 Sulaiman bin Abdul Aziz Al Rajhi - Generosity Index: 966%
Sulaiman bin Abdul Aziz Al Rajhi is the co-founder of Al Rajhi Bank, which is now one of the largest Islamic banks around the world. Sulaiman has devoted into charity work since 2013, supporting health, religious, educational and other social causes. The net worth of Sulaiman is $590 million, and his lifetime donations are $5.7 billion.
#1 Charles Francis Chuck Feeney - Generosity Index: 420,000%
Chuck Feeney is an Irish-American retail tycoon, who started a business pioneering the industry of duty-free shopping. It seems that Feeney’s life mission is to share his wealth. Frugality is the keyword of his life: living in a rented apartment, flying economy-class, not owning any real estate. Feeney’s net worth is $1.5 million while his lifetime donations are $6.3 billion.
