Famous Philanthropists

Throughout times past there have been many famous philanthropists, from Aristotle to Victor Hugo, Benjamin Franklin to William Shakespeare, the world has been blessed with the presence of those who were highly privileged yet refused to turn a blind eye to those who were less fortunate.

As with anything throughout the course of history, philanthropy has evolved in many ways; in Ancient Rome philanthropy was built into the economic system, with the wealthiest Romans being expected to contribute wine and grain to the citizens as well as seeing to the upkeep of the city.

In ancient Greece the spirit of giving took on the form of liturgies or funding public tournaments, which benefitted not only the poor but the general public as a whole; in both societies it was believed that this giving was richly rewarded, through both the attainment of honor and the favor of the Gods.

Today’s concept of philanthropy is an interesting mix of social awareness and sound business practice; famous philanthropists from Bill Gates to Warren Buffet, Richard Branson to Mark Zuckerburg, philanthropy has taken on a whole new dimension as social entrepreneurship has entered the mix.

While the more traditional forms of philanthropy, such as willing one’s money to charity after death have long been accepted and admired, today’s most famous philanthropists are an active and passionate breed; sure, they’re contributing enormous sums of money yet at the same time they’re rolling up their sleeves and throwing themselves into the fray in an effort to find powerful and sustainable solutions to solve the world’s problems.

Some of the most notable famous philanthropists are:

Bill Gates:

Is the rich world conscious of how the 4 billion of the 6 billion people live? If we were aware, we would want to help out, we’d want to get involved.

-Bill Gates

Bill Gates was the richest man in the world until he and wife Melinda donated approximately $29 billion through the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation to help what Gates calls ‘the bottom 2 billion’, those who eek out a meager existence on less than $2 a day.

Passionate about making a difference, Bill and Melinda are famous philanthropists that have set an actionable goal to make a difference for the millions of children in the world under five who die due to preventable diseases; children who are lost at a staggering rate of one every 20 seconds.

The interesting part is that as of March 2014 Bill Gates had a net worth of $77.5 billion, making him once again the richest man on the planet; Bill and Melinda both are famous philanthropists who work tirelessly toward finding solid workable solutions to make the world a better place.

Warren Buffet:

If you’re in the luckiest 1% of humanity, you owe it to the rest of humanity to think about the other 99%.

-Warren Buffet

A close friend and ally of Bill Gates, Warren Buffet has long been known for his being one of the top famous philanthropists; from raising $15.8 million through an annual auction to benefit the homeless of San Francisco to teaching free online courses aimed at teaching young people about the benefits of philanthropy and donating over $30 billion of his fortune to help those in need, Buffet’s capacity for giving is legendary.

Incidentally, Mr. Buffet is also one of the famous philanthropists of Bill Gates’ billionaire’s club known as the Giving Pledge in which membership is reliant on each billionaire pledging to allocate more than half of their fortune to social enterprises.

Richard Branson:

Ridiculous yachts and private planes and big limousines won’t make people appreciate life more, and it sends out poor messages to those who work for them. It would be so much better if that money was spent in Africa – and it’s about getting a balance.

-Richard Branson

Intrepid entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson is yet another one of the famous philanthropists whose generosity and commitment to social causes has helped to make a difference; from educational charities in Africa to supporting children with AIDS, cancer research and a host of other causes, Sir Richard is one of the famous philanthropists who is true philanthropic hero.

In 2013 he took his place among famous philanthropists who have joined Bill Gates in the Giving Pledge, and he has made the commitment to distribute over half of his fortune to finding sustainable ways to solve some of the world’s most devastating social issues.

While these three famous philanthropists are particularly notable in their passionate fight to even the playing field and distribute the world’s resources to those who live their lives oppressed by preventable illness, hunger and abject poverty, they are not alone.

From Sheryl Sandberg and Mark Zuckerburg to Anthony Robbins and Mohammed Al-Fayed, there are a number of famous philanthropists who are changing the world by giving not only their money but also their precious time to help make the world a more equitable and sustainable place; they are the new breed of philanthropist and they’re creating positive change.

It’s not just about being able to write a check. It’s being able to touch somebody’s life.

-Oprah Winfrey