The Most, and Least, Generous Billionaires: A List

 

In its November issue, Portfolio magazine looks at which billionaires give away the most money relative to their net worth, and which give the least (ouch — and it includes Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer). 

The magazine’s list, 50 billionaires long, isn’t perfect; many of the people featured haven’t publicly disclosed what they may or may not have given away in recent years. Still, it offers an instructive glimpse into who has what — as well as the favorite causes of some of our country’s richest philanthropists.

Following are the three biggest givers, and the three stingiest, per Portfolio:

1.  Warren Buffett

Age: 78
Company: Berkshire Hathaway
Net worth: $52 billion
2007–2008 giving: None disclosed
2002–2006 giving: $46.1 billion
Family foundation (assets): Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation ($458 million)
2007–2008 political donations: $42,300 (D)
Additional nonprofit board seats: Grinnell College, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Favorite cause: Education
Wealth rank: 2  

2.  Bill Gates

Age: 53
Company: Microsoft
Net worth: $59 billion
2007–2008 giving: $10 million
2002–2006 giving: $3.7 billion
Family foundation (assets): Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation ($38.9 billion)
2007–2008 political donations: $60,900 (D, R)
Notable gift: Large Synoptic Survey Telescope project ($10 million)
Favorite cause: Health care
Wealth rank: 1 

3.  Eli Broad

Age: 75
Companies: SunAmerica, KB Home
Net worth: $7 billion
2007–2008 giving: $609.3 million
2002–2006 giving: $1.15 billion
Family foundation (assets): Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation ($2 billion)
2007–2008 political ­donations: $107,937 (D)
Notable gifts: Broad Institute ($400 million), Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation ($200 million)
Additional nonprofit board seats: American Patrons of the Tate, Center for the Study of the Presidency, EdVoice, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art, Museum of Modern Art, National Committee of the American Friends of the Israel Museum, School of the Arts and Architecture at the University of California at Los Angeles, Smithsonian Institution, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine, California Institute of Technology
Favorite causes: Education, arts, science, health care
BONUS FACT: Gives $2 million each year to an exemplary urban school district.
Wealth rank: 46

Those ranked at the end of the list, meaning they gave the least, or, who have disclosed the least are:

48.  Anne Cox Chambers

Age: 88
Company: Cox Enterprises
Net worth: $12.6 billion
2007–2008 giving: None disclosed
2002–2006 giving: None disclosed
Family foundation (assets): Anncox Foundation ($71, 519)
2007–2008 political donations: $4,600 (D)
Additional nonprofit board seats: American Society of the French Legion of Honor, American Advisory Board of the Pasteur Foundation, MacDowell Colony, High Museum of
Art, Friends of Art and Preservation in Embassies, French-American Foundation, American Friends of the International Lyric Art Festival of Aix-en-Provence
Wealth rank: 24

49.  Steve Ballmer

Age: 52
Company: Microsoft
Net worth: $15.2 billion
2007–2008 giving: None disclosed
2002–2006 giving: None disclosed
2007–2008 political donations: $69,900 (D, R)
Additional nonprofit board seat: Partnership for Lebanon
Wealth rank: 16

50.  Rupert Murdoch

Age: 77
Company: News Corp.
Net worth: $8.8 billion
2007–2008 giving: None disclosed
2002–2006 giving: None disclosed
Family foundation (assets): The Murdoch Foundation (no assets)
2007–2008 political donations: $5,500 (R)
Wealth rank: 33

Aside from Ballmer, other tech giants on the list include Google cofounders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google CEO Eric Schmidt; Amazon founder Jeff Bezos; Oracle founder Larry Ellison; Qwest Communications founder Philip Anschutz; Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen; eBay founder Pierre Omidyar; and Dell Computer founder Michael Dell. The magazine’s entire list, worth perusing, is here.