Top 10 philanthropists

Below is a list of the top 10 philanthropists with brief summaries on what they have done;

10. Richard Branson
Establishing his own foundation, Virgin Unite, Branson donates millions of his own money from his business holdings to help create new models to address conflict, climate change and disease around the world.

9. Eli and Edythe Board
Eli, a prominent business man, along with his wife manage The Board Foundation. Made up of smaller organisations, The Board Foundation helps in areas of education, sciences, arts and civic services.

8. Warren Buffet
Many people believe that warren buffet should be further up the list due to the amount of money he has to give. Upon the passing of his wife, her share of the couples fortune was given to charities. Buffet also has given his children money to start their own philanthropic projects

7. Thomas Siebel
Siebel became aware of his home states methamphetamine addiction and set up a foundation, The Meth Project, to deal with the issue. Donation a sizable portion of his own wealth, thousands of adds form magazines to billboards were purchased bringing people’s attention to the help at hand

6. William Barron Hilton
While living a very lavish lifestyle in the past, Hilton has now pledged 97% of his personal wealth to the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. This will mean that the foundation will be able to continue helping the homeless by offering shelter, providing vocational training and assisting the disabled

5. George Soros
His Open Society Institute has invested funds in many different areas from scholarships to economic relief. He also assists heavily in trying to shape governments in poorer countries believing that poverty is a result of inadequate leadership.

4. Chris and Jamie Cooper-Hohn
This husband and wife duo head up the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, targeting the poorest areas in the world to help improve the lives of children. They are focused on projects that have an immediate impact, like the alleviation of hunger and medical help.

3. Bill and Hillary Clinton
The Clinton Foundation works around the world to provide life’s essentials, such as clean drinking water to poor nations, educational opportunities for those who cannot afford it themselves and more recently working towards a cleaner environment.

2. Donna and Philip Berber
The founders of ‘A Glimmer of Hope’, Donna and Philip focus their attention on places such as Ethiopia where their donations have gone to the development of infrastructure. The foundation is responsible for thousands of water wells, hundreds of schools and the lending of microloans.

1. Bill and Melinda Gates
The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation has assets worth over $34 billion and assists in areas ranging from educational grants to medical research. Their aim is to help improve lives and in an outstanding show of generosity, donated their entire 09 dividend from Microsoft totalling over $3 billion dollars.

Is there anyone that you feel should be on this list?

Happy Donating ;)
Mark, 1DC