Despite holding unprecedented levels of wealth, many of America’s richest individuals are not among the country’s most generous philanthropists, according to new lifetime giving data compiled by Forbes.
| Name | Net Worth | Estimated Lifetime Giving | Percentage of Net Worth | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elon Musk | $780 bil | $0.5 bil | 0.06% | ||
| Larry Page | $270 bil | $0.1 bil | 0.03% | ||
| Jeff Bezos | $250 bil | $4.7 bil | 1.85% | ||
| Sergey Brin | $249 bil | $5.1 bil | 2.01% | ||
| Larry Ellison | $241 bil | $1.0 bil | 0.41% | ||
| Mark Zuckerberg | $213 bil | $6.1 bil | 2.78% | ||
| Jensen Huang | $162 bil | $0.2 bil | 0.11% | ||
| Warren Buffett | $146 bil | $68.3 bil | 31.87% | ||
| Steve Ballmer | $141 bil | $6.5 bil | 4.41% | ||
| Michael Dell | $139 bil | $3.3 bil | 2.32% | ||
| Rob Walton & family | $138 bil | $0.8 bil | 0.57% | ||
| Jim Walton & family | $136 bil | $1.5 bil | 1.09% |
The standout exception is MacKenzie Scott, who quietly donated at least $760 million to 18 historically Black colleges and universities within just three months last year.
Overall, only one of the twelve richest Americans has given away at least 10% of personal wealth: legendary investor Warren Buffett, who remains the most generous donor in U.S. history. Buffett alone has donated more than $68 billion, continuing annual multi-billion-dollar contributions even after stepping down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway in 2025.
Technology billionaires dominate wealth rankings but trail in charitable giving. Figures such as Elon Musk and Larry Page, whose combined fortunes exceed $1 trillion, failed to rank among the top 25 lifetime philanthropists.
Other leading donors include Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates, whose combined lifetime giving exceeds $52 billion, focused largely on global health and poverty reduction, and former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, whose philanthropy targets climate policy, education, and public health initiatives worldwide.
Women donors make up a large share of top givers. Individuals who did not directly found their fortunes often distribute wealth more aggressively and with fewer restrictions.
Forbes’ rankings measure actual money delivered to charitable causes through the end of 2025, excluding pledged donations, funds parked in private foundations, or assets placed in donor-advised accounts that have not yet reached beneficiaries.
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Fun fact
They do charity or whatever to get tax exemptions. They don't do charity to do anything better
Under trump, they can just use political donations so they don't need to perform charity at all.
Most charities funds already go to Israel currently so they don't need to give to needy anymore.
The facade of the rich being humble or caring or visionary has long been debunked.