The leading philanthropists in the United States, after two consecutive years of stellar gains in the country’s stock market, are now wealthier than ever. Today we take a look at the pace of multi-billion-dollar donations that are changing lives around the world.
The staggering sums donated so far in 2025 by the top 25 philanthropists in the United States would leave Wall Street brokers astounded. While New York’s financial gurus spend long hours evaluating strategies to strike it rich—and do not always succeed—the nation’s mega-millionaires live life differently. They invest their time reflecting and consulting advisors to discover how best to give away almost their entire fortunes for the good of others, and they do so remarkably well.
One of the most radical figures in this trend is MacKenzie Scott, the world’s richest woman and ex-wife of Jeff Bezos, CEO and founder of Amazon. She follows the same philosophy as actor Ashton Kutcher (Demi Moore’s ex-husband) and his wife Mila Kunis: donating nearly all their wealth to charitable causes and leaving their heirs with nothing. The reasoning is simple: the heirs did not work or make any effort to burden themselves with such immense sums in their bank accounts.
Indeed, from the top of the world, life must look very different compared to the valleys and deserts the rest of mortals traverse. Yet up there, an invisible—and positive—thread seems to unite the thinking and focus of the planet’s wealthiest: charity. This thirst to help, to change the destinies of the less fortunate, transforms into a powerful motivation that becomes a true passion and, in many cases, a new life purpose. In fact, as of December 30, 2024, the donations of the top 25 wealthiest Americans totaled USD 241 billion—USD 30 billion more than the total recorded in 2023—according to Forbes, the magazine specializing in finance and business.
Donate and Always Donate
Of course, some wealthy Americans are more generous than others. For the fifth consecutive year, magnate Warren Buffett, CEO of the U.S. holding company Berkshire Hathaway, tops the list in terms of total lifetime donations. This translates into USD 62 billion given away over the course of his life, a sum equal to 30% of his fortune.
In 2024, his passion for giving soared higher than that of his compatriots, as he donated more than anyone else. The total was estimated at USD 5.3 billion. As has been his custom since 2006, Warren Buffett directs billions of dollars annually to the Gates Foundation and to other family foundations currently managed by his three children, who inherited the same passion for helping as their father.
Now a lively 94-year-old, still at the helm of Berkshire Hathaway’s board, Buffett surprised the philanthropy world in June 2024 when he told the Wall Street Journal what would happen to his fortune after his death. The businessman made it clear that none of his Berkshire Hathaway shares will go to the Gates Foundation. Instead, the shares will be transferred exclusively to a charitable foundation managed by his three children—an amount currently estimated at USD 145 billion.
No “Podium” in the World of Philanthropy
While Buffett holds the top spot in terms of total lifetime donations, another standout U.S. donor is MacKenzie Scott. Last year, Scott made a significant philanthropic outlay. More than USD 2.6 billion was distributed among a wide range of groups, institutions, and NGOs with distinguished track records but modest finances. A defining feature of Scott’s donation style is that her funds are generally directed toward the poorest of the poor, to vulnerable communities that are often overlooked, such as Latino migrants in the United States, among others.
MacKenzie Scott’s growing social commitment, as she herself has stated, has made her a more fulfilled and joyful person. This brings her satisfaction, as she knows she is making a real difference in the lives of many people. That is why her motto of donating “until the safe is empty,” as she wrote in a 2019 essay, seems today more true and more promising for the good of many than ever before.
