America's Top Givers Of 2016
To discover who made good on their charitable pledges in 2016, Forbes partnered with SHOOK Research, headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, and tracked the philanthropists who actually gave away chunks of their fortunes. We only counted money that reached beneficiaries – and excluded commitments that have yet to be paid out or donations that are still sitting as foundation assets. (See the full methodology here).
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"One trend among America’s biggest givers we are continuing to see,” says Frank Berland, Director, SHOOK Research, "is the transparency of giving to bring attention to their passions and inspire others to take action."
For the third year running, Warren Buffett tops the list as the most generous individual in America. The Berkshire Hathaway chairman, who regularly donates billions of dollars of his company’s shares, gave away another $2.86 billion in 2016. Nearly $2.2 billion went to longtime friends Bill and Melinda Gates’ foundation; the rest he gave to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation (named after his late wife) and charities established by his three children. Gates, on the other hand, is no slouch himself. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is the world’s largest private charitable foundation, with a $40.3 billion endowment. He is No. 2 on the list with $2.14 billion in 2016 donations.
1. Warren Buffett
2016 Giving: $2.86 billion
2. Bill & Melinda Gates
2016 Giving: $2.14 billion
3. Michael Bloomberg
2016 Giving: $600 million
4. George Soros
2016 Giving: $531 million
5. Chuck Feeney
2016 Giving: $482 million
6. Walton Family
2016 Giving: $454 million
7. Paul Allen
2016 Giving: $341 million
8. James & Marilyn Simons
2016 Giving: $293 million
9. Gordon & Betty Moore
2016 Giving: $289 million
10. John & Laura Arnold
2016 Giving: $277 million
11. Hansjoerg Wyss
2016 Giving: $276 million
12. Charles Butt
2016 Giving: $183 million
13. Charles Koch
2016 Giving: $180 million
14. Pierre Omidyar
2016 Giving: $173 million
15. Eli & Edythe Broad
2016 Giving: $169 million
16. George Kaiser
2016 Giving: $165 million
17. Irwin & Joan Jacobs
2016 Giving: $162 million
18. Julian Robertson Jr.
2016 Giving: $140 million
19. Lynn Schusterman
2016 Giving: $139 million
20. Ray Dalio
2016 Giving: $138 million
