4 charities are thankful for Warren Buffett this Thanksgiving, as he gives away $870 million of his fortune to philanthropy (2024)

Thanksgiving, to many people, is about friends, family and stuffing yourself with an obscene amount of food. For Warren Buffett, it’s a time to line the coffers of his favorite charities.

The head of Berkshire Hathaway has donated roughly $870 million to four family-run foundations, a continuation of the philanthropy he has undertaking since 2006. (Last year, his donations to the four foundations were valued at $750 million.)

Some 1.5 million shares of Berkshire Hathaway are going to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, named after his wife. The remaining shares, some 900,000, will be split among the Sherwood Foundation, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, and NoVo Foundation, three charities run by his children.

“At Thanksgiving I have much to be thankful for… My three children are now—and this is hard for their father to believe—between 65 and 70 years of age,” wrote Buffett. “For some years, their foundations have distributed substantial sums, occasionally to the same donee. Usually, however, the three follow different paths.”

The Thanksgiving donations, Buffett added, supplement the pledges he has made for the past 17 years, which will continue until his death. (Buffett said he feels good, but “I fully realize I am playing in extra innings.”)

Buffett is the world’s ninth-richest person, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, with a total net worth of $121 billion.

The Thanksgiving donations follow donations of nearly $5 billion in June. Since 2006, he has donated over $50 billion—a figure that exceeds his net worth when he began giving away his holdings 17 years ago.

Buffett has long been clear that he wants to give away his billions of dollars. In 2006, he told Fortune he had no plans to leave his entire estate to his children, saying, “A very rich person should leave his kids enough to do anything but not enough to do nothing.”

Those now Social Security–eligible children will work together to give away their father’s wealth after his passing. And they’ll need to act unanimously in doing so, he said. As for Berkshire, he said, “We have the right CEO to succeed me and the right Board of Directors as well. Both are needed.”

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4 charities are thankful for Warren Buffett this Thanksgiving, as he gives away $870 million of his fortune to philanthropy (2024)

FAQs

What charity does Warren Buffett donate to? ›

He gave 1.5 million shares of Berkshire Hathaway Class “B” stock valued at $541.5 million to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, named for his first wife, who died in 2004. Buffett created the grantmaker in 1964 to manage the family's charitable giving, and it remains a family affair.

Who is the biggest donor in the world? ›

Jamsetji Tata named world's most charitable, beats Bill Gates. The title of the world's most generous individual goes to an Indian who outshines renowned figures like Mukesh Ambani, Ratan Tata, Azim Premji, and Shiv Nadar.

Who has given away the most money to charity? ›

Here are the billionaires who give away the most money, according to Forbes
  • Warren Buffett. Warren Buffett has a lifetime giving of $56.7 billion. ...
  • Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. ...
  • George Soros. ...
  • Michael Bloomberg. ...
  • MacKenzie Scott. ...
  • Jim and Marilyn Simons. ...
  • Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan. ...
  • Steve and Connie Ballmer.
Mar 5, 2024

Who is the world's biggest donor in 100 years? ›

Rupert Hoogewerf, the chairman and chief researcher at Hurun, said, “Whilst American and European philanthropists may have dominated the thinking of philanthropy over the last century, Jamsetji Tata, founder of India's Tata Group is the world's biggest philanthropist.”

Can I ask Warren Buffett for money? ›

Warren Buffett typically does not give money to individuals, although he frequently donates to charities. However, he has in the past forwarded individual requests for money to his sister, Ms. Doris Buffett, who operates an organization called the Sunshine Lady Foundation.

Does Warren Buffett go to church? ›

Buffett was raised as a Presbyterian, but has since described himself as agnostic.

Who donated 102 billion dollars? ›

According to a ranking compiled by the EdelGive Foundation and Hurun Report, Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, the founder of the Tata Group, has emerged as the world's most prominent philanthropist over the last century.

Who is the most giving celebrity? ›

Which singer or movie star gave the most to charities in his or her life? Michael Jackson. He holds the Guinness record for the most amount of money donated.

Who donated a billion dollars to a college? ›

Ruth Gottesman, a former professor at the medical school and current chair of its Board of Trustees, donated the money left to her by her husband, David Gottesman, who died in 2022. He founded the investment firm First Manhattan and was a protégé of billionaire Warren Buffett.

Which charity gives 100% donation? ›

One Nation operates on a 100% donation policy and all donations are used for the delivery and service of the project.

Has Elon Musk donated to charity? ›

Musk donated $1.95 billion worth of Tesla shares to charities in 2022 and $5.74 billion in 2021, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The Musk Foundation, like all charitable organizations, is mandated by law to allocate a minimum of 5% of its assets annually.

Which religion donates the most money? ›

Evangelical Protestants and Mormons in particular are strong givers. Compared to Protestant affiliation, both Catholic affiliation and Jewish affiliation reduce the scope of average giving, when other influences are held constant.

Is Dolly Parton a philanthropist? ›

Parton's Charitable Giving

In the 1980s, Dolly Parton began focusing her philanthropic endeavors on initiatives in her home state of Tennessee. Her father was illiterate, and for many years, she concentrated her efforts on improving literacy and graduation rates in Tennessee.

Is Elon Musk a philanthropist? ›

Its Money Stays Close to Home. After making billions in tax-deductible donations to his philanthropy, the owner of Tesla and SpaceX gave away far less than required in some years — and what he did give often supported his own interests.

Who donated 150 million dollars? ›

Hawaii Pacific Health and Hilo Medical Center

Marc and Lynne Benioff gave two donations totaling $150 million to these two nonprofits to expand access to health care in Hawaii, where the Benioff's own property.

What does Jeff Bezos give to charity? ›

Last year, he gave out $117 million in grants to support homeless families through his Bezos Day 1 Families Fund, bringing his total donations to nearly $640 million. However, critics have in the past been skeptical about just how philanthropic the billionaire really is. “He's committed a large amount of money.

How much money has Warren Buffett donated to charity in his lifetime? ›

Likely the biggest philanthropist ever, Buffett's lifetime giving tops $51.5 billion–placing him at the top of Forbes' 2023 list of America's most generous philanthropists. Billions more sit in the coffers of the five foundations, soon to be put to use.

What does Warren Buffet use his money for? ›

Buffett himself has pledged that 99% of his wealth will go to philanthropy during his lifetime or upon his death. As of 2023, the shares he's already given away were worth about $50 billion based on their value at the time of donation, or about $130 billion given Berkshire Hathaway's stock value at the time.

What fund does Warren Buffet invest in? ›

The Berkshire Hathaway portfolio
CompanyShares heldHolding value
Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO)43,000$20,670,100
SPDR S&P 500 Trust ETF (SPY)39,400$20,608,958
Jefferies (JEF)433,558$19,119,908
Liberty Latin America Class A (LILA)2,630,792$18,336,620
37 more rows

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