Top Millionaires Who Give Away Money in Recent Years
Warren Buffett remains the most prominent example of millionaires who give away money, having pledged more than 99% of his wealth to philanthropy through the Giving Pledge, a commitment he first announced in 2010 and has continued to expand with annual contributions to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other organizations Forbes.
MacKenzie Scott, formerly married to Jeff Bezos, has distributed billions of dollars since 2020 through direct unrestricted gifts to over 1,600 organizations, focusing on racial equity, LGBTQ+ rights, and economic mobility, with public filings showing donations exceeding 14 billion dollars in total as of her latest giving reports Forbes.
Major Foundations and Giving Structures Used by Wealthy Donors
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the largest private foundation in the world, has disbursed over 60 billion dollars since its founding in 2000, with annual spending focused on global health, education, and poverty alleviation, and continues to operate as a key vehicle for millionaires who give away money at scale Gates Foundation.
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, founded by Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, operates as a limited liability company rather than a traditional foundation, allowing for more flexible investments in science, education, and community development, with the couple pledging to donate 99% of their Meta shares over their lifetime SEC.
Verified Commitments and Public Records of Charitable Giving
The Giving Pledge, co-founded by Buffett and Bill Gates in 2010, now includes over 240 billionaires and ultra-high-net-worth individuals who have publicly committed to donating the majority of their wealth, with signatories regularly updating their giving progress through public letters and foundation reports Giving Pledge.
The IRS Form 990-PF and public charity databases provide transparent records of foundation spending, showing that the top 100 U.S. foundations collectively distributed over 100 billion dollars in grants and charitable spending in recent years, with individual millionaires who give away money often using donor-advised funds and private foundations to structure their contributions SEC.