Is Elite Change Really a "Charade?" What's Missing From a New Book That Bashes the Overclass

Is Elite Change Really a "Charade?" What's Missing From a New Book That Bashes the Overclass

At one level, Winners Take All is a very satisfying read, skewering today’s elite for its hypocrisies. But it offers an incomplete and distorted look at America’s wealthy class and its role in social change.

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Keeping Tabs on the Billions and Billions That Warren Buffett Is Giving Away

Keeping Tabs on the Billions and Billions That Warren Buffett Is Giving Away

After more than a decade of epic giving, Buffett is much richer than when he started. We check in on one of the most fascinating stories of big philanthropy. 

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Bricks and Mortar: Behind a Hedge Fund Billionaire's Latest Big Gift

Bricks and Mortar: Behind a Hedge Fund Billionaire's Latest Big Gift

Citing pervasive cost overruns and a shift toward more socially equitable giving, some donors have shied away from funding ambitious capital projects. Kenneth C. Griffin, however, isn't one of them.

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Youth and Conservation: The Holy Grails of a Young Billionaire Couple's Giving

Youth and Conservation: The Holy Grails of a Young Billionaire Couple's Giving

We've written about the exploding philanthropy of the billionaire cofounder of Vista Equity Partners, Robert Smith. The other founder, Brian Sheth, is also on the move with his giving. 

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Billionaire Backlash: A Gift To a Public High School Becomes a Case Study in Donor Overreach

Billionaire Backlash: A Gift To a Public High School Becomes a Case Study in Donor Overreach

For years now, there's been rising controversy about super-wealthy donors intruding too far into public spaces or imposing too many demands on institutions. Apparently, Stephen Schwarzman hasn’t been paying attention.

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Now the Richest Black American, He's Also One of America's Biggest Philanthropists

Now the Richest Black American, He's Also One of America's Biggest Philanthropists

With a net worth over $4 billion, private equity billionaire Robert F. Smith has stepped up his giving dramatically in recent years, placing him in the top tier of America's mega-givers. Where's the money going? 

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Banking Against Urban Poverty: Inside JPMorgan Chase Philanthropy

Banking Against Urban Poverty: Inside JPMorgan Chase Philanthropy

The giant bank has become a surprising leader in philanthropy's push for inclusive economic growth. We take a deep dive into the backstory—and what JPMorgan brings to the table that's new. 

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The Real Estate Investor Betting on Big Returns from a Local Early Reading Program

The Real Estate Investor Betting on Big Returns from a Local Early Reading Program

A growing number of funders want to ensure that children can read by third grade. We explore how a major donor in New York came to this cause and got behind a nonprofit helping teachers do better at teaching reading.

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Focused and Strategic: How a Family Tapped Wall Street Wealth for Impact on Mental Health

Focused and Strategic: How a Family Tapped Wall Street Wealth for Impact on Mental Health

New York finance veteran Stephen Lieber and his family have been supporting mental illness research for decades. We recently spoke with Lieber to unpack a deeply personal story of effective giving.

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Towerbrook: A Quick Look at an Investing Duo's Giving

Towerbrook: A Quick Look at an Investing Duo's Giving

Towerbrook Capital Partners Cofounders Neal Moszkowski and Ramez Sousou move philanthropy through the Towerbrook Foundation, which focuses on areas like education and the arts. Here's a rundown. 

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Giving It All Away: The Latest Big Gift From Billionaire T. Denny Sanford

Giving It All Away: The Latest Big Gift From Billionaire T. Denny Sanford

Pledging to give away a $2.5 billion fortune in his lifetime, the credit card mogul is keeping up a steady pace of eight- and nine-figure gifts. We talk with him about where his latest $100 million donation is going.

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Data for What? Mike Bloomberg and the Limits of Technocratic Philanthropy

Data for What? Mike Bloomberg and the Limits of Technocratic Philanthropy

His foundation gave away $700 million last year. But in a post-truth age of tribal politics, is Bloomberg’s pragmatic and data-driven approach to giving a losing strategy?

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Barakett Brothers: How Two Canadian-Born Hedge Funders Do Their Philanthropy

Barakett Brothers: How Two Canadian-Born Hedge Funders Do Their Philanthropy

Canadian brothers Tim and Brett Barakett have both enjoyed huge success on Wall Street, and both engage in philanthropy with their spouses. Where are their gifts going?

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Data vs. Crime: How a Billionaire Donor Is Partnering With Chicago to Stem the Violence

Data vs. Crime: How a Billionaire Donor Is Partnering With Chicago to Stem the Violence

Hedge funder Ken Griffin has teamed up with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel to back next-gen data analysis to improve policing. It's yet another example of philanthropy supporting innovative civic projects.

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The Last Mile: A Wealthy Couple Focuses at Home and Abroad

The Last Mile: A Wealthy Couple Focuses at Home and Abroad

Financier Chris Flowers and his wife Anne have zeroed in on challenges far away in southern Africa and close to home in Harlem. What's the connection? And how does the J.C. Flowers Foundation operate? 

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Pete Peterson: Hard Lessons From a Billionaire's Philanthropy

Pete Peterson: Hard Lessons From a Billionaire's Philanthropy

As a mega-donor, Peterson—who died yesterday—made all the right moves: staying laser-focused on just a few causes and investing in high-leverage public policy work. But the results were decidedly mixed. 

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Thoma: Meet an Art-Collecting Couple Committed to Visual Arts

Thoma: Meet an Art-Collecting Couple Committed to Visual Arts

Financiers can amass major collections of art and become major art philanthropists. We explore the case of private equity veteran Carl Thoma and his wife Marilynn's Thoma Art Foundation. 

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Deep Ties: A Wealthy Couple and a Cultural Center Remain Close Through the Years

Deep Ties: A Wealthy Couple and a Cultural Center Remain Close Through the Years

What does it look like when a big-city cultural institution and a donor stay in sync for decades? The relationship between Henry and Elaine Kaufman and the Kaufman Music Center serves as a good case study.  

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With a Big Campus Gift for Veterans, a Billionaire's Giving Comes into Sharper Focus

With a Big Campus Gift for Veterans, a Billionaire's Giving Comes into Sharper Focus

With a net worth of $2.8 billion, Carlyle Group co-founder Daniel D’Aniello has been expanding his philanthropy. His most recent gift zeroes in on a hot area of higher ed giving: helping veterans.

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What Should We Learn from a Big Gift to a Public High School?

What Should We Learn from a Big Gift to a Public High School?

In giving $25 million to the public high school he attended, a billionaire has urged other schools to hit up their wealthy alumni for support, too. Is this a viable way to bolster support for traditional K-12 systems? 

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