2019 Philanthropy 50 Related Stories ➞
‘Forbes 400′ and ‘Giving Pledge’ Billionaires Who Gave Big in 2018
By Maria Di Mento
Senior Editor
February 12, 2019 | Read Time: 2 minutes
Philanthropy 50 Donors on the Forbes 400 Gave $5.5 Billion
Only 21 people on the Forbes 400 list of the wealthiest Americans appear among this year’s Philanthropy 50 list. That could be a sign that many of the wealthiest people in America aren’t big givers. But there are important caveats: Some billionaires don’t regularly make the Philanthropy 50 because they donate infrequently in very large amounts. Others may give anonymously or choose not to disclose their charitable giving publicly or to the Chronicle.
| Philanthropy 50 rank | Donor | Amount donated | Forbes rank | Net worth | Share of wealth donated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos | $2,000,000,000 | 1 | $160,000,000,000 | 1.3 |
| 2 | Michael Bloomberg | $767,000,000 | 10 | $51,800,000,000 | 1.5 |
| 3 | Pierre and Pam Omidyar | $392,000,000 | 38 | $11,600,000,000 | 3.4 |
| 4 | Stephen Schwarzman | $390,000,000 | 34 | $13,800,000,000 | 2.8 |
| 6 | Paul Allen | $261,432,500 | 21 | $20,300,000,000 | 1.3 |
| 7 | Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan | $213,598,215 | 4 | $61,000,000,000 | 0.4 |
| 8 | John and Laura Arnold | $204,300,000 | 239 | $3,300,000,000 | 6.2 |
| 12 | Bill and Melinda Gates | $138,000,000 | 2 | $97,000,000,000 | 0.1 |
| 17 | Raymond and Barbara Dalio | $102,800,000 | 25 | $18,100,000,000 | 0.6 |
| 21 | Marc and Lynne Benioff | $100,300,000 | 84 | $6,400,000,000 | 1.6 |
| 22 | Denny Sanford | $100,000,000 | 316 | $2,600,000,000 | 3.8 |
| 32 | Julian Robertson Jr. | $60,000,000 | 168 | $4,300,000,000 | 1.4 |
| 45 | Bob and Renee Parsons | $48,195,560 | 328 | $2,500,000,000 | 1.9 |
| 5 | Steve and Connie Ballmer | $295,000,000 | 14 | $42,300,000,000 | 0.7 |
| 10 | Edward Bass | $160,000,000 | 344 | $2,400,000,000 | 6.7 |
| 29 | Sheldon and Miriam Adelson | $70,000,000 | 15 | $35,500,000,000 | 0.2 |
| 35 | Brian Acton | $50,000,000 | 215 | $3,600,000,000 | 1.4 |
| 35 | Marc and Carolyn Rowan | $50,000,000 | 251 | $3,200,000,000 | 1.6 |
| 44 | Stewart and Lynda Resnick | $49,092,584 | 114 | $5,600,000,000 | 0.9 |
| 47 | Leon and Debra Black | $40,000,000 | 76 | $6,800,000,000 | 0.6 |
| 47 | Gary and Kathleen Rollins | $40,000,000 | 153 | $4,500,000,000 | 0.9 |
Philanthropy 50 Donors Who Signed the Giving Pledge Gave $2.7 Billion
Among the 143 U.S. signers of the Giving Pledge, 14 individuals or couples landed a spot on the Philanthropy 50. Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates started the Giving Pledge in 2010 to persuade the world’s wealthiest people to commit to giving at least half of their fortunes to charity.
| Philanthropy 50 Rank | Donor | Amount donated | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Michael Bloomberg | $767,000,000 | |
| 3 | Pierre and Pam Omidyar | $392,000,000 | * |
| 6 | Paul Allen | $261,432,500 | |
| 7 | Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan | $213,598,215 | * |
| 8 | John and Laura Arnold | $204,300,000 | * |
| 12 | Bill and Melinda Gates | $138,000,000 | * |
| 14 | Irwin and Joan Jacobs | $108,841,000 | * |
| 17 | Raymond and Barbara Dalio | $102,800,000 | * |
| 19 | Sheryl Sandberg | $100,730,025 | * |
| 21 | Marc and Lynne Benioff | $100,300,000 | |
| 22 | Denny Sanford | $100,000,000 | |
| 30 | Ernest and Evelyn Rady | $67,980,000 | |
| 32 | Julian Robertson Jr. | $60,000,000 | * |
| 45 | Bob and Renee Parsons | $48,195,560 | * |
*Indicates the primary gift went to the donor’s own foundation or donor-advised fund.
