20 of the Most Generous Millionaires and Billionaires in the World

Bill Gates is not only one of the richest people in the world, but also one of the most generous. With his wife Melinda and fellow billionaire Warren Buffett he started The Giving Pledge, inspiring other rich people to use their money for the greater good. According to Forbes, in June 2017 he donated $4.6 billion worth of Microsoft shares to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to combat malaria and improve healthcare around the world.

Warren Buffett is well-known as one of the world’s thriftiest billionaires. He’s a co-founder of The Giving Pledge and, according to Inside Philanthropy, since 2006 he’s given away around $27 billion worth of Berkshire Hathaway stock to the charitable foundations controlled by his children, as well as to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Having survived the Holocaust, George Soros left his native Hungary and moved to England to study. He became super wealthy through shrewd investments and started his philanthropic career by giving scholarships to black students in South Africa during apartheid. His Open Society Foundations work in over 100 countries, according to the BBC, and focus on promoting human rights.

One of the richest people in India, one of the countries with the most billionaires, Azim Premji made his money with software. His charitable foundations focus on primary education and improving the lives of street children and the disabled in India. According to Mint, he’s already given away around 63% of his wealth to charitable trusts.

Through Duty Free Shoppers, Chuck Feeney once had it all. He was one of the world’s richest people but is now nearly broke because of The Atlantic Philanthropies. However, he lost it all on purpose: Forbes calls him the James Bond of Philanthropy since he’s often clandestinely given away huge amounts of money to causes like education, human rights and health.

CNN founder Ted Turner is one of the wealthy people whose children won’t inherit much. The media magnate has won several awards for his philanthropy. In 1997, he famously gave away $1 billion to the United Nations. As UN Digest says, at the time he explained that it didn’t make him any poorer but that it did make the world better.

According to Inside Philanthropy, Michael Bloomberg has already given away more than $6 billion through his charitable foundations. The former New York City mayor donates to a wide variety of causes, from reducing traffic accidents to urban improvement, gun safety and fighting climate change.

One of the world’s richest women, Oprah Winfrey is as famous for her generosity as for her talk show. According to Popsugar, she founded a school for girls in South Africa, provides grants to non-profit organizations, donates to charities and runs a program to inspire young people to bring hope to their own communities.

Carlos Slim Helu made much of his money through mobile technology. While his own charitable foundations and his donations to other charities help causes like fighting poverty, improving healthcare and education and conservation, he believes that the key to improving lives is education and job opportunities. According to Forbes, Mexico’s richest person has launched an online platform that provides free education and job training.

Elton John is one of the richest rock stars in the world. He’s also one of the most generous. He got his knighthood not for his music but for his philanthropy, having donated more than $43 million to charity, according to MicroGiving. While he gives to a wide variety of causes, most of his charitable work is through the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

J.K. Rowling was the first writer to become a billionaire. According to Philanthropic People, however, she got knocked off the billionaires list because she donated so much to charity. In 2011 alone, she gave away $160 million. She also runs Volant, a charitable trust that supports a variety of causes, especially focusing on women and children.

As one of the world’s richest rappers, Nicki Minaj is known for her flamboyance. She doesn’t make a song and dance about her charitable work though. She’d been donating secretly to a village in India for years and in 2017, she paid off some of her fans’ student loans. As Popsugar says, she now has a scholarship program to help more fans with their student debt.

For years, George Clooney has been using his star power to draw attention to human rights issues, while his wife Amal is a renowned human rights lawyer. The couple put their money where their mouths are, donating to causes ranging from Syrian refugees to combating hate groups. Harpers Bazaarr says that in 2018, they also donated $500,000 to March for Our Lives and another $100,000 to help migrant children.

Having received one of the biggest movie star paydays of all time, Leonardo DiCaprio has plenty of money to his name. He’s been using his fame to draw attention to environmental causes and, according to Philanthropy News Digest, in 2017 his Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation gave $20 million’s worth of grants to more than 100 organizations working in the areas of conservation, the environment and human rights.

George Michael’s life was filled with scandal and tabloid fodder. After his death in 2016, however, we found out just how generous he was. In addition to donating millions to charities – so much that he kept some children’s charities going – he also gave money to random strangers who needed it. As Metro reports, he even secretly volunteered at a homeless shelter.

Paul Allen may not be as famous or as rich as his Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, but he’s just as generous. Philanthropy News Digest says that the billionaire – who still lives in Seattle, one of the best places for tech startups – has already given away more than $700 million. He focuses on charitable causes like community development, social change, arts and culture, the youth and scientific and technological innovation.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is one another super wealthy tech billionaire who wants to make a difference. With his wife Priscilla Chan he heads the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, which they started after their first child was born. According to Forbes, their focus is on looking for long-term solutions to issues like criminal justice reform, immigration reform, healthcare and housing.

Hong Kong billionaire has found one of the best things to do after retirement: focusing on his charitable foundation, which he calls his third son, according to Business Insider.

The Li Ka Shing Foundation supports a variety of causes and funds China’s Shantou University. A donation of $25 million also helped establish the University of Alberta’s Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology.

Country queen Dolly Parton grew up dirt poor but has become a legend in her own time. She gives back through her Dollywood Foundation. According to Look to the Stars, she once donated $500,000 to a medical centre. She has helped people rebuild their lives after their homes were destroyed by wildfires, gives out scholarships and, through her Imagination Library, sends one book a month to about a million young children.

Ellen DeGeneres could easily be renamed Ellen the Generous. According to She Knows, the hilarious talk-show host has donated thousands to causes ranging from rebuilding schools to saving elephants. She donated $1 million for disaster relief after Hurricane Harvey. She also uses her fame to raise more money for charity. Her famous Oscar selfie raised $3 million from Samsung, which went to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and The Humane Society.