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Eye on the Giving Pledge
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The Giving Pledge, launched by Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates in 2010, is an effort to help address society's most pressing problems by inviting the world's wealthiest individuals and families to commit the majority of their assets to philanthropic causes. So far, 114 high-net-worth households have joined the pledge, making public declarations that are shared on the Giving Pledge web site.
With a combined net worth of roughly $504 billion1, the commitments made by the current participants could bring more than $252 billion to charity. Given the dramatic increase this could represent to philanthropy over time, Glasspockets is keeping an Eye on the Giving Pledge, providing an in-depth picture of the participants and their publicly known charitable activities.
Version 2.0: the Giving Pledge Globalizes
They said that the Giving Pledge was "made in America," they said that Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett didn't understand other cultures, and that their brand of philanthropy was inappropriate for (substitute the country of your choice). They were wrong: the Giving Pledge has gone global.
Read more at Transparency Talk»
Tom Steyer and Kat Taylor Invest in Social Change Not Scene
Tom Steyer and Kat Taylor — he a hedge fund billionaire turned heavy-hitter Democratic donor — live in San Francisco's outer Pacific Heights. They are one of the city's great philanthropic couples, but eschew the social scene in favor of pushing for social change, whether it's for a better environment or helping the disadvantaged.
Read more at San Francisco Chronicle»
Mark Zuckerberg and the Changing Face of Philanthropy
Mark Zuckerberg's recent gift of $500 million to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation has people talking about the the Millenial generation and the long-term effect of their philanthropy. As the co-founder of Facebook said, when joining the Giving Pledge in 2010, "People wait until late in their careers to give back. But why wait when there is so much to be done?" In an article on the Huffington Post, the Foundation Center's social media manager, Jereme Bivins, sees Zuckerberg's decision as a rallying cry that may well change the face of philanthropy.
Read more at Huffington Post»
Warren Buffett and the Business of Life
In 2008, as Wall Street seemed to crumble and investors headed for the doors, Warren Buffett was still actively investing billions of his own money. Buffett is equally famous for his announcement that he plans to give the bulk of his fortune (now some $46 billion) to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and, in 2010, launching the Giving Pledge in partnership with the Gateses. In Alice Schroeder's 2008 biography of Buffett we learn about the fearlessness and focus that transformed a modest, plainspoken Nebraska boy into the Oracle of Omaha, a global cultural icon, and one of the world's leading philanthropists.
Read more at PND»
Essential Reading
Learn about the Giving Pledge and its potential.
PND on the Giving Pledge
Philanthropy News Digest has been covering the Giving Pledge since the campaign's inception. Read the latest news or explore the PND archive.
In Their Own Words
Recurring themes in Giving Pledge commitment letters
The Giving Pledge ProfilesView all 114 profiles»
Meet the New Pledgers
On May 7, 2013, the Giving Pledge added nine participants to its ranks, including American and international pledgers, as well as the first female individual billionaire.
"Eye on the Giving Pledge" maintains profiles for all 114 participants. Each profile details the pledger's net worth, primary industry affiliation, giving interests, related foundations, charitable board service, and philanthropic press coverage.
«To view the profile of a new pledger, select an image at left.
Geographic Distribution
World Map
 | 100 Giving Pledge households |  | 5 households |  | 1 household |  | no households |
Giving Pledge participants from outside the United States represent slightly less than 12 percent of the total net worth of all pledgers. With the highest concentration of participants outside the United States, the United Kingdom's six Giving Pledge households have a combined net worth of $10 billion.
Giving Interests
While the interests of Giving Pledge participants in health, human services, education, and arts & culture mirror the findings of the Giving USA 2012 Annual Report on Philanthropy, pledgers also show an interest in a diverse range of other areas.
Age Distribution
The age distribution of the Giving Pledge participants continues to strongly favors those born before World War II. The median age of participants is 76 years (David Rockefeller at 97 is the oldest, while Cari Tuna is the youngest at 28).
Industry Focus
A deeper look at the industries represented by the Giving Pledge participants revealed strong showings of high-net-worth individuals from financial and high-tech, but also great diversity in the types of businesses participants pursued and the origin of their wealth. Outside the United States the mining and high-tech industries play a larger role as a source of wealth.
Methodology
- Giving Pledge participants use many giving vehicles to support philanthropic causes, including giving through family foundations. Using public information and Foundation Center data, we have compiled this inventory of philanthropic activities for Giving Pledge participants. Wherever possible we have tried to include publicly available data reflecting the individual giving of those profiled here. We acknowledge the potential for gaps in the information presented and invite you to share your knowledge with us.
Footnotes
- Estimated net worth varies depending on survey criteria and the timing of the estimate. Estimates are based on figures provided by Forbes, Bloomberg L.P., and various entries on Wikipedia.
- Because no single list includes all of the pledgers, the rankings for individuals residing outside the United States are taken from the World's Billionaire list, while rankings for those residing in the United States are taken from the Forbes 400 list.
- Related foundations are those founded by, funded by, or otherwise closely associated with Giving Pledge participants. Assets and giving values are provided from the latest foundation IRS Form 990/990-PF. More information on these foundations can be found on Foundation Finder.
- Board service includes director, trustee, and advisory board positions currently or previously held with related foundations and other nonprofit organizations. Board service with for-profit enterprises is not included.
- Whenever possible, personal communication vehicles are given precedence. In their absence, foundation-related media links are provided. Unauthenticated social media profiles are not included.
- Giving Interests, whenever possible, reflect the personal philanthropy of Giving Pledge participants. In the absence of more comprehensive information, the giving interests of related foundations are provided. Foundation Directory Online provides information on the giving priorities of over 100,000 grantmakers.