Ultra-Wealthy Donors to Watch: Who Took the Giving Pledge in 2023?

Ultra-Wealthy Donors to Watch: Who Took the Giving Pledge in 2023?

The Giving Pledge hasn’t done much to shrink billionaires’ fortunes, but it does tell us a lot about who is planning to embark on large-scale philanthropy and what they support. Here are the seven new signatories from 2023.

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The True Cost of Billionaire Philanthropy: How the Taxpayer Subsidizes Stockpiled Wealth

The True Cost of Billionaire Philanthropy: How the Taxpayer Subsidizes Stockpiled Wealth

Drawing on their newly released report, guest authors Chuck Collins and Helen Flannery further their case that top-heavy philanthropy by the ultra-rich comes at a price — for charities and for U.S. society at large.

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Vague Pledges Notwithstanding, Top Billionaires Remain a Stingy Lot

Vague Pledges Notwithstanding, Top Billionaires Remain a Stingy Lot

Surging billionaire wealth again forms the backdrop to Forbes’ updated philanthropy scores for 2023. The question remains: Will the super-rich ever get around to giving at the scale they claim they’re aiming for?

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The Passing of Chuck Feeney Raises the Question: Why Haven’t There Been More Chuck Feeneys?

The Passing of Chuck Feeney Raises the Question: Why Haven’t There Been More Chuck Feeneys?

The late Chuck Feeney’s achievement — actually giving away his billions while alive — remains unrivaled. Now that “giving while living” is a common mantra, why haven’t more megadonors stepped up in the same way?

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Why This Billionaire Investor Was Moved to Give “Songs of Love” to Sick Kids

Why This Billionaire Investor Was Moved to Give “Songs of Love” to Sick Kids

Songs of Love connects children facing serious health conditions with musicians who compose original songs for them. We talked with Leon Cooperman about why he backs the organization, and his wider philanthropy.

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“Miami Is Our City.” How Two Generations of the Billionaire Pérez Family Give

“Miami Is Our City.” How Two Generations of the Billionaire Pérez Family Give

Real estate billionaire Jorge Pérez, along with his wife Darlene and their children, are prominent philanthropists in the Sunshine State. Here’s how the family gives, and how the second generation is stepping up.

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The Mixed Philanthropic Legacy of Julian Robertson, a Standout Wall Street Giver

The Mixed Philanthropic Legacy of Julian Robertson, a Standout Wall Street Giver

Julian Robertson, the famed hedge fund investor and onetime “wizard of Wall Street” who passed away last week, was also an enthusiastic philanthropist. While he moved a lot of money out the door, his giving also had its weak points.

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Next in Line: 11 Young Giving Pledgers to Watch

Next in Line: 11 Young Giving Pledgers to Watch

The Giving Pledge has been taken up by super-rich donors ranging from their 30s through their 90s. While many younger pledgers have given in a relatively modest way to date, there’s a lot more where that came from.

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Ultra-Wealthy Donors to Watch: Who’s Taken the Giving Pledge So Far in 2022?

Ultra-Wealthy Donors to Watch: Who’s Taken the Giving Pledge So Far in 2022?

Although its usefulness as a prod for vastly larger billionaire giving is debatable, the Giving Pledge remains a window into the continued evolution of big-donor philanthropy as a practice. Here’s who’s taken the pledge so far this year.

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What If Five Top Tech Billionaires Emulated MacKenzie Scott's Approach to Giving?

What If Five Top Tech Billionaires Emulated MacKenzie Scott's Approach to Giving?

When MacKenzie Scott embarked on her innovative philanthropic project two years ago, we wondered if her approach would capture the imaginations of other tech billionaires. It didn’t. But what if it miraculously did?

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How the Billionaire Sobrato Family Got Started in Climate Philanthropy

How the Billionaire Sobrato Family Got Started in Climate Philanthropy

The Silicon Valley real estate clan recently issued a slate of grants to address the climate crisis, joining a growing list of billionaire donors and family philanthropists. We take a look at how they got started and chose their focus.

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Seven Things to Know from a Conversation with John and Timi Sobrato

Seven Things to Know from a Conversation with John and Timi Sobrato

Their family’s fortune is estimated at nearly $6 billion, and their philanthropy is starting to accelerate. Here’s what John and Timi Sobrato have to say about what drives their giving, the Giving Pledge, DAFs, and more.

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Getting the Call: A Look at MacKenzie Scott’s Recent Ed Giving

Getting the Call: A Look at MacKenzie Scott’s Recent Ed Giving

What’s it like to get a bolt-from-the-blue gift from MacKenzie Scott? We talk to some recent recipients from the world of K-12 education and explore what this latest round of funding tells us.

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Pandemic-Era Giving Pledgers: Eight Ultra-Wealthy Tech Donors to Watch

Pandemic-Era Giving Pledgers: Eight Ultra-Wealthy Tech Donors to Watch

Despite—or because of—the pandemic, tech billionaires have had a lucrative few years. New Giving Pledge signatories from 2020 and 2021 include plenty of U.S. tech winners, many of them very young. Here are a few to watch.

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How to Solve the Giving Pledge Bottleneck—and Fund Large-Scale Solutions

How to Solve the Giving Pledge Bottleneck—and Fund Large-Scale Solutions

The U.S. has enormous unmet needs, while billions already pledged to philanthropy remain unspent. Guest author Sean Davis proposes a solution that would fund for-profit companies to take on large-scale infrastructure projects.

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The Trade Desk’s Jeff Green Just Signed the Giving Pledge. What's Next for This Data-Driven Donor?

The Trade Desk’s Jeff Green Just Signed the Giving Pledge. What's Next for This Data-Driven Donor?

Said to be the richest Utah native, The Trade Desk’s CEO and co-founder Jeff T. Green signed the Giving Pledge and plans to donate 90% of his wealth. What’s this nascent megadonor’s past philanthropy like? And what’s to come?

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A Giver and a Connector: 8 Questions for Veteran Venture Capitalist Ron Conway

Silicon Valley VC Ron Conway gives on his own, but he’s also highly active as a catalyst for the giving of others, including tech founders, celebrities and athletes. In this Q&A, Conway explains his philosophy and approach.

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Is the Giving Pledge Obsolete? Over a Decade On, What Was Promising Now Seems Passé

Is the Giving Pledge Obsolete? Over a Decade On, What Was Promising Now Seems Passé

Even as its list of signatories grows, the Giving Pledge has failed to meaningfully grow billionaire philanthropy. As some interesting research has hinted, the discourse it promotes may be undermining its very purpose.

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Laura and John Arnold Join the Latest Effort to Spur Giving by the Ultra-Rich

Laura and John Arnold Join the Latest Effort to Spur Giving by the Ultra-Rich

Campaigns encouraging the super-rich to give more have proliferated recently. The Arnolds are the first billionaires to sign onto the latest, which asks billionaires to commit to giving 5% of their wealth to philanthropic causes each year.

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What We Know and Don’t Know About the Philanthropy of Apple CEO Tim Cook

What We Know and Don’t Know About the Philanthropy of Apple CEO Tim Cook

While Cook has pledged to give away the bulk of his Apple fortune, he’s yet to engage in large-scale philanthropy. Meanwhile, some of the gifts that he is making are going to undisclosed recipients. We take a closer look.

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