Overview
- America’s top 50 donors gave $22.4 billion in 2025, with a median gift of $105 million, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy.
- Bill Gates contributed $3.7 billion to the Gates Foundation, the late Paul Allen left a $3.1 billion bequest, and Warren Buffett gave $1.3 billion to family foundations.
- The Chronicle counts transfers into donor‑advised funds and private foundations but excludes subsequent disbursements, requiring donor verification for inclusion.
- Only 19 members of the Forbes 400 qualified for the ranking, as some high‑profile billionaires either withheld details or declined to cooperate with verification.
- Donor wealth was concentrated in technology and finance, and both donors and recipient nonprofits were heavily clustered in New York and California.