Who are the top ten philanthropists of the last five years?

  • Context: News 
  • Thread starter Thread starter loseyourname
  • Start date Start date
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the identification of the top ten philanthropists over the last five years, exploring various perspectives on their contributions, motivations, and the implications of their giving. Participants engage in a mix of factual recounting, personal opinions, and critiques regarding the nature of philanthropy.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant lists the top ten philanthropists and highlights Bill and Melinda Gates' significant lifetime contributions, noting their focus on health, education, and libraries.
  • Another participant questions the feasibility of donating more than one's net worth, suggesting that some might borrow money to make such donations.
  • Concerns are raised about the motivations behind Bill Gates' donations, with some arguing that they serve political and business interests rather than true philanthropy.
  • Some participants express skepticism about the classification of certain individuals as philanthropists, suggesting that only a few on the list genuinely fit the label.
  • There is a discussion about the importance of intentions behind charitable giving, with contrasting views on whether these intentions should affect the perception of the donations' value.
  • Clarifications are made regarding the interpretation of donation percentages relative to current net worth, with one participant explaining how this could lead to figures exceeding 100% of net worth.
  • Another participant expresses frustration at the exclusive association of philanthropy with wealth, arguing that it diminishes the contributions of those with less financial means.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants exhibit a range of opinions on the motivations and classifications of philanthropists, with no clear consensus on who qualifies as a true philanthropist or the implications of their giving. Disagreements persist regarding the nature of charitable intentions and the impact of wealth on philanthropy.

Contextual Notes

Some participants express confusion over the definitions and calculations of donations as a percentage of net worth, indicating a need for clarity on how these figures are derived. The discussion also touches on the broader implications of wealth in philanthropy and societal perceptions of charitable acts.

loseyourname
Staff Emeritus
Gold Member
Messages
1,840
Reaction score
5
http://www.businessweek.com/pdfs/2005/0548_philsco.pdf

The top ten:

1. Gordon and Betty Moore
2. Bill and Melinda Gates
3. Warren Buffett
4. George Soros
5. Eli and Edythe Broad
6. James and Virginia Stowers
7. The Walton Family
8. Alfred Mann
9. Michael and Susan Dell
10. George Kaiser

These numbers are over the last five years. In terms of lifetime giving, no one even comes close to Bill and Melinda Gates, who have given nearly $28 billion, mostly to fund health, education, and libraries according to this document. The most impressive philanthropist on the list, however, might be Veronica Atkins, who has given a ridiculous 1000% of her current net worth to fighting obesity and diabetes. Another notable is NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg, who comes in at #13 on the list, setting a good example for the people of his city.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Physics news on Phys.org
I'm sure if this is based on a % of your worth there are bigger Philanthropists than listed here.. but 1000% is quiet generous :-)
 
Last edited:
Lyn, I originally thought you accidentally typed an extra zero, and meant to say Ms. Atkins gave 100% of her net worth to charity, but the list actually says 1,000%. How does one donate more money than they're worth? Have those people who donated more than their net worth (and there were quite a few who donated 200% or 300%) borrowed money to donate to charity? If not, how is that possible?

Or...
Is it giving as a percent of their current net worth?
 
wasteofo2 said:
How does one donate more money than they're worth?
Until they gave so much, they were worth more.
 
Didn't bill gates give something like $1,000,000,000 to charity last/a few years ago? And no one seemed to say a word about it... I mean politics aside and whether or not you agreed with where the money went... a billion freaken dollars!
 
Bill Gates uses donations for political and business gain. While this is 'giving to charity', it can't be called true 'philanthropy'.
 
RunDMC said:
Bill Gates uses donations for political and business gain. While this is 'giving to charity', it can't be called true 'philanthropy'.

What political and business gain?

Very very few people even know he's a democrat! What is your justification for saying that?
 
pfft, only 2, maybe 3 of those people could ever be called a 'philanthropist' and that's stretching it. They certainly don't deserve to be on the top 10.
 
Why all the hate for people giving millions of dollars to charity? I can't see why someone's intentions should matter when giving millions to those in need, so long as the money actuall helps people out.

It's like that thing with Chavez giving all that oil to poor people in Mass. and the Bronx, of course he's kinda doing it as a political stunt, but that doesn't really matter to the people who're going to be able to keep their homes warm this winter.
 
  • #10
wasteofo2 said:
Why all the hate for people giving millions of dollars to charity? I can't see why someone's intentions should matter when giving millions to those in need, so long as the money actuall helps people out.
It's not that I hate them, I just see no reason to consider them beneficial or 'good' (with the possible exception of george soros). In the end it comes down to ideas about property.
 
  • #11
Why does your one exception happen to be one of the biggest underminers of democracy in the United States... is an absolutely blinding example of Capitalism... the French caught him conducting insider trading... how can he be your exception?
 
  • #12
I did say possible, I don't know very much about him.
 
  • #13
russ_watters said:
Until they gave so much, they were worth more.
Or maybe it's that they have given that much money over their life time in comparison to their current net worth.
I was a bit confused at first too but that was the way that I eventually interpreted it.
 
  • #14
It's a percentage of their current net worth. That means that, over the course of the last five years, she has given away ten times as much as she still has. If, for example, she is currently worth $100 million, then she has given away $1 billion over the last five years (the actual number is on the list, but I don't feel like looking it up), and was worth $1.1 billion five years ago.
 
  • #15
of the ways they could have spent money for personal gains, i don't understand how giving hundreds of millions of dollars to charity would be high on the list.
 
  • #16
It is despicable to, in effect, reserve the term "philantropist" to people with lots of money.
 
  • #17
It's just a word, arildno. Calling someone a "philanthropist" in no way disparages someone else who has less and so donates less.