Gifts from top 50 US philanthropists jumped to $22.4B in 2025 − Mike Bloomberg, Bill Gates and the estate of Paul Allen lead a list of the biggest givers

Three philanthropy scholars size up the latest data on gifts from the country’s biggest philanthropists.

By: David Campbell, Binghamton University, State University of New York; Hans Peter Schmitz, North Carolina State University, and Lindsey McDougle, Rutgers University - Newark, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: March 10, 2026

Words: 1,611

Last Updated: 3 months, 1 week ago

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By David Campbell, Binghamton University, State University of New York; Hans Peter Schmitz, North Carolina State University, and Lindsey McDougle, Rutgers University - Newark

The 50 American individuals and couples who gave or pledged the most to charity in 2025 committed US$22.4 billion to foundations, universities, hospitals and more. That total was 35% above an inflation-adjusted $16.6 billion in 2024, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s latest annual tally of these donations.

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