These are the donors who gave the most in 2022, according to The Philanthropy 50, an annual ranking compiled by the Chronicle of Philanthropy. A searchable database with more information on the donors and their beneficiaries is available at philanthropy.com.
1. Bill Gates
Microsoft co-founder
$5.1 billion
Biggest gift: $5.1 billion to Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
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2. Michael Bloomberg
Founder of Bloomberg financial news company
$1.7 billion
Biggest gift: Various
Biggest gift: Various
Biggest gift: Various
3. Warren Buffett
Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway
$758.8 million
Biggest gift: $474.3 million to Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation
4. Jacklyn and Miguel Bezos
President of Bezos Family Foundation (Jacklyn) and retired engineer (Miguel)
$710.5 million
Biggest gift: $710.5 million to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
5. John and Laura Arnold
Retired hedge-fund manager (John) and former lawyer (Laura)
$617 million
Biggest gift: $617 million to Laura and John Arnold Foundation
6. Ruth DeYoung Kohler II
John Michael Kohler Arts Center director
$440 million
Biggest gift: $440 million to Ruth Foundation for the Arts
7. Sergey Brin
Google co-founder
$411.4 million
Biggest gift: $274.3 million to Sergey Brin Family Foundation
8. Denny Sanford
Banker
$333 million
Biggest gift: $150 million to University of California at San Diego
9. Alice Clark
Businesswoman
Businesswoman
$321.8 million
Biggest gift: $321.8 million to A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation
10. Harry and Linda Fath
Businessman and wife
Businessman and wife
Businessman and wife
Businessman and wife
$275.3 million
Biggest gift(s): $50 million apiece to Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Cincinnati, Catholic Inner City Schools Education Foundation, Notre Dame Law School, St. Xavier High School, Xavier University
11. Pierre and Pam Omidyar
Founder of eBay and wife
$266 million
12. George Roberts
Co-founder of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts international investment firm
$205 million
Biggest gift: $140 million to Claremont McKenna College
13. Leonard Lauder
Chairman emeritus of the Estee Lauder Companies
$188.3 million
Biggest gift: $125 million to University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine
14. Sobrato Family
Real estate developers
Real estate developers
$167.5 million
Biggest gift: $164 million to Sobrato Family Foundation
15. Audrey Steele Burnand
Former foundation director
$165.8 million
Biggest gift: $106 million to Hoag Hospital Foundation
16. John and Kathy Schreiber
Financier and wife
Financier and wife
$125 million
Biggest gift: $100 million to Loyola University Chicago
17. Jeff Bezos
Amazon founder
$122.2 million
18. Irwin and Joan Jacobs
Qualcomm co-founder and wife
$105.5 million
Biggest gift: $75 million to Joan and Irwin Jacobs Fund at the Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego
19. Edward Avedisian
Clarinetist
$104.8 million
Biggest gift: $100 million to Boston University Aram V. Chobanian & Edward Avedisian School of Medicine
20. Brian Chesky
Airbnb co-founder
$103.3 million
Biggest gift: $100 million to Barack Obama Foundation
21. (tie) Gerry Lenfest
Lenfest Communications founder
$100 million
$100 million
$100 million
Biggest gift(s): $50 million apiece to Lenfest Institute for Journalism and Museum of the American Revolution
21. (tie) Marvin Mann
Businessman
Businessman
Businessman
Biggest gift: $100 million to Samford University
21. (tie) John Paulson
Hedge fund founder
Biggest gift: $100 million New York University
24. Craig Newmark
Craigslist founder
$81 million
Biggest gift: $81 million to Craig Newmark Foundation and Craig Newmark Philanthropic Fund
25. Stuart and Molly Sloan
Investor and wife
$78 million
Biggest gift: $78 million to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
26. David Baldwin
$74.3 million
Biggest gift: $12.7 million to Community Foundation Tampa Bay
27. Anthony Wood
Roku founder
$71.5 million
Biggest gift: $48.2 million to WoodNext Philanthropies
28. Eric and Wendy Schmidt
Former Google CEO and wife
$68.2 million
Biggest gift: $47 million to Schmidt Ocean Institute
29. Fred Smith
FedEx founder
$65 million
Biggest gift: $65 million to Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation
30. Richard and Melanie Lundquist
$62.8 million
Biggest gift: $50 million to McPherson College
31. Adrienne Arsht
$62.4 million
Biggest gift: $25 million Atlantic Council
32. (tie) Marc and Lynne Benioff
Salesforce founder and wife
$60 million
$60 million
Biggest gift: $60 million to University of California at Santa Barbara
32. (tie) Stewart and Judy Colton
Business owners
Biggest gift: $50 million to University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine
34. Joseph Gebbia Jr.
Airbnb co-founder
$58.6 million
Biggest gift: $25 million to American Friends of the Ocean Cleanup
35. Robert and Karen Hale
Granite Telecommunications co-founder and wife
$58.5 million
Biggest gift: $52.3 million to Fox Rock Foundation
36. Tilman Fertitta
Restaurateur
$55.5 million
Biggest gift: $50 million to University of Houston Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine
37. Richard and Nancy Kinder
$55.4 million
Biggest gift: Kinder Foundation
38. (tie) Jon and Mindy Gray
$55 million
$55 million
Biggest gift: $55 million University of Pennsylvania
38. (tie) Roy and Diana Vagelos
Physician-scientist
Biggest gift: $55 million to Barnard Colllege
40. (tie) Jen-Hsun and Lori Huang
Nvidia Corporation founder
$50 million
$50 million
$50 million
Biggest gift: $50 million to Oregon State University Foundation
40. (tie) Thomas Kline
Lawyer
Lawyer
Biggest gift: $50 million to Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University
40. (tie) Peter Paulsen
Real estate developer
Biggest gift: $50 million to PeaceHealth
43. John Metz and Ali Khan
Art collector and husband
$46 million
Biggest gift: $46 million to Miami University
44. Gordon and Joyce Davis
$45.7 million
Biggest gift: $44 million to Texas Tech University
45. Harriet Macomber
Investor
Investor
$45 million
Biggest gift: $45 million to Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines
46. John Martinson
$44.7 million
Biggest gift: $25.4 million to Purdue University
47. David and Kathleen LaCross
$44 million
Biggest gift: $44 million to University of Virginia Darden School of Business
48. Bastian Family
Farmers
$41.3 million
Biggest gift: $41.3 million to Utah State University
49. (tie) David Frederick and Sophia Lynn
$40 million
$40 million
Biggest gift: $35 million to University of Oxford
49. (tie) Murry Gerber
Biggest gift: $40 million to Augustana College