5x Philanthropists Donating Billions

Philanthropy means 'love of humanity'. If you have billions to spare, why not donate to a good cause? MASTERS lists several generous donors.

Warren Buffett

If there is one name that can be linked to investing, it is investment guru Warren Buffett. He is a director with a 38% stake as a major shareholder of Berkshire Hathaway. Buffet has been on the list of the world's wealthiest people for several decades and has donated more than €43.6 billion to date. A large portion of his donations go to the foundation of his good friends Bill and Melinda Gates. Every year, approximately 2 to 3 billion euros in Berkshire Hathaway shares go to the foundation. It is committed to initiatives in the field of poverty and healthcare in developing countries and education in the US, among other things. 

Mary Rhinehart, a Berkshire CEO, is successfully running a $2.5B company in a male-dominated field #LeanInTogether pic.twitter.com/MNgeXvee18

— Warren Buffett (@WarrenBuffett) March 5, 2015

Bill Gates 

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was the main platform of the former couple's philanthropic efforts. Despite ending their 27-year marriage, the duo remained chairman of the foundation they founded in 2000. The foundation's primary goals are to improve health care, reduce poverty, and increase access to educational opportunities and information technology in the US. The former couple has donated a total of € 36.3 billion. To give the foundation an extra boost, Bill Gates himself donated almost 2022 billion extra to the foundation in July 19.

mackenzie scott

MacKenzie Scott is an American writer and philanthropist. You may also know her through her marriage to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Bezos' ex-wife inherited a huge fortune after her divorce from the billionaire and has since been actively supporting charities. So far, in less than two years, she has approx € $8.1 billion donated.

George Soros 

George Soros is a Hungarian-American businessman and publicist. For more than 30 years he has been a prominent and international supporter of democratic ideals and goals. With his Open Society Foundations he supports democracy and human rights in more than 100 countries. To date, Soros has donated around €17 billion. For example, last year he made a donation of almost €24 million to set up the Ukraine Democracy Fund to support Ukraine. 

Michael Bloomberg

In 1981, Michael Bloomberg founded the media company Bloomberg LP. The businessman started his career on Wall Street and even served as mayor of New York City for 12 years. With his Bloomberg Philanthropies foundation, he tackles climate change, fights gun ownership and promotes public health. So far he has donated generously €13.2 billion.