Philanthropist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, or reputation to a charitable cause. The term may apply to any volunteer or to anyone who makes a donation, but the label is most often applied to those who donate large sums of money or who make a major impact through their volunteering, such as a trustee who manages a philanthropic organization.
A philanthropist may not always find universal approval for his/her deeds. Common accusations include supporting an iniquitous cause (such as funding art instead of fighting world hunger) or having selfish motivation at heart (such as avoiding taxes or attaining personal fame).
[edit] Some notable philanthropists
- Jane Addams - co-founder of Hull House.
- Warren Buffett - pledged USD$30.7 billion worth of Berkshire Hathaway stock to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
- Nicholas Murray Butler - president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace from 1925 to 1945.
- Andrew Carnegie - Donated money to build over 2500 libraries world-wide. Founder of The Carnegie Foundations and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
- Anthony Ashley Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury - chairman of the Ragged Schools Union (during the Victorian era).
- Anthony J. Drexel - founder of Drexel University
- Edsel Ford - co-founder of the Ford Foundation.
- Henry Ford - co-founder of the Ford Foundation.
- Bill Gates - co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
- Melinda Gates - co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
- J. Paul Getty - funded the construction of the Getty Villa, the original Getty Museum, and donated his art collection to it. Upon his death, left his fortune to the Getty Museum, which eventually expanded to the Getty Center in Los Angeles.
- Catherine T. MacArthur - co-founder of the MacArthur Foundation.
- John D. MacArthur - co-founder of the MacArthur Foundation.
- Paul Mellon - major benefactor of arts and education, and co-founder of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
- Ailsa Mellon-Bruce - co-founder of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
- Linus Pauling - donated time and effort and spent personal funds to bring about the worldwide ban on above ground nuclear weapons testing.
- Charles Pratt - founder of Pratt Institute
- John D. Rockefeller - founder of the Rockefeller Foundation and Rockefeller University.
- John D. Rockefeller Jr. - dramatically expanded the Rockefeller Foundation and Rockefeller University. He also bought and then donated the land in Manhattan upon which the United Nations headquarters was built.
- John D. Rockefeller 3rd - major third-generation Rockefeller philanthropist and founder of the Asia Society (1956), the Population Council (1952) and a reconstituted Japan Society, he was chairman of the Rockefeller Foundation for twenty years. He established the Rockefeller Public Service Awards in 1958. Among his many other achievements, he was the driving force behind the construction of the landmark Lincoln Center, built between 1959 and 1966, in New York City.
- Gary Sinise - Co-founder of Operation Iraqi Children
- Ellen Gates Starr - co-founder of Hull House.
- Mother Teresa - founded the Missionaries of Charity. Her work among the poverty-stricken in Calcutta made her one of the world's most famous people.
- Cornelius Vanderbilt - funded Vanderbilt University.
- William Henry Vanderbilt - cofounder of the Metropolitan Opera.
- Jimmy Wales - founder of the WikiMedia Foundation.
- Steve Wozniak - provided all the money, as well as a good amount of on-site technical support, for the technology program for the Los Gatos School district. Founder of Unuson.
For a longer list, see Category: Philanthropists.
