Share

Zuckerberg tops US philanthropist list

New York - Facebook founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg and his wife topped a list of the biggest US philanthropic donors in 2013, giving away nearly $1bn, the Chronicle of Philanthropy said on Monday.

The top 50 US donors gave $7.7bn last year, up 4% from the previous year, helped by a surge on Wall Street, according to the Chronicle, which compiles the list.

Living donors pledged $6.2bn, an amount nearly equal to the money they gave away in the previous two years combined, and more than living donors have given since 2008, the Chronicle said, releasing the list in its online issue dated February 10.

The median gift amount of $86.1m set a record, it said.

Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, topped the list with their gift to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, which provides grants to address local needs.

Second on the list was George Mitchell, who transformed the natural gas industry by helping to develop fracking.

Mitchell, who died in July, left $750m to his family foundation, which works toward preventing fracking technology from causing serious environmental damage.

Nike co-founder Phil Knight and his wife, Penelope, gave $500m for cancer research to the Oregon Health & Science University Foundation.

The couple attached a stipulation that the foundation match the gift in two years or lose the money, the Chronicle said.

Colleges, foundations and hospitals received the most gifts worth $1m or more, followed by medical research facilities, arts organizations and human service groups.

The biggest donors gave the least money to causes including children and youths, the environment and religion.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
18.87
+0.3%
Rand - Pound
23.86
+0.2%
Rand - Euro
20.37
+0.3%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.31
+0.2%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+0.2%
Platinum
908.05
0.0%
Palladium
1,014.94
0.0%
Gold
2,232.75
-0.0%
Silver
24.95
-0.1%
Brent Crude
87.00
+1.8%
Top 40
68,346
0.0%
All Share
74,536
0.0%
Resource 10
57,251
0.0%
Industrial 25
103,936
0.0%
Financial 15
16,502
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders