Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and Warren Buffet are now known just as much for their donations to charity as the businesses that earned them their riches. In terms of sheer value, they are nearly impossible to match; each of their charity contributions is in the tens of billions of dollars. But business philanthropy extents far further than the highest givers. From schools, cancer treatments and the environment, here are some generous business leaders who aren’t as often in the spotlight.
According to a study…[Premji] is the fourth most generous person in the world
Douglas Tompkins, Co-founder of The North Face and Espirit
Douglas Tompkins tragically died in a kayaking accident in southern Chile this month. He leaves behind an extraordinary legacy of environmental conservation. Tompkins, with his wife Kristine McDivitt Tompkins, purchased 2.2 million acres of wilderness across Argentina and Chile to prevent it from being used for oil and gas developments. The land has now either been, or is going to be, converted to national parks. One of these pockets of land is Pumalin Park, Chile’s largest public park. He also created the Foundation for Deep Ecology in 1990, an organisation designed to promote wild nature as a partner in human enterprise.
Dustin Moskovitz, Co-founder of Facebook
Zuckerberg isn’t the only generous Facebook founder. Dustin Moskovitz shared a dorm room with him at Harvard, and was the social media company’s third employee. He and his wife Cari Tuna started the Good Ventures charitable trust to give away their fortune in the most efficient way possible. They are influenced by the concept of ‘effective altruism’, the philosophy of donating in a way that directly benefits the most number of people. Their trust conducts extensive research into projects before they commit money, making sure that the benefit of their donation is maximised. The sum of all the grants the trust has given out so far is over $75m.
Azim Premji, Chairman of Wipro
Premji made his fortune with Wipro, currently India’s third largest exporter of software services. Through the Azim Premji Foundation he has set aside more than half his wealth to be donated to charitable projects. A particular focus for him is education; he has set up a not-for-profit university that offers teaching degrees and has been involved in improving some 350,000 schools. His other charitable venture, Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiatives, focuses more on other social issue like nutrition and disabilities. According to a study by Wealth-X and Business Insider, he is the fourth most generous person in the world and his contributions total over $8bn.
Gert Boyle, Chairman of Columbia Sportswear
Gert Boyle turned around Columbia Sportswear following the death of her husband in 1970. She outfitted Team USA for the Special Olympics in 1995, and has been a supporter of the organisation ever since. The royalties from her autobiography are donated between the Special Olympics and Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children. More recently she gave $100m to Oregon Health and Science University’s Knight Cancer Challenge. The donation was anonymous, but her name was leaked to the press. “I’ve given away quite a bit and it’s always anonymous because I love the reputation that I’m cheap and I don’t do anything,” she said in an interview with Portland Business Journal.
Mo Ibrahim, Founder and Chair of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation
Mo Ibrahim is a Sudanese-born ex British Telecommunications engineer who made his fortune through a number of phone companies in Africa. The Mo Ibrahim Foundation’s efforts to enhance leadership in Africa are, to say the least, extensive. The Ibrahim Index of African Governance provides a statistical assessment of the quality of governance, the Ibrahim Leadership Fellowships mentors future leaders, and the Ibrahim Prize is awarded to a former Executive Head of State who shows exceptional leadership. The prize is worth $5m over ten years, plus $200,000 per year after that for the remainder of the recipient’s life. His commitment to eradicating corruption in Africa is unmatched.