The Chronicle of Philanthropy's newly released Philanthropy 50, a list of America's largest donors, is based on gifts and pledges of cash and stock to nonprofits in 2025.
Researchers compiled the list by talking with multiple charities, philanthropists and their representatives to learn more about large contributions announced last year. They also looked into the philanthropy of major donors who gave more quietly.
They counted gifts made by donors' family foundations and their donor-advised funds but excluded disbursements from those vehicles to avoid double-counting.
The Chronicle counts only pledges and gifts that donors make to recipients with charity or foundation status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Some philanthropists do not disclose details about their giving — and aren't legally required to do so — and so were not included in the 2025 Philanthropy 50. These included MacKenzie Scott, who awarded headline-grabbing grants totaling some $7 billion to at least 120 charities last year through her Yield Giving Fund.
Both Scott and her representatives declined to provide information to the Chronicle about how much money she funnels into her grant-making vehicle.
Several other philanthropists who gave some of the biggest donations in 2025 did not make it on to the Philanthropy 50 list because they gave through their foundations. These include Michael Moritz, a partner at Sequoia Capital, and his wife, Harriet Heyman; Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts and his wife, Aileen; and retired Walmart chairman Rob Walton.
See the accompanying gallery for the 12 biggest donors in 2025.
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