America's Top 50 Donors Give Record $22.4 Billion to Charity in 2025
March 15, 2026 · 2 min read
David Almeida
The Chronicle of Philanthropy's annual Philanthropy 50 list, published March 10, reveals that America's wealthiest donors gave a combined $22.4 billion to charity in 2025 — a 35% surge from an inflation-adjusted $16.6 billion in 2024 and a signal that mega-philanthropy is accelerating even as federal grant budgets face pressure.
Bloomberg Leads for Third Straight Year
Michael Bloomberg claimed the top spot for the third consecutive year with $4.3 billion directed toward arts, education, environmental causes, public health, and city government programs — representing 19% of the entire list's giving. Bill Gates followed with $3.7 billion to the Gates Foundation, and the estate of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen contributed $3.1 billion to launch a new foundation focused on science and technology.
The top 10 donors accounted for nearly three-quarters of all charitable giving on the list, underscoring how concentrated philanthropic power has become among a small number of ultra-wealthy individuals.
Tech and Finance Drive the Numbers
Technology donors dominated the dollar rankings: 12 tech philanthropists gave a combined $10 billion. But the financial industry produced the most individual donors — 20 from finance contributing $4.1 billion. Notable names include Jacklyn and Miguel Bezos, Sergey Brin, Phil and Penny Knight, and Pierre and Pam Omidyar. The median gift on the list was $105 million.
What Grant Seekers Should Know
The 35% jump creates real opportunities for nonprofits, but the concentration among top donors means access often depends on alignment with specific philanthropic priorities — higher education, hospitals, and medical research dominate the giving targets. The surge also coincides with a massive intergenerational wealth transfer expected to reshape foundation priorities over the coming decade, as younger donors bring different giving patterns than the current top 50.
Nonprofits navigating this shifting landscape can use Granted to surface foundation funding opportunities matched to their organization's mission and track record.