Unveiling America’s Top 10 Philanthropic Billionaires: A 2023 Insight into Generosity

The latest ranking of the top ten most philanthropic billionaires in the United States has been unveiled, highlighting some of the nation’s wealthiest individuals who have donated a substantial portion of their fortunes.

According to a detailed analysis by Forbes, these top-tier philanthropists, hailing from the upper echelons of wealth, have given away as much as 40 percent of their immense wealth.

Interestingly, Forbes found that only six of the 12 wealthiest individuals in the U.S. made the list of the most charitable figures.

Among those missing from the list is Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, who has reportedly donated a mere 0.06 percent of his staggering $780 billion fortune.

Similarly, Larry Page, co-founder of Google, has been noted to have contributed just 0.03 percent of his lifetime wealth, despite possessing a net worth of $270 billion.

Even Oracle founder Larry Ellison, with a net worth of $241 billion, has donated just $1 billion in his lifetime.

While multibillionaires may have donated additional undisclosed amounts, others have been known to loudly and proudly give away large sums of cash. 

Here are the top ten most charitable billionaires, how much they’ve given, and where they direct their donations. 

10. Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez Bezos 

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has a net worth of $250 billion

Bezos and his new wife, Lauren Sanchez, have given more than $4 billion to philanthropic causes

Amazon founder and entrepreneur Jeffrey Bezos is the fourth richest person in the country, but the tenth most philanthropic billionaire.

With an estimated net worth of $250 billion, Bezos and his second wife, Lauren Sanchez Bezos, have donated approximately $4.7 billion to charitable causes. 

A large chunk of change has gone to the Bezos Earth Fund, which the tech mogul founded in 2020. 

The organization has pledged to donate $10 billion to climate change by 2030. 

Thus far, it has donated $2.4 billion. 

The Bezos family has also allotted funds for their tuition-free pre-school, Bezos Academy, and temporary housing through their Day 1 Families Fund.  

9. Sergey Brin 

Google co-founder Sergey Brin has far outgiven his counterpart Larry Page

Sergey Brin, 52, co-founded Google in 1998 with fellow billionaire Larry Page. 

Yet, Brin’s net worth is almost $20 billion less than his Google counterpart’s at approximately $249 billion. 

In his lifetime, Brin has given away approximately two percent of his net worth or roughly $5 billion.

More than $2 billion of his donations were directed toward Parkinson’s research after his late mother was diagnosed with the illness.  

Brin has also supported research for bipolar disorder and autism.

He founded Catalyst4 and the Sergey Brin Family Foundation, which each focus on health research.

8. Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan 

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has an estimated net worth of $213 billion

Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan have donated approximately $6 billion or three percent of their fortune

Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, currently have a net worth of approximately $213 billion.

The Facebook founder has focused the majority of his philanthropic giving in recent years on AI-powered biology.

Zuckerberg, 41, and Chan founded the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, which focuses on disease prevention through AI. 

At the end of 2025, they donated more than $400 million to AI-powered biology. 

They’ve also partnered with education initiatives and local non-profits.  

The couple has an estimated lifetime giving total of $6.1 billion or three percent of their net worth.

7. Steve and Connie Ballmer 

Steve and Connie Ballmer have a net worth of approximately $141 billion

Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and his wife Connie have given away billions through their philanthropy, the Ballmer Group, reported CBS.

The couple has a net worth of $141 billion and a lifetime giving total of $6.5 billion or four percent. 

Primarily, their money has gone toward economic mobility for low-income families. 

The Ballmer Group has funded grants for families affected by the 2025 Palisades Fires through the Boys & Girls Club and Los Angeles County YMCAs. 

The couple has also allocated funds toward Los Angeles-area schools and behavioral health clinics in Illinois, Kansas and Michigan.

6. Marilyn Simons

Marilyn Simons, the widow of Jim Simons, has given away almost a quarter of her $32.6 billion net worth

Marilyn Simons, the widow of hedge funder Jim Simons, has a net worth of approximately $32.6 billion after her husband died in 2024. 

The Simons family has given away a whopping 24 percent of their lifetime net worth, equating to $10.3 billion. 

Jim and Marilyn Simons founded the Simons Foundation in 1994 as a ‘champion of basic science through grant funding, support for research and public engagement,’ according to the website. 

Simons, 75, pledged $80 million to the Simons Collaboration on Ecological Neuroscience.

The project, funded through the Simons Foundation, is a ten-year research project focused on the brain. 

5. George Soros 

Hungarian-American investor George Soros has given away 76 percent of his net worth, equating to $24 billion in his lifetime

George Soros, a Hungarian-American investor, has given away approximately 76 percent of his net worth in his lifetime. 

After decades of giving, the philanthropist has a net worth of $7.5 billion.

The 95-year-old started Open Society Foundations in 1993 to ‘support individuals and organizations across the globe working to advance human rights, equity, and justice,’ according to the website.

It gave $1 billion to human rights groups in 2024 alone. 

Soros has also given $7 million to the Barack Obama Foundation and  $3.5 million to West Africa Democracy Radio.

4. Michael Bloomberg 

Michael Bloomberg has a net worth of approximately $109 billion 

Businessman and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg has accrued a net worth of $109 billion.

He began donating a large amount of his profits from Bloomberg LP to his foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies. 

Bloomberg’s lifetime giving was calculated at $25.4 billion or 19 percent. 

His generosity has largely focused on climate change, health and education. 

In 2025, the 84-year-old pledged $100 million to cut methane emissions. Last year, he gave half a million dollars to historically black colleges and universities.

3. MacKenzie Scott 

Jeff Bezos’s ex-wife MacKenzie Scott gave away more money than anyone else in the world in 2025 alone 

Jeff Bezos’s ex-wife, MacKenzie Scott, has a net worth of $30.9 billion but has managed to give away $26.4 billion in less than seven years. 

She reportedly donated the most money of anyone worldwide in 2025. 

Scott’s philanthropy has spanned more than 2,500 organizations focused on education, climate and gender equality.

In the seven years since the couple’s divorce, she has given away 75 percent of the Amazon shares she received in the split.

Scott established Yield Giving ‘to share a financial fortune created through the effort of countless people,’ the website said.

2. Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates 

Microsoft founder Bill Gates has his own net worth of $107 billion

The Gates Foundation, formerly the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has doled out billions toward global health and development

Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates divorced in 2021 but had a lengthy history of charitable giving together through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which they co-founded in 2000.

The organization, now titled the Gates Foundation, focused its funds on global health initiatives.

The former couple’s lifetime giving is estimated to be $52.6 billion or 28 percent. 

French Gates, 61, has donated $540 million to nonprofits focused on social change for women through her foundation, Pivotal Philanthropies. 

Gates, who has a net worth of $107 billion, has transferred $10.8 billion of his own money to Pivotal. 

1. Warren Buffett 

Warren Buffett is regard as the top philanthropist in the world, giving away approximately 32 percent of his net worth in his lifetime

According to Forbes, Warren Buffett, 95, is considered the top philanthropist of all time.

He has given away 32 percent of his $146 billion net worth to causes, including health and poverty alleviation. 

That totaled to approximately $68 billion in his lifetime. 

In 2025, Buffett retired as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway after more than 60 years at the helm of the holding company.

At one point, he pledged to give more than 99 percent of his money to philanthropy during his lifetime or at his death, per his Giving Pledge letter. 

He has since rescinded the lofty goal, instead he planned to leave his three children $500 million per year to donate to their respective foundations, reported Fortune.

The top billionaires in the world donated $34 billion in the last year and $275 billion in their lifetime. 

That equates to only 14 percent of their combined fortunes.