Who are the most generous people in the world? The following people outrank almost 99% of the rest of the world in their philanthropic giving.
Bill and Melinda Gates
Bill and his wife Melinda have donated over $27 billion in their lifetime. While Bill is mostly known for founding Microsoft, he and his wife now spend most of their time supporting philanthropic causes. They use their foundation, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, to issue grants for initiatives and programs across the globe, focusing on agricultural development, emergency relief, global libraries, urban poverty, global health, and education.
Azim Premji
Azim Premji Is worth $16 billion and has donated $8 billion of that, making his generosity index 50%. Azim focuses his philanthropy on working to reform India’s school and examination systems. He is also a member of The Giving Pledge, a pledge to give away more than half of your worth to charity. He has also twice been listed among the 100 most influential people by TIME Magazine.
Jon Huntsman Sr.
Jon Huntsman Sr. is the founder and executive chairman of Huntsman Corporation, a chemical product manufacturer. Huntsman has survived both prostate and mouth cancer and, as a result, established the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah. He makes most of his donations to cancer research centers as well as colleges and universities.
Gordon Moore
Gordon Moore currently runs the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation with his wife. This foundation focuses mainly on the San Francisco area, environmental conservation and science. In December 2007, Moore and his wife donated $200 million to Caltech and the University of California for the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope, which is expected to become the world’s second largest optical telescope in 2020.
The philanthropic ventures of Bill and Melinda Gates, Azim Remji, Jon Huntsman Sr. and Gordon Moore are so grand that many of them have given more to charity than they are worth.