February 10, 2014 | Read Time: 1 minute
Amount donated in 2013: $219-million
Top beneficiary: Brin Wojcicki Foundation
Other notable gift: Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research
Background: Mr. Brin co-founded Google, and Ms. Wojcicki is a biotechnology analyst who co-founded the genetic-testing company, 23andME.
Mr. Brin and Ms. Wojcicki, who are both 40, gave $187-million to their Brin Wojcicki Foundation. The philanthropy devotes most of its grant making to a handful of nonprofits including Ashoka, an organization that brings together social entrepreneurs to work on education, the environment, and women’s issues; the Human Rights Foundation; and Tipping Point Community, a charity that seeks to eliminate poverty in Northern California.
The couple also donated $32-million last year to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. Mr. Brin has written about his family’s experiences with Parkinson’s disease, and he and Ms. Wojcicki have previously given nearly $95-million to the foundation.
The couple, who married in 2007, announced in August that they are living apart but not legally separated.
The Philanthropy 50: Browse the full list of America’s most generous donors in 2013.
Learn more: See these donors’ listing in our database of major gifts, America’s Top Donors.
