Top ten philanthropists of the 20th century

Celebrating the power of giving, the Indian philanthropic foundation EdelGive and rich list Hurun India have announced the world’s most generous philanthropists of the last century. 

The individuals are ranked by the Total Philanthropic Value of their donations, calculated from the value of their assets and the sum of their donations. 

This means that, for example, George Soros’s generosity was measured based on the funding available to his Open Society Foundation, which is $18 billion, along with his donations to date of $16.8 billion, giving a total of $34.8 billion. Non-binding pledges to donate in the future were not considered by the ranking.

Setting an example to others, the most giving individuals were as follows:

1. Topping their list was Indian industrialist Jamsetji Tata, who founded the country’s biggest conglomerate, Tata Group. Although no longer alive today, Tata certainly left a lasting legacy, giving away $102.4 billion throughout his life, mainly to causes relating to education and healthcare.
2. Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates come second on the list. Their donations total $74.6 billion, primarily supporting advancements in healthcare.
3. Pharmaceutical entrepreneur Henry Wellcome has donated $56.7 billion towards medical progress. After he passed away in 1936 his charitable foundation, the Wellcome Trust continued to distribute his wealth to further life-saving research.
4. Famous for his connection to Hollywood, American business magnate Howard Hughes also dedicated his fortune to supporting research and development. Throughout his life he donated a total of $38.6 billion.
5. Next on the list is another business magnate, Warren Buffet, who recently donated $4.1 billion after resigning from the Gates Foundation. Since 2006 he has given away $37.4 billion mainly to promote good healthcare.
6. The billionaire George Soros comes next with donations of $34.8 billion since 1979. His favoured causes include human rights and justice.
7. Founder of luxury watchmakers Rolex and Tudor, Hans Wilsdorf is the first European on the list. The German businessman has donated $31.5 billion since 1945 to community development.
8. An American pharmaceutical industrialist, Josiah Lilly Senior, features on the list for donating $27.5 billion between 1937 and his death in 1948.
9. John Rockefeller, widely considered the richest man of all time, donated $26.8 billion to health-related causes throughout his life. 
10. Son of the pioneer Henry Ford, Edsel Ford took over his father’s motor company and used his wealth to support human rights and justice, donating a total of $26.6 billion.

To find out who else donated the most money throughout the 20th century, download the full list here.

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