{"id":4402231449377,"date":"2026-03-10T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.philanthropy.com\/?p=4402231449377"},"modified":"2026-03-10T10:31:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T14:31:07","slug":"michael-bloomberg-biggest-donor-of-2025-tops-philanthropy-50-list-for-third-year-in-a-row","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.philanthropy.com\/news\/michael-bloomberg-biggest-donor-of-2025-tops-philanthropy-50-list-for-third-year-in-a-row\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael Bloomberg, Biggest Donor of 2025, Tops Philanthropy 50 List for Third Year in a Row"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For the third consecutive year, Michael Bloomberg landed the No. 1 spot on the Chronicle of Philanthropy\u2019<\/em>s exclusive ranking of the 50 biggest donors of 2025. The founder of the Bloomberg financial-news empire and former New York mayor gave $4.3 billion to support arts, education, the environment, public health, and programs to improve city governments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bloomberg is followed on the Philanthropy 50 <\/a>list by three donors who each gave $1 billion or more to charity last year. Bill Gates (No. 2) gave $3.7 billion to the Gates Foundation, and his former Microsoft colleague, the late Paul Allen (No. 3), left a $3.1 billion bequest to start a foundation focused on science and technology. Warren Buffett donated $1.3 billion to four family foundations that support a range of causes.<\/p>\n\n\n

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2026 Philanthropy 50<\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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America\u2019s biggest donors gave $22.4 billion in 2025. This year\u2019s report highlights some of the country\u2019s most interesting and prolific philanthropists.<\/p>\n

See the full project<\/a><\/p>\n

Explore the data<\/a><\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Together the donors on the Philanthropy 50 list contributed a total of $22.4 billion to charity in 2025. The median gift was $105 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The financial industry was the source of wealth for most donors on the list, with 20 philanthropists giving a total of $4.1 billion. Next was technology, with 12 tech donors contributing $10 billion, and then real estate, with four donors giving $466.7 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More donors live in New York and California than any other state, and nonprofits in those states received the most gifts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many of these donors, philanthropy brings them great meaning. Jon and Mindy Gray (No. 34, at $63.6 million) primarily support research on inherited cancers related to BRCA mutations \u2014 Mindy\u2019s sister died of BRCA-related ovarian cancer at age 44 \u2014 and empowering young people in New York City. One of their initiatives, the Gray Scholars program, provides scholarships to 10 New York City students per year to attend a historically Black college or university. Every year the Grays participate in a gathering for all the scholars. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe’re very hands-on people \u2014 we enjoy it,\u201d Mindy Gray says. \u201cOther people often come to us and say, \u2018I want to do something, but what should I do?\u2019 And it really is what you feel in your heart. You should not be doing this work in areas that don\u2019t move you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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