The Democratic Republic of the Congo is battling the largest Ebola outbreak ever recorded in the country. As of October 11, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) had recorded 9,066 confirmed cases of Bundibugyo viru
For a growing number of the world’s wealthiest people, the defining question is no longer how to make a fortune but what to do with it. Billionaire philanthropy has become one of the most powerful — and most debated — forces in global health, education, climate, and scientific research, moving sums that rival the budgets of entire nations toward problems governments struggle to solve.
World Billionaire Day follows the giving as closely as the earning: the foundations reshaping medicine, the pledges to donate the majority of a fortune, the quiet gifts that never make a press release, and the causes that today’s billionaires have chosen to champion. Generosity, at this scale, is a story worth telling in full.
Great philanthropy is not simply writing large checks. The most effective givers treat their giving like their investing — with strategy, measurement, and a willingness to fund the unglamorous, long-term work that produces real change rather than headlines.
Most large-scale philanthropy flows through structured vehicles: private foundations, donor-advised funds, and limited-liability companies that blend charitable grants with mission-aligned investment. Each offers different trade-offs between control, tax treatment, transparency, and flexibility, which is why the choice of structure often reveals a donor’s true priorities.
A defining shift of the modern era is the pledge movement — public commitments by the ultra-wealthy to give away the majority of their fortunes during their lifetime or at death. These pledges have helped normalize the idea that extreme wealth carries an obligation, and they have pulled billions toward global health, poverty, and education.
Effectiveness is the frontier that separates good intentions from real impact. The most respected givers fund evidence, insist on measurement, back organizations rather than only projects, and accept that some bets will fail — the same discipline that built their wealth, now aimed at spending it well.
Motivations range from genuine moral conviction and family tradition to legacy, tax efficiency, and a desire to shape the world according to their values. For many, philanthropy is also a way to apply the problem-solving instincts that built their wealth to challenges markets and governments have left unsolved.
Global health, education, and scientific research have historically attracted the largest gifts, with climate, poverty alleviation, and democratic institutions rising quickly in recent years. The concentration reflects both measurable impact and the personal passions of individual donors.
When it is strategic, patient, and evidence-driven, it has funded vaccines, eradicated diseases in whole regions, and seeded fields of research that markets would not touch. Critics rightly note that it can also concentrate influence in few hands, which is why transparency and accountability matter as much as generosity.
241
Giving Pledge Signatories
29
Countries Represented
$600B+
Wealth Pledged
2010
Year Founded
Gifts, pledges and grassroots generosity — reported from every continent, updated daily.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is battling the largest Ebola outbreak ever recorded in the country. As of October 11, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) had recorded 9,066 confirmed cases of Bundibugyo viru
NDN Collective is committed to the liberation of Indigenous Peoples, which requires a multifaceted approach to organizing political power.
NonProfit Quarterly · October 23, 2026A recent report from the Center of Effective Philanthropy may be unable to explain foundation behaviors, it does shine light on the extent of institutional dawdling and misalignment in the nonprofit sector.
NonProfit Quarterly · October 23, 2026Fredy Mugisha first became involved in sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) advocacy through a high school health club. The issue, he recalls, became personal after two teenagers he knew faced an unintended p
Global Citizen · July 28, 2026For one unforgettable day, New York City belonged to the world. Flags waved from every corner of Central Park. Strangers embraced after every goal. Songs echoed across Manhattan while football fans from every continent s
Global Citizen · July 20, 2026Foundations, donors and volunteers putting money to work — region by region.
The FIFA Men’s World Cup 2026 is well underway, with 104 games taking place across 16 cities in Mexico, Canada, and the United States. Millions of spectators are expected to attend the games live, and many more will watc
Couple pledges millions to children’s hospitals, food banks and educational programs in advance of their big day Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are donating $26m to charities in advance of their rumored wedding at New Yor
In the coming weeks, billions of us will do what football fans have always done. We will gather in homes, cafés, public squares, and stadiums. We will celebrate victories, endure heartbreak, debate refereeing decisions,
He describes himself on LinkedIn as a “post-harvest ninja.” That’s how dedicated he is to reducing the losses farmers face without access to proper storage. Dysmus Kisilu is a man of few words. But what he is passionate
We've been taught that success means more: more growth, more productivity, more consumption. But if "more" were the whole answer, it feels like we should have solved the world’s compounding crises by now. The truth is th
The FIFA World Cup Final is football's biggest stage. On July 19, as the world turns its attention to New York and New Jersey for the FIFA World Cup 2026™ Final, another unforgettable scene will unfold just a few miles a
Tokyo came alive on June 18 as Global Citizen hosted its first-ever live music event in Japan, bringing together artists, fans, policymakers, business leaders, and civil society representatives for a day centered on educ
"As a lifelong educator, I know that what we teach today shapes tomorrow. So if people can be taught to hate, they can be taught to love." For Opal Lee , the woman affectionately known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth,”
Before Sarah Legrand became a jewelry designer shaping culture through craft, she was a child with a clear ambition. That dream was put on hold when she entered the world of modeling, but it never disappeared. Eventually
Talking about the climate crisis isn't easy. The topic has become one of the most popular in the media in recent years, but discussing it more broadly is still challenging for many of us. Maybe it’s because we don't want
Small businesses are the backbone of local economies. They create jobs, anchor communities, and prove every day that profit and purpose don't have to be at odds. Yet, they're often the least resourced to grow. Global Cit
The philanthropist always saw Epstein for who he really was – despite his meetings with her then husband Bill Gates. Now carving out a life on her own terms, she explains why she’s focused on the fight for women’s health
More from around the world
Global Citizen NOW , the summit driving action on the world's most urgent challenges, returned to Brazil on June 4 at Casa Firjan in Botafogo as a centerpiece of the inaugural Rio Nature & Climate Week . Two days lat
Who wins? Who loses? Do you know? We are living through one of the most transformative periods in modern history – one that will produce clear winners and losers across economies, industries, and nations over the next de
The forest, territories treaties, villages, philanthropists, civil society, the Amazon, the Pacific, COP30, and Santa Marta. What brings these perspectives together? What connects these stories and the guests is not only
Quick question: How often does the European Union negotiate its long-term budget? Hint: far less often than you'd expect. The answer is every seven years. And once it's agreed, there's almost no going back. Most of us do
Brazil’s climate story does not begin in one place. It begins in the Amazon, where forests help regulate rainfall across the continent. It continues in the Atlantic Forest, which shapes the landscape and water systems of
Billionaire Stephen Schwarzman’s portrait hangs discreetly in a building that promises cultural clout and architectural poise – yet can seem rather bland and bloodless When the wealthy Paduan banker Enrico Scrovegni comm
The 11-time Grammy winner had a net favorability of 65%, Obama came second with 14%, while Zelenskyy had 12% For the US public, the feeling that Dolly Parton expressed in her country music chart-topping 1974 classic I Wi
Philanthropy increases the gap dividing highly selective, elite higher education from the rest. Ministers need a plan for the sector overall About 2% of UK universities’ income came from donations and endowments in 2024-
Single biggest donation to a UK university in modern times will establish a new school of government bearing his name The British billionaire hedge fund manager Chris Rokos has donated a record £190m to the University of
The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts • This week’s question: what would happen to th
The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts • Read this week’s readers’ reply. Can you acqu
Australians of any faith or background urged to do a good deed ‘in memory and honour of those who no longer can’ When the New South Wales government asked Jewish faith leaders what they wanted after the explosion of hate
Michael Dell’s $6.25bn gift spotlights how the super-rich use ‘charity’ to win access, favour and influence Pity the billionaire class. The 0.001% are so unpopular these days that when tech billionaire Michael Dell and h
Musician and philanthropist was nominated in recognition of scholarship programme at the university The acclaimed musician and philanthropist Stormzy has been elected an honorary fellow of Jesus College at the University
The gift, one of Scott’s largest single donations, will help UNCF build a $370m pooled endowment for its 37 HBCUs Billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott has donated $70m to the UNCF, as the nation’s largest private p
Carrie Edwards, a widow and grandma, gave the money to dementia research, food access and aid for military families Carrie Edwards of Virginia wasn’t the big winner when she won $150,000 playing the Powerball recently –
Tenisha Warner reveals identity as she starts two initiatives to support children on behalf of late actor and singer The widow of actor and singer Malcolm-Jamal Warner has announced the launch of two philanthropic organi
Can a conventional business successfully become part of a nonprofit’s mission infrastructure, generating income while also helping communities?
More than 1,000 funders, changemakers and sector leaders gathered in Brisbane this September for the Philanthropy Australia Conference 2026, a five-day program designed to spark connection, share bold ideas and strengthe
The 2026 Philanthropy Australia Conference gave a good sense of where the sector is heading. Across the conference, there was growing recognition that global giving is not a niche topic but increasingly part of Australia
Philanthropy Australia’s conference is always a highlight on the Australian International Development Network’s (AIDN) calendar. Shortly after the 2016 Philanthropy Australia conference in Sydney, AIDN’s founders, Mark C
The Black Hills Restoration Act is being drafted by tribes ask Congress to relinquish control of the federal public lands in the Black Hills back to the Lakota people.
Under the Trump Administration, the Endangered Species Act is facing dramatic deregulation.
Why community living supports offered by CBOs and caregivers must be funded as a durable public commitment by philanthropy and government programs such as Medicaid and Medicare.
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. While awareness is critical, Kavita Mehra, executive director of Sakhi for South Asian Survivors points to the fact that philanthropy needs to go beyond awareness and commit
Far from being a “nationalization” model, AI equity proposals will reward whoever holds the stock and whoever gets advance word—not the public at large.
In 1995, Lauryn Hill asked in the song “Ex-Factor,” “Tell me who I have to be, to get some reciprocity.” Nearly three decades later, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill continues to generate academic scholarship, curricular
The EPA’s termination of the Solar for All program raises a crucial question: what happens to the civic infrastructure built around a federal program when the government withdraws its commitment?
Third spaces allow us to connect with people we might otherwise never encounter. For this civic and social infrastructure to survive, nonprofits must function as advocates and custodians of such spaces.
Think about everything your home does for you without you even noticing. It keeps the rain out. It's where you charge your phone, cook dinner, help a sibling with homework, and lock the door at night. If you've ever sat
Launched in 2010 by Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates, and Warren Buffett, the Giving Pledge invites the world's wealthiest individuals and families to commit the majority of their wealth to philanthropy. Today, 241 signatories in 29 countries have collectively pledged hundreds of billions of dollars.
Visit GivingPledge.org"If you're in the luckiest one per cent of humanity, you owe it to the rest of humanity to think about the other 99 per cent."
— Warren Buffett
New philanthropic stories are added every day — from billion-dollar foundations to a single nurse changing a community. Check back daily.
Explore Billionaire Profiles