February 9, 2016 | Read Time: 2 minutes
Only 23 of the donors on the Philanthropy 50 list also appear on the Forbes 400 list of wealthiest Americans. It may be a sign that many of the wealthiest people in America aren’t big givers. But there’s an important caveat: Some generous billionaires don’t regularly make the Philanthropy 50 because they donate infrequently in very large amounts and some of them may give anonymously.
These 23 donors gave more than $3.6 billion in 2015.
| Donor | Philanthropy 50 rank | Philanthropy 50 total | Net worth | Percentage of wealth directed to charitable giving in 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John and Laura Arnold | 13 | $162.5 million | $2.9 bilion | 5.6 |
| Pierre and Pam Omidyar | 5 | $327 million | $8 bilion | 4.1 |
| John and Jenny Paulson | 4 | $400 million | $11.4 bilion | 3.5 |
| Mark and Mary Stevens | 34 | $61 million | $1.8 bilion | 3.4 |
| David Rubenstein | 27 | $85.9 million | $2.6 bilion | 3.3 |
| J.B. and M.K. Pritzker | 20 | $101 million | $3.4 bilion | 3 |
| David Geffen | 8 | $200 million | $6.9 bilion | 2.9 |
| John and Rosemary Brown | 35 | $59 million | $2.2 bilion | 2.7 |
| Jack Taylor | 11 | $187.8 million | $10.1 bilion | 1.9 |
| Stephen and Christine Schwarzman | 8 | $200 million | $11.6 bilion | 1.7 |
| Gordon and Betty Moore | 23 | $100 million | $6.2bilion | 1.6 |
| Michael Bloomberg | 3 | $510 million | $38.6 bilion | 1.3 |
| Marc and Lynne Benioff | 40 | $50.5 million | $3.8 bilion | 1.3 |
| Jan Koum | 33 | $64.2 million | $7.7 bilion | 0.8 |
| Alice Walton | 7 | $224.8 million | $32 bilion | 0.7 |
| Michael and Marian Ilitch | 47 | $40 million | $5.4 bilion | 0.7 |
| Paul G. Allen | 17 | $113 million | $17.8 bilion | 0.6 |
| David Koch | 10 | $192 million | $41 bilion | 0.5 |
| Bill and Melinda Gates | 6 | $272 million | $76 bilion | 0.4 |
| Ray and Barbara Dalio | 32 | $65 million | $15.3 bilion | 0.4 |
| Jim Walton | 25 | $91.1 million | $33.7 bilion | 0.3 |
| Robson Walton | 25 | $91.1 million | $31.7 bilion | 0.3 |
| Lawrence Ellison | 44 | $49.5 million | $47.5 bilion | 0.1 |
Among the 114 U.S. signers of the Giving Pledge, 13 landed a spot on the Philanthropy 50. The Giving Pledge was started in 2010 by Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates to persuade the world’s wealthiest people to commit to giving at least 50 percent of their wealth to charity.
These donors gave nearly $2 billion.
| Michael Bloomberg (No. 3) | $510 million |
| Pierre and Pam Omidyar (No. 5) | $327 million* |
| Bill and Melinda Gates (No. 6) | $272 million* |
| John and Laura Arnold (No. 13) | $162.5 million* |
| Paul Allen (No. 17) | $113 million |
| Gordon and Betty Moore (No. 23) | $100 million |
| David Rubenstein (No. 27) | $85.9 million |
| Joan and Irwin Jacobs (No. 29) | $82.3 million |
| Gerry and Marguerite Lenfest (No. 30) | $80 million |
| Ray and Barbara Dalio (No. 32) | $65 million* |
| Mark and Mary Stevens (No. 34) | $61 million |
| Herbert and Nicole Wertheim (No. 39) | $52 million |
| Larry Ellison (No. 44) | $49.5 million* |
* Indicates primary gift to their own foundations
