Marie Josee Kravis and her husband Henry Kravis are major figures in the New York philanthropy community. They are currently ranked 25th highest ranking individuals who gave the most in contributions, as listed by the Chronicle of Philanthropy. Marie Josee Kravis has also been recognized by New York Magazine as an “Influential in Philanthropy.”

Marie Josee Kravis is an active leader in the Henry Kravis Prize in Leadership, which recognizes innovation in nonprofit work. She is also a major patron of the Mount Sinai Medical Center, and helped raise $30 million for a heart research center there. As president of the Museum of Modern Art, she donated $10 million to the museum. Marie Josee Kravis and Henry Kravis have also been major contributors to Lincoln Center of Performing Ats, the Global Business Coalition, and Carnegie Hall.

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Born on August 15th 1964 in Dallas, Texas, Forbes ranked her as the 12th most powerful woman in the world in 2006. Together with her husband, Melinda Gates established the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000. The foundation has now grown into one of the biggest world renowned charitable organizations. She acts as the co-chairperson of the foundation.

Melinda Gates’ work at the foundation includes developing approaches to take on issues that need to be solved and to review the results the group has achieved. The foundation also intends to promote global health care, to get rid of poverty especially in the impoverished areas in the world, to support education and to offer access to technology in libraries.

As a result of their humanitarian efforts, Melinda Gates and her husband were named Person of the Year by Time magazine in 2005.

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The company that the legend built also holds the title of being the Largest Corporate Cash Contributor in America as recognized by the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

Sam Walton was born in Kingfisher, Oklahoma in the year 1918. He passed away in 1992, and in his passing, left the distinction of having accumulated the largest American family fortune.

In his autobiography, Made in America: My Story, Sam Walton’s own ideals are clearly shown to have shaped the culture of giving across all his businesses and relations. He wrote about how important it was to encourage ordinary people to do extraordinary things. This is philanthropy at its truest core.

In 1987, upon his wife Helen’s encouragement, he put in $1,000 for his family foundation. Upon his death, he bequeathed a trust fund valued at $172 million exclusively for this institution. Wal-Mart Foundations and The Walton Family Foundation are the pioneer organizations, while there are also quite a number of philanthropic commitments that his family has established over the years.

• Sam Walton and his entire family have been the consistent guardians of advocacies for education. One recipient is the Knowledge for Power Program, geared toward public education and exploring financing alternatives for the sector.
• The Walton Family Foundation provides support through PRIs/loans, scholarships to deserving individuals, program and curriculum development, as well as technical assistance.
• Among the highest aid Sam Walton and his empire provided are:
• $3,000,000 – Blue Ridge School in Dyke, Virginia
• $1,177,709 – Center for Education Reform, Washington DC
• $1,270,304 – the International Community Foundation San Diego, California
• $500,000 – National Center for Educational Accountability, Austin, Texas
• $421,500 – Minnesota Association of Charter Schools
• A report by The National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy highlighted how the financial donations of the Waltons have indeed become greater than their monetary value as they continue to change the lives of thousands. BusinessWeek named the Walton Family as one of The 50 Top American Givers in 2008.

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Over the years, Helen Kimmel, together with her husband, has been a dedicated advocate to science and education-related efforts. She has a network of influence that counts established names and institutions such as the New York University, of which she is a member of the board of trustees. Aside from this, she is also actively involved as part of the board of directors of the American Friends of the Israel Museum.

For their exemplary dedication, the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science honored Helen and Martin Kimmel. Helen Kimmel currently sits on the institute’s board of trustees. The Rehovot, Israel-based Weizmann Institute of Science is an international center dedicated to scientific research and graduate study. In a tribute dubbed In Celebration of Science, they received praises for “personifying the essential partnership between science and philanthropy that has provided generous resources for unprecedented advances at the Weizmann Institute.”

• The year 2008 saw a $150 million endowment to the Langone Medical Center housed in the New York University. This amount will translate to a new patient facility, named in honor of both Helen and Martin Kimmel. Medical center officials confirmed that the promised gift would be in the form of securities and cash.
• Another $4 million went to the fund for the building of a clinical treatment and research center for wound healing. A $2.5 million contribution for a cardiology professorship also went to the medical center.
• A recent donation to the Weizmann Institute led to the creation of the Helen and Martin S. Kimmel Center for Nanoscale Science. Helen Kimmel is also at the helm of her self-managed charity organization, the Helen Kimmel Foundation. Through this foundation, she donated to the Uja Federation, New York University, and Bernard College in varying amounts.
• The New York University Medical Center also secured financial support in the form of $10 million and founded its new center for Stem Cell Biology.

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Together with the rest of the family, she financially supports The Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation that prioritizes education. Among the grateful recipients are the University of Arkansas ($300 million in 2002), the College of Business Administration of the University of Arkansas ($50 million in 1998, renamed to Sam M. Walton College of Business), as well as several other local colleges, community trusts, universities and foundations. In 2007, the Bentonville-based Walton Family Foundation, one of the nation’s largest charitable organizations, gave up to $1.6 billion.

With her husband, John, she became an honouree of the Patrons of the Prado Gala on July 16. This event seeks to benefit museums in Balboa Park.

Christy Walton is also a board member of The San Diego Natural History Museum. This institution, as well as The San Diego Zoological Society and The Mingei International Museum, are proud recipients of her benevolence.

Another commendable donation is in the form of her own old Victorian home, which she gave to the International Community Foundation’s (ICF) Center for Cross-Border Philanthropy. Built in 1896 for former National City postmaster Oliver Noyes in 1896, this historical beauty underwent renovation in 1989. Christy Walton and her husband presented this transformational gift to ICF in 2006, along with a recent $4 million endowment for the edifice’s preservation. The ICF has taken it upon itself to assist U.S.-based donors who wish to make a difference in non-profit causes overseas with special interest in community-based health care, environment, and education.

Today, Christy Walton has a net worth of $17.6 billion, which she inherited upon the death of her husband, John, in 2005. The 12th highest among Forbes’ exclusive list of The World’s Billionaires, she continues to benefit from the status of the family business as the reigning World’s Largest Retailer.

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In the face of all this difficulty, George Soros managed to support himself through his studies at the London School of Economics, where he accomplished his undergraduate degree. He moved to the United States in 1956, where he developed his prowess as a trader and analyst until 1963. A decade after, he established and benefited immensely from what would be one of the first hedge funds in the nation; the Quantum Fund. In 1992, he became famous for “breaking the Bank of England” on Black Wednesday.

Today, the self-made 78-year old has a net worth of $9 billion. George Soros is ranked 29th in Forbes’ World’s Billionaires, mainly because of the Soros Fund Management. His vast fortune is duly matched by his generosity. From 2007-2008 alone, he contributed $474.6 million to non-profit organizations, and gave over $106,000 in political contributions. George Soros also created the Soros Humanitarian Foundation to which he gave $230 million.

Among George Soros’ many projects are the Millennium Promise Initiative which seeks to eliminate extreme African poverty ($50 million), the regional Russian Universities Internet infrastructure creation ($100 million), and putting up a grantmaking foundation in China dedicated to transparency and fostering civil society. In fact, his history of giving began as early as 1979, when he financially aided African American students to go to University of Cape Town in South Africa.

What is perhaps George Soros’ greatest legacy lies, however, in his establishment of the Open Society Institute in 1993. He was particularly influenced by philosopher Karl Popper, author of The Open Society and Its Enemies – an insightful critique on the political system of totalitarianism. As such, he has endeavored to aid the formation of human rights awareness, democratic governance, and concrete reform in the different sectors of society in over 60 countries at present.

George Soros was on the cover of Time Magazine’s September 1, 1997 issue, which featured his causes. For his published work and philanthropic dedication to the promotion of open societies, he has been recognized by prestigious bodies such as Yale University, Oxford University, New School for Social Research, and the University of Bologna’s highest honor, the Laurea Honoris Causa.

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A trustee of the National Committee of the Whitney Museum, the Council on Foreign Relations, the International Council of the Museum of Modern Art, and the Council of American Ambassadors, Anne Cox Chambers’ life is one of those significantly influencing the global community. On top of these influential roles, she is also the distinguished president of the American Friends of the International Lyric Art Festival of Aix-en-Provence. Likewise, she is a board member of the French American Foundation, Woodruff Arts Center and the MacDowell Colony.

The billionaire media proprietor has also served on select boards for corporations such as Coca Cola (1981-1991), Bank of the South (1977-1982), and the Fulton National Bank (since 1973). Her appointment at Fulton is historic, for she was the first woman in Atlanta to fulfill such a capacity. Other not-for-profit organizations that Anne Cox Chambers was actively involved in were as a director for Central Atlanta Progress Board and the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. She is the first woman to hold such positions of power.

Anne Cox Chambers also played a key role in President Jimmy Carter’s administration when she was chosen to be the Ambassador to Belgium from 1977-1981. For her invaluable service, the King Baudoin of Belgium presented her the Officier de la Legion d’Honneur, l’Order de la Couronne.

Other political affiliations revolve around her stalwart support for the Democratic Party. She is a member of New Leadership for America PAC, MoveOn.org, John Kerry for President, Bill Bradley for President, and the most recent endeavour and success, Obama for America.

Born on December 1, 1919 to James M. Cox and Barbara Cox Anthony, she had James M. Cox Jr., John W. Cox, and Barbara Cox Anthony as siblings. She attended Miss Porter’s School for her secondary education, and went to New York’s Finch College afterward. Currently, Anne Cox Chambers is a Director of Cox Enterprises. As the last surviving inheritor of her father James M. Cox’s media conglomerate, she has a net worth estimated at $9 billion as of March 2009. In 2008, she was ranked 19th in the Forbes 400 Richest Americans.

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• Through her Angel Network, Oprah Winfrey has raised $50 million for Third World schools, $10 million for Katrina relief and $1 million for tsunami aid. Because Winfrey personally covers the administrative costs, 100% of funds raised for the Angel Network goes to charity programs.
• Winfrey also initiated a campaign for a national database for convicted child abusers. This campaign was motivated by her experiences of child abuse.

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In addition to The Ross School and the Global Ross Academy, Courtney Sale Ross also contributes philanthropically to the following beneficiaries:

• In order to help underprivileged women, Courtney Sale Ross established the Courtney Sale Ross Scholarship Fund at the Tisch School of New York University.
• She endowed the Courtney and Steven Ross Chair in Interdisciplinary Studies to Skidmore College. There is also a professorship for education and globalization bearing the Courtney Sale Ross name at the Steinhardt School of Education in New York University.
• Courtney Ross is also interested in strengthening U.S.-China relations. Institutions in China benefit from her funding, such as the Shanghai Museum, where a state-of-the-art theatre is named in her behalf.
• Since 1996, Courtney Ross has been at the helm of the Ross Institute for Advanced Study and Innovation in Education, a nonprofit research entity designated to search for innovative measures for education at the pre-college level. For the most part, the Ross Insitute aims to assimilate the best features of globalization in pre-collegiate education.
• Courtney Sale Ross is also a benefactor to Harvard University, the University of Southern California and New York University.
• Courtney Sale Ross was recently cited by the Bhutanese government for the Ross School’s innovative multicultural curriculum.

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As a biotech entrepreneur, Alfred Mann founded more than a dozen aerospace and biomedical companies and is responsible for some of the world’s greatest medical advances. Among his companies are Minimed Inc., manufacturing insulin pumps, Pacesetter Inc., which manufactures pacemakers, Second Sight making prosthetic retinas, Advanced Bionics that devotes to neuro-stimulators, and Mannkind Corporation, which is a biopharmaceutical company that is concerned with research and development of therapeutic products for diseases like diabetes and cancer. Mannkind pioneered the development of inhaled insulin.

• In 1985, Alfred Mann established the Alfred Mann Foundation, which conducts scientific studies and medical research, and takes charge in the selection, creation, and supervision of institutes in different universities.
• In 1987, Alfred Man established the Alfred E. Mann Institute for Biomedical Engineering at University of Southern California where he donated a total of $162 million. The institute aims to transform scientific biomedical researches into practical products and to license the technology, and produce yearly royalties of $5 million – $10 million, where the money will be invested back into the institutes for supplementary research and product development.
• On March 16, 2007, the Alfred Mann Foundation for Biomedical Engineering donated $100 million to Purdue University, which was used to create the Alfred Mann Institute at Purdue University.
• He also donated $104 million to Technion and $100 million to the University of California at Los Angeles to establish similar institutes.

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Ruth Lilly contributes substantially to the arts. She is also an avid supporter of health advocacies, historical preservation causes, youth nonprofits and countless charitable entities, especially those based in Indiana.

• Ruth Lilly gave $100 million worth of company stock to the Poetry Foundation, which publishes Poetry magazine in Chicago, a magazine that repeatedly spurned her requests to be published when she was younger. Through Poetry Magazine, Ruth Lilly has funded a poetry contest every year since 1986. Ruth Lilly has also contributed roughly $120 million to the Washington-based nonprofit Americans for the Arts.
• Every year, Ruth slakes off $10 million from her wealth, essentially halving her income. Over the years, her philanthropic contributions have totaled over $175 million.
• Lilly’s pledges have given rise to many hospitals, libraries and parks. She donates for health care and education, as well as youth campaigns and historical preservation. In more unusual philanthropy, Ruth Lilly sponsors priests and men of the clergy who are reflecting and meditating on their calling.
• Ruth Lilly is also the founder of the Ruth Lilly Philanthropic Foundation.

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Brooke Astor was born Roberta Brooke Russell on March 30, 1902 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. She was the daughter of a Marine Corps commandant and a socialite-intellectual mother. She spent most of her childhood years in Haiti, China, and the Dominican Republic. Brooke Astor studied at The Madeira School in 1919 but finished her studies in Holton-Arms.

Brooke Astor’s third husband was Vincent Astor, who served the chairman of the board of Newsweek magazine. Vincent’s father John Jacob Astor IV died onboard the Titanic and left his son a substantial fortune. Before he died in 1959, Vincent Astor asked his wife to take control of his foundation.

Over the next four decades, Brooke Astor gave away millions to numerous institutions, organizations, and charities throughout New York. Established in 1948, the Vincent Astor Foundation gave numerous grants. The first beneficiary of a $1 million grant was the United Neighborhood Houses, a program that helps keep teenagers living in settlement houses away from gangs.

Some of the other noteworthy beneficiaries of the Astor grant include:

• The Fresh Air Fund
• Lighthouse for the Blind
• Carnegie Hall
• Columbia University
• Bronx Zoo
• International Rescue Committee
• The Maternity Center Association
• The New York University
• Lenox Hill Neighborhood House
• New York-Presbyterian Hospital

The two institutions closest to her heart were the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the New York Public Library. Her father-in-law, John Jacob Astor IV, helped found the New York Public Library and she kept his memory alive by continuously supporting the library. She even sat as one of the library’s board members. By the time of her death, Brooke Astor had given away around $195 million.

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Veronica Atkins was born in Russia and is unknown to many. She is an adept cook and has authored two cookbooks. She also sang opera professionally for thirteen years.

According to Business Week, Veronica Atkins is one of the top fifty most generous philanthropists. Newsweek also proclaimed her part of the “All-Star Team” in philanthropy.

Veronica Atkins presides over her deceased husband’s foundation. Renamed The Dr. Robert C. and Veronica Atkins Foundation, the organization added $40 million in assets from selling Atkins Nutritionals, her husband’s company, in 2003. When Veronica passes away, the foundation’s assets will gain Robert’s remaining trust fund and amount to $600 million. The foundation contributes to curtailing obesity, diabetes, and other diet-related diseases worldwide.

• The Veronica Atkins Foundation funds independent clinical and scientific research on pressing health risks like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer’s Disease. She has pledged around $450 million to the fund.
• The Veronica Atkins Foundation is one of a notable few endowing grants. Veronica Atkins also campaigns for relevant programs in education and public health advocacies.
• The Veronica Atkins Foundation has gifted $10 million to the Center for Weight and Health at the University of California, Berkeley, to sponsor research on nutrition and fund campaigns for obesity prevention. Center for Weight and Health is one of the few in the country devoted to prevent pediatric obesity.
• In particular, Veronica Atkins advocates purging Type II diabetes among children. Veronica Atkins she donated $16,000 to students of North Side Elementary School, which opted not to sell unhealthy, sugary snacks to raise funds for their field trip.
• Veronica Atkins also donates to select orphanages in Russia. She has endowed several professorships in America.

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