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Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of the world’s most popular social media site, Facebook, recently announced he’ll give away $45 billion of his company shares during his lifetime. With the holidays just round the corner, that got me thinking – who are the most charitable billionaires in the world? Here are 11 of them. |
| 11. Larry Ellison, Chairman and CTO of Oracle Corporation |
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Net Worth: $48.6 billion Philanthropy Value to Date: Circa $500 million Larry Ellison is the world’s fifth-richest man. He founded Software Development Laboratories, the company that would become Oracle Corporation, in 1977. In addition to the $500 million he has donated to date, he has pledged to give away 95% of his wealth in the future. |
| 10. Michael Bloomberg, Former New York City Mayor |
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Net Worth: $40.9 billion Philanthropy Value to Date: $3.3 billion Once a stock trader, Michael Bloomberg became wealthy after setting up his own company, Bloomberg L.P. He was New York Mayor between 2002 and 2013. His favorite charitable cause is his alma mater, John Hopkins University, however, he has given away billions through Bloomberg Philanthropies. |
| 9. Manoj Bhargava, Creator of 5-Hour Energy |
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Net Worth: $4 billion Philanthropy Pledged: $4 billion Manoj Bhargava was born in India, but moved to the United States with his family in the early 1990s. He is the creator of 5-Hour Energy, an energy drink brand. He has pledged to give away 99% of his $4 billion fortune. |
| 8. Gordon Moore, Co-Founder of Intel Corporation |
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Net Worth: $6 billion Philanthropy Value to Date: $5 billion Intel is a name synonymous with computers – the corporation has practically cornered the world market for microprocessors. Its co-founder, Gordon Moore, has given away over $5 billion of his fortune to charity to date. |
| 7. Sulaiman bin Abdul Aziz Al Rajhi, Co-Founder of Al Rajhi Bank |
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Net Worth: $2.1 Billion Philanthropy Value to Date: $5.5 billion Sulaiman bin Abdul Aziz Al Rajhi is the co-founder of one of Saudi Arabia’s biggest banks. He has already given away nearly three-quarters of his wealth to anti-hunger and education initiatives in his native country. |
| 6. Chuck Feeney, Co-Founder of Duty Free Shoppers Group |
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Net worth: $1.5 million Philanthropy Value to Date: $6 billion Chuck Feeney became a billionaire after building a global duty-free store empire. Over $6 billion of his fortune has gone to charitable initiatives supporting education, research, health and civil rights through his foundation, The Atlantic Initiatives. |
| 5. Azim Premji, Chairman of Wipco |
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Net Worth: $15.9 billion Philanthropy Value to Date: $8 billion Azim Premji is an Indian IT entrepreneur. He donated over $8 billion to philanthropic initiatives to date. His foundation, the Azim Premji Foundation, is primarily concerned with causes related to universal education and advocacy in his home country. |
| 4. George Soros, Founded of Soros Fund Management |
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Net Worth: $24 billion Philanthropy Value to Date: $11 billion Billionaire investor George Soros is renowned for his charitable work. He has been involved with numerous charitable organizations and initiatives during his lifetime, however he currently chairs the Open Society Foundations, which is a pro-democracy charity. |
| 3. Warren Buffett, Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway |
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Net Worth: $48.6 billion Philanthropy Value to Date: Circa $25.5 billion Warren Buffett is the world’s most successful financial investor who has been ranked as the world’s richest man in the past. Aside from his business success, he is well-known for giving away billions of dollars to charity in lump sums, with the last giveaway being worth $2.8 billion. |
| 2. Bill Gates, Founder of Microsoft |
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Net Worth: $79.2 billion Philanthropy Value to Date: $28 billion The world’s richest man is also its biggest philanthropist. Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda, have given away no less than $28 billion through their foundation to initiatives aimed at improving health, education and economic development in developing countries. |
| 1. Mark Zuckerberg, Founder of Facebook |
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Net Worth: $35.7 billion Philanthropy Pledged: $45 billion The founder of the world’s most popular social media site, and his wife, Priscilla Chan, announced recently that they would create a limited liability company to give away $45 billion in Facebook shares to personalized learning initiatives, curing disease and building strong communities. |
| Content Sources: Discovery, Entrepreneur |
