Gates, French Gates top list of biggest U.S. charity donors

By MARIA DI MENTO and BEN GOSE of The Chronicle of Philanthropy
Chronicle of Philanthropy

A handful of Americans donated at least $1 billion to charity last year, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s annual ranking of the 50 Americans who gave the most to charity in 2021. Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates topped the list, pledging $15 billion to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, a huge player in global health and American education. They announced the multiyear pledge two months after shocking the philanthropic world with the news that they planned to divorce. Michael Bloomberg, the former New York mayor and financial titan, gave $1.7 billion to the arts, education, the environment, and other causes.