The Philanthropy 50 2009 Gift Profile: Oprah Winfrey
February 7, 2010 | Read Time: 1 minute
Oprah Winfrey: $41.4-million
Biggest beneficiary: Oprah Winfrey Foundation
Donor’s background: Ms. Winfrey is chairwoman of Harpo, a multimedia entertainment company, in Chicago.
Ms. Winfrey, 56, gave $40-million to the Oprah Winfrey Foundation, in Chicago, to support education, as well as programs for women and children in the United States and abroad. She established the foundation in 1995.
In addition to the donation to her foundation, Ms. Winfrey gave nearly $1.3-million to Oprah’s Angel Network, which she created in 1998 to encourage other celebrities and fans to donate money to charity. Ms. Winfrey pays the organization’s administrative costs so that all money donated to the network from others can go to charitable causes.
She also gave a total of $123,880 to the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy Foundation and other nonprofit groups. The Leadership Academy Foundation is an organization Ms. Winfrey established to support the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls-South Africa, in Henley on Klip. The private school opened in 2007.
—Maria Di Mento
|
Year |
Rank |
Total donated or pledged |
|
2007 |
37 |
$50.2-million |
|
2006 |
36 |
$58.3-million |
|
2005 |
22 |
$51.8-million |
|
2004 |
24 |
$50-million |
|
2003 |
21 |
$50.7-million |
View more profiles of donors who gave the most in 2009.
