10:00, 06 February 2026
Words by Abi Scaife, Staff Writer, London
Philanthropy thrives on the big ticket donations of the extremely wealthy - it’s the lifeblood of many charitable causes, and helps to keep many charities operating.
We’ve compiled a list of the Top 20 Global Philanthropists, people from around the world who keep the philanthropic economy thriving, so you can see exactly which of the world’s wealthiest individuals are dedicated to giving back.
Who doesn’t know Bill Gates? Whether you’ve got your finger on the pulse of philanthropy, or you just love Microsoft, Bill Gates is a household name. If you’re unfamiliar, no judgement; and here’s a Smiley News article all about Gates to help you get up to speed.
Though initially gaining fame for co-founding Microsoft with childhood friend Paul Allen, and helping to popularise computers as we know them today, Gates’ name and legacy has become synonymous with philanthropy.
According to an interview with the BBC in February 2025, Bill Gates has donated over $100 billion to charity - that’s around £80 billion. Despite that, he has insisted he still has ‘more to give’ and continues to be one of the world’s most famous, and most prolific, philanthropists.
Causes Bill Gates is passionate about include extreme poverty, access to internet technology, education, and healthcare.
A good friend of Bill Gates’, Warren Buffett started out as an investor, but has made the admirable decision to put more than 99% of his wealth back into the world through charitable donations. That’s right - more than 99% which, when you’re Warren Buffett, is a lot of cash.
Not only has Warren Buffett promised to donate 99% of his wealth to charity, he is also encouraging others to make similar pledges. To this end, he co-founded The Giving Pledge, alongside Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates, asking the world’s wealthiest philanthropists to commit to donating at least 50% of their wealth either in their lifetime or in their will.
As of June 2025, Warren Buffett has donated a whopping $60 billion to charitable causes - and intends to keep going. He also has a standing donation to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation which is collectively, to date, the biggest charitable donation in history.
Causes Warren Buffett is passionate about include healthcare, education, AIDS-prevention, sanitation, and gender equality.
Before George Soros became one of the top global philanthropists, he was born in Budapest to a Jewish family, and survived the Nazi occupation of Hungary. Since then, he made a fortune as an investor and hedge fund manager, and has committed to pouring much of it into charity - including organisations committed to ending and preventing facism.
To date, George Soros has donated more than $32 billion to important causes and charities, primarily through his own Foundation, the Open Societies Foundation.
Causes George Soros is passionate about also include healthcare, anti-fascist publications, human rights, economic, legal, and social reform.
Azim Premji is the founder of tech company, Wipro, as well as being one of the top philanthropists in India and, indeed, one of the top philanthropists worldwide. With an estimated net worth of $11.6 billion, Premji is also one of the philanthropists who has signed The Giving Pledge, committing to give away 50% of his wealth to charitable causes.
For more information on Azim Premji’s philanthropic efforts, you can read our in depth article here.
Like many wealthy philanthropists, Azim Premji set up a foundation in his own name, so that he can make targeted donations to the causes he cares about the most. Through the Azim Premji Foundation, Premji has donated over $21 billion, the majority of which is used to promote education within disadvantaged parts of India.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Premji also used his wealth to increase vaccination programmes, and improve COVID healthcare in India.
One of the internet’s favourite billionaires, Mackenzie Scott has made no secret of her desire to improve the world through philanthropic donations. In particular, she uses her wealth to support often marginalised communities such as Black and Hispanic communities, and the LGBTQ+ community.
Since 2019, Mackenzie Scott has given away around $20 billion of her wealth to charities, not-for-profit organisations, and other worthy causes.
Mackenzie Scott is also a huge supporter of democracy and action on climate change, and has donated large amounts of money to tackling and ending long-term systemic problems such as racial inequality and injustice.
The former Mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg has gone on to not only make a name for himself as a philanthropist, but carve a new path for other philanthropists.
He is endlessly passionate about the climate, about making our cities better for the people who live in them, and promoting education.
Bloomberg has been quoted as saying “I am a big believer in giving it all away and have always said that the best financial planning ends with bouncing the check to the undertaker” - something which he has truly embodied.
Michael Bloomberg has donated more than $21 billion to charitable causes, and has ranked as America’s most generous donor in 2024 and 2025, with donations of $3 billion and $3.7 billion respectively over a twelve month period.
Hailing from Hong Kong, Li Ka Shing is a business magnate and investor, and the senior advisor for CK Hutchinson Holdings. As of 2024, he was ranked the 38th richest person worldwide, though he is well known for living a frugal lifestyle.
What isn’t stingy is his philanthropy. In 1980, Li set up the Li Ka Shing Foundation, to which he has donated over HK$30 billion over the last almost 50 years. This money is funnelled into a variety of different causes, from education and anti-poverty schemes to medical services, much of which is based in Hong Kong and mainland China.
Li has donated over $3.8 billion to charity, and now aged 97, is showing few signs of stopping. The philanthropist has even gone so far as to refer to his charity, the Li Ka Shing Foundation, as his ‘third son’.
Li has supported many causes with his fortune, including medical research, healthcare, education, and more.
A British hedge fund manager, Christopher Hohn has dedicated his life to not only using philanthropy to make the world a better place, but finding new ways to improve the world of philanthropy.
In 2003, Hohn set up The Children's Investment Fund Management, a value-based hedge fund, the profits from which are donated to The Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, making him a great example of venture philanthropy.
Chris Hohn has donated over $4.5 billion to charity, and even gave himself a pay cut in 2025 to increase his giving, in response to budget cuts.
Hohn’s charitable donations primarily focus on children and young people, climate action, poverty, and healthcare.
Born in Switzerland, Hansjörg Wyss gained the majority of his wealth through selling his medical device manufacturing business, Synthes.
Since then, Wyss has gone on to be dubbed one of the ‘most philanthropic people in the world’ by Forbes in 2022.
Wyss has donated over $1.9 billion to charity, as well as setting up his own philanthropic foundations with more than $2 billion in assets.
He primarily donates to causes focused on conservation and the environment, as well as scientific research and liberal causes.
The founder of CNN, Ted Turner has committed to many philanthropic causes throughout his lifetime. Most notably, he donated $1 billion to create the United Nations Foundation, a not-for-profit foundation aimed at increasing the US’s support for the United Nations.
Turner as also created the Ted Turner Foundation, of which the aim is ‘to protect and restore the natural systems – air, land, and water - on which all life depends’.
Alongside the Ted Turner Foundation, Turner has a number of other charitable foundations. These include The Captain Planet Foundation, which helps to encourage young children to make a positive impact in their communities, and the Turner Endangered Species Fund which helps conserve endangered species.
The chairman and co-founder of Nike Inc., Phil Knight was dubbed ‘the most generous philanthropist in Oregon history’, according to the Portland Business Journal. Knight created the Philip H. Knight Charitable Foundation Trust in 1980, and since then has donated huge amounts to charity both through his trust, and other means.
While it’s unclear the exact amount that Phil Knight has donated to charity, we do know that he donated $2 billion to the Oregon Cancer Institute alone.
Knight also makes donations to further other scientific research to institutions such as Stanford University.
An Indian businessman, Adar Poonawalla has used his considerable wealth to give back to the world, primarily through science and health. He created the Villoo Poonawalla Charitable Foundation to help fund schools, hospitals, green spaces, water purification plants and a clean city initiative.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Adar Poonawalla donated $66 million to the University of Oxford to help create the Poonawalla Vaccines Research Building, to aid in finding a vaccination for COVID-19. While the exact figure has not been disclosed, Poonawalla made an eight figure donation to the Science Museum in October 2025 - the largest international donation the museum has received to date.
A husband and wife philanthropic team, Cari Tuna started off as a journalist for The Wall Street Journal, while Dustin Moskovitz was a co-founder of Facebook. Since their marriage, they have jumped feet first into philanthropy, with Tuna quitting her job to commit to giving back full time.
The couple have donated over $4 billion to charity, primarily through their own charitable foundations, Good Ventures and Coefficient Giving.
They primarily focus on causes with the most significant need, and those that have difficulty acquiring funding.
David Bohnett is a technology entrepreneur who, since selling his social networking platform, has become almost a full time philanthropist.
Immediately after selling the platform, he dove into activism, setting up the David Bohnett Foundation. The Foundation supports a number of causes such as the LGBTQ+ community, AIDS-related causes, and gun regulation.
How much has David Bohnett donated to charity?
Through his foundation, David Bohnett has donated more than $140 million to important causes and organisations, as well as making seven and eight figure donations to a number of other organisations such as the LA Philharmonic.
A Sudanese-British businessman, Mo Ibrahim gained his fortune from selling his company, Celtel, for over $3 billion in 2005. Since then, he has gone on to make huge waves in the world of philanthropy, including with his own not-for-profit, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation.
Mo Ibrahim has signed the Giving Pledge, swearing to give away half of his wealth to charitable causes. He is the sole funder of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, which aims to support the continent of Africa, strengthening sound governments and leadership.
Mo Ibrahim’s donations and his foundation also contribute to the causes of young people, the climate, migration and much more.
Eric Schmidt was the CEO of Google for 10 years, and is now estimated to be one of the wealthiest people in the world. Together with his wife, Wendy Schmidt, Eric has dedicated much of this capital to philanthropic causes, including establishing the Schmidt Family Foundation.
The Schmidt family have donated millions of dollars to charitable causes, as well as setting up and funding their own charities to tackle important issues such as ocean welfare and the climate.
The co-founder and chairman of Netflix Inc., Reed Hastings has used the billions he’s earned through his streaming service to donate to some very worthy causes.
The cause which Hastings seems to be most passionate about is education, with many of his donations going to support and fund schools, colleges, and educational initiatives in the US.
Reed Hastings had donated over $1.1 billion to various charities and causes, including to various Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and to improve children’s education as a whole.
Hastings has also signed the Giving Pledge, promising half of his wealth to charitable causes as of 2012.
Marilyn Simons is the wife of the late Jim Simons, hedge fund manager, mathematician and philanthropist. During her husband’s lifetime, they gave over $4 billion to various philanthropic causes and co-founded a number of foundations. Since Jim’s death, Marilyn has committed to continuing his philanthropic work.
Including the $4 billion donated during Jim’s lifetime, Marilyn Simons and her family have donated a whopping $9.4 billion to charity.
Their primary focus appears to be climate action, including helping to cool the earth’s temperature, but the family also funds causes such as overseas healthcare.
The co-founder of Google, Sergey Brin is a wealthy man, and he has given much of that ot charity, In fact, he is one of the very few people who has given $1 billion dollars to the research of one singular illness – Parkinson’s Disease.
During his lifetime, Sergey has donated around $3.9 billion to charitable causes, and has recently branched out to donate to a plethora of other central nervous system diseases.
Brin has also donated to causes such as climate action, and has set up his own nonprofit Catalyst4, which gives back via impact investing.
A Hong-Kong businesswoman, and close friend of Li Ka Shing, Solina Chau is involved in a number of different philanthropic causes, including acting as a director at the Li Ka Shing Foundation. Additionally, Chau founded the H.S. Chau Foundation, through which she donates much of her fortune.
In 2024, Solina Chau donated HK$3,300 to more than 10,000 low income workers in Hong Kong, to help alleviate financial hardships. She has also donated more than S$1 million to support women in Singapore who are in need of advanced cancer treatments.
