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Philanthropists

54 people, across 7 fields.

John D. Rockefeller 1839–1937Business, Finance & IndustryEstablished the Rockefeller Foundation and funded medical research, education, and public health initiatives.Bill Gates b. 1955Technology & InventionCo-founder of Microsoft who, through the Gates Foundation, has donated billions to global health and education.J. P. Morgan 1837–1913Business, Finance & IndustryBanking titan who stabilized the economy during the Panic of 1907 and shaped modern finance.Oprah Winfrey b. 1954Journalism & Mass MediaMedia executive and talk show host who built a multimedia empire and became one of the most influential women in the world.Jeff Bezos b. 1964Business, Finance & IndustryFounder of Amazon who transformed e-commerce and cloud computing, becoming one of the wealthiest people in history.Warren Buffett b. 1930Business, Finance & IndustryValue investor whose disciplined approach built one of the largest personal fortunes in American history.LeBron James b. 1984SportsNBA superstar and philanthropist considered one of the greatest basketball players in history.Andrew Carnegie 1835–1919Business, Finance & IndustrySteel magnate who built one of the largest steel empires in history and later became a major philanthropist.Jimmy Carter 1924–2024Presidents39th president who emphasized human rights, brokered the Camp David Accords, and built a major post-presidential humanitarian legacy.Dolly Parton b. 1946MusicCountry music legend whose Imagination Library has donated over 200 million books to children.Roberto Clemente 1934–1972SportsPuerto Rican baseball star whose excellence and humanitarian service made him an enduring Latino and American icon.Michael Bloomberg b. 1942Business, Finance & IndustryFounder of Bloomberg LP, three-term mayor of New York City, and major political donor.George Eastman 1854–1932Business, Finance & IndustryFounder of Kodak who made photography affordable and created a model of mass consumer technology.Joseph Pulitzer 1847–1911Journalism & Mass MediaPublisher who transformed mass-circulation journalism and endowed the Pulitzer Prizes.George Soros b. 1930Business, Finance & IndustryInvestor and founder of the Open Society Foundations, supporting democracy and human rights worldwide.Madam C. J. Walker 1867–1919Business, Finance & IndustryEntrepreneur who built a major Black hair-care company and used her wealth for philanthropy and civil-rights causes.Andrew W. Mellon 1855–1937Business, Finance & IndustryBanker and art collector whose foundation built the National Gallery of Art.Paul Allen 1953–2018Technology & InventionCo-founder of Microsoft who later invested in space, sports, and scientific research through the Allen Institute.Ted Turner 1938–2026Journalism & Mass MediaMedia mogul who donated a billion dollars to the United Nations Foundation and championed environmental causes.MMMichael Milken b. 1946Business, Finance & IndustryFinancier who built the modern high-yield bond market at Drexel Burnham Lambert, pleaded guilty to six securities and tax felonies in 1990, and later funded medical research and an economic think tank.Henry Clay Frick 1849–1919Business, Finance & IndustryDominated coke supply for steelmaking and ran Carnegie Steel during the Homestead strike.Ross Perot 1930–2019Political Leaders & StatecraftData-processing billionaire whose 1992 independent run won nearly a fifth of the vote.Phil Knight b. 1938Business, Finance & IndustryCo-founder of Nike whose sneaker empire made him one of the wealthiest people in America.Charles Koch b. 1935Business, Finance & IndustryIndustrialist and political donor who built Koch Industries into one of America's largest private companies.Nelson Rockefeller 1908–1979Political Leaders & StatecraftGovernor and unelected vice president whose drug laws set the template for mass incarceration.Alfred P. Sloan 1875–1966Business, Finance & IndustryGeneral Motors leader who established the multidivisional corporation and professional management systems copied across industry.Melinda French Gates b. 1964Business, Finance & IndustryPhilanthropist and former co-chair of the Gates Foundation focused on women's empowerment and global health.MacKenzie Scott b. 1970Business, Finance & IndustryNovelist and philanthropist who has given away billions to hundreds of organizations with no strings attached.Steve Ballmer b. 1956Business, Finance & IndustryFormer CEO of Microsoft and owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, with vast technology-derived wealth.David Rockefeller 1915–2017Business, Finance & IndustryBanker and philanthropist who directed the Rockefeller Foundation's global development efforts.David Koch 1940–2019Business, Finance & IndustryIndustrialist and political donor who built Koch Industries into a massive conglomerate.Sheldon Adelson 1933–2021Business, Finance & IndustryCasino magnate and political donor who built Las Vegas Sands into a global resort empire.Pierre Omidyar b. 1967Business, Finance & IndustryeBay founder whose Omidyar Network supports entrepreneurship, human rights, and governance reform.Julius Rosenwald 1862–1932Business, Finance & IndustrySears executive who funded thousands of schools for African American children in the segregated South.James Smithson 1765–1829Science & MathematicsBritish scientist whose bequest founded the Smithsonian Institution, America's museum complex.Solomon R. Guggenheim 1861–1949Business, Finance & IndustryIndustrialist whose foundation established the Guggenheim Museum of modern art.Stephen Schwarzman b. 1947Business, Finance & IndustryCo-founder of Blackstone, the world's largest alternative investment firm.Eli Broad 1933–2021Business, Finance & IndustryBusinessman and art collector whose foundation invested billions in education, science, and the arts.KGKen Griffin b. 1968Business, Finance & IndustryHedge fund manager who founded Citadel and became one of the most successful investors in history.Laurene Powell Jobs b. 1963Business, Finance & IndustryBusinesswoman and Emerson Collective founder investing in education, immigration, and social justice.Dustin Moskovitz b. 1984Business, Finance & IndustryFacebook co-founder who left to build Asana and became one of the youngest self-made billionaires.Alice Walton b. 1949Business, Finance & IndustryDaughter of Sam Walton and art patron who founded the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.CFChuck Feeney 1931–2023Business, Finance & IndustryDuty Free Shops founder who gave away his entire fortune anonymously through Atlantic Philanthropies.Len Blavatnik b. 1957Business, Finance & IndustryUkrainian-American industrialist and Warner Music owner whose Access Industries spans chemicals and media.John Paul DeJoria b. 1944Business, Finance & IndustryCo-founder of Paul Mitchell hair products and Patrón tequila who rose from homelessness.Doris Duke 1912–1993Business, Finance & IndustryTobacco heiress whose foundation supports the arts, environment, and medical research.Jeff Skoll b. 1965Business, Finance & IndustryeBay's first president whose Skoll Foundation supports social entrepreneurs solving global problems.Joan Kroc 1928–2003Business, Finance & IndustryMcDonald's heiress whose bequests funded NPR, the Salvation Army, and peace studies.Priscilla Chan b. 1985Business, Finance & IndustryPediatrician and co-CEO of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative investing billions in science and education.JMJacqueline Mars b. 1939Business, Finance & IndustryHeiress and board member of Mars Inc., one of the world's largest privately held confectionery companies.BMBetty Moore 1928–2023Business, Finance & IndustryCo-founder of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, one of the largest environmental philanthropies.Nicolas Berggruen b. 1961Business, Finance & IndustryInvestor and philosopher whose Berggruen Institute fosters cross-cultural governance and philosophy.PBPeter Buffett b. 1958Business, Finance & IndustryMusician and philanthropist who directs the NoVo Foundation focused on girls' and women's rights.MCMargaret Cargill 1920–2006Business, Finance & IndustryHeiress whose anonymous foundation became one of America's largest charitable organizations after her death.