The 10 Most Generous Philanthropic Donors Of 2018

ByJoseph Gibsonon March 5, 2019inArticles›Billionaire News

Last year, we saw another bunch of billionaires attempting to give away some money to causes they have chosen to champion, and as you already know, some gave away more than others. The Chronicle of Philanthropy is a magazine that covers the world of nonprofit organizations and the financiers behind them, and one of its annual features has to do with ranking the most generous people in a given year. Below, for 2018, are the ten most generous philanthropic donors of the year.

Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos: $2,000,000,000

The 10 Most Generous Philanthropic Donors Of 2018 - 1

Jerod Harris/Getty Images

Michael Bloomberg: $767,000,000

Michael Bloomberg might have been thinking about a possible presidential run when be broke out his checkbook enough for $767 million in giving over the course of 2018.

Pierre and Pam Omidyar: $392,000,000

The Omidyar fortune comes from eBay, which made co-founder Pierre a billionaire back in the late 90s. Since then he’s mostly focused on philanthropy full time, which is how he consistently ranks so highly on lists like these despite not being as high profile as many of the other people seen here.

Stephen Schwarzman: $390,000,000

The 10 Most Generous Philanthropic Donors Of 2018 - 2

John Moore/Getty Images

Schwarzman made his fortune in the world of high finance, but when it comes to philanthropy his nearly $400 million in giving went towards the cause of education.

Steve and Connie Ballmer: $295,000,000

Edging close to the $300 million giving mark are Steve and Connie Ballmer , benefiting various good causes.

Paul Allen: $261,432,500

Tech billionaire Paul Allen passed away in October of 2018, but he still managed to contribute enough money to make the top 10 for the year. His favored causes in that time were artificial intelligence and medical research.

Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan: $213,598,215

The 10 Most Generous Philanthropic Donors Of 2018 - 3

Adam Berry/Getty Images

Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan are dedicated philanthropists with over $213 million (towards many different causes) in 2018 giving.

John and Laura Arnold: $204,300,000

The Arnold fortune comes from finance as well as energy, and they gave back more than $200 million to various causes in 2018.

Jay Alix: $200,000,000

Jay Alix is an extremely successful consultant, and his chosen cause is higher education, with all $200 million of his philanthropic gifts going towards that cause.

Edward Bass: $160,000,000

Another champion of higher education is Edward Bass , who closes out the top 10 with $160 million in higher education giving.

  • These Incredibly Generous Billionaires Would Rather Give Their Money Away To Charity Than Let Their Kids Waste It
  • Jeff Bezos Tops The List Of The Most Philanthropic People Of 2020
  • New Analysis Reveals The Most Charitable American Billionaires
  • The Billionaire Giving Pledge Approaching $600 Billion In Value
  • Here’s Where Some Of The Tech Billionaire “Giving Pledge” Signers Are Donating Their Money
  • Jeff Bezos Announces Intention To Give Most Of His Fortune Away