View all newsletters
Latest in Luxury - Sign up to our weekly newsletter
  1. Features
January 8, 2014updated Dec 20, 2023

Biggest Billionaire Donations of 2013

By Chris Boyle

Bill GatesThe UK publication Spear’s Magazine, in association with leading wealth consultancy company WealthInsight, has revealed the largest billionaire charity pledges of 2013.

Leading the charity charge last year were American billionaires John Arnold and Stephen Ross, each pledging an impressive $4 billion of their wealth as part of Bill Gates’ and Warren Buffet’s Giving Pledge.

The pledge is a commitment by the world’s wealthiest individuals and families to sign over the majority of their wealth to philanthropy.

The research revealed that ten of the biggest multimillionaire donors pledged over $20 billion in total for charitable causes.

Billionaire Warren Buffett pledged $2.6 billion to five charities, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, in July, while Australian mining magnate Andrew Forrest has committed to giving over $2.5 billion to charity.

Other individuals making the pledge included South African billionaire Patrice Motsepe and UK businessman and politician Lord Ashcroft, who have both committed to donating half of their fortune.

Some of the most generous celebrities of 2013 were also revealed, including Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, Oprah Winfrey and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Oliver Williams of WealthInsight commented: “Globally, multimillionaires from Europe and the US remain the most generous donors. But in years to come, we should hope to see competition coming from the rapidly growing wealthy of China, India and the Middle East as they also sign up to giving pledges.”

The research showed that cultural, academic, health and humanitarian charities were the most popular among multimillionaires in 2013, accounting for 71% of all global multimillionaire donations in the year.

Content from our partners
W New York - Times Square: "We Do Things Differently"
The Finest Destinations to Fly Private with Qatar Executive
A Weekend Travel Guide to Austin, Texas

To read the full results and lists, click here.

Select and enter your email address Be the first to know about the latest in luxury lifestyle. Get the latest news on hotel openings and in-depth travel guides. Get insider access to exclusive promotions and special offers from our luxury partners.
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thank you for subscribing to Elite Traveler.

Websites in our network