Born in June 1920 in Jamestown, Rhode Island, Russell E. Train primarily lived a life of politics. He graduated from Princeton University with a degree in political science and served as an officer in the army during World War II. He is best known, however, for his dedication to environmental charities and for fostering an environmental awareness in the American public.

Train served as the second Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency from 1973 to 1977, placing environmental issues on the presidential and national agenda.

In 1960, Train, along with Nick Arundel, Jim Bugg, Kermit Roosevelt and Maurice Stans founded the African Wildlife Leadership Foundation, Inc., later named the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), to ensure that African lands and wildlife remain undisturbed from industry and poaching. 80 percent of its current staff is African because the organization believes that the first step in environmental conservation is encouraging the people living on the land to become its caretakers.

Most recently, AWF has launched its Leasing Land for Conservation program in southern Kenya, under which landowners are paid by AWF to conserve their land rather than to convert it for agriculture or sell it to developers. The Lomako Conservation Science Center opened in 2009 in the remote forests of the Congo to intensely study the life of the bonobo, a species of endangered ape, as well as the ecology of the rainforest in general.

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After Wellcome’s death in 1936, his will provided for the creation of the Wellcome Trust, a global foundation dedicated to improving human and animal health. In the past 70 years, the organization has grown to become the largest charity in the UK. Wellcome Trust provides philanthropic funding to a variety of focus areas, including biomedical science, technology transfer, public engagement and biomedical ethics. There are fellowships and grants available for those with goals of translating research into useable health products.

Most recently in October 2010, Wellcome Trust began providing research training programs for physicians who wish to pursue careers in academic medicine. The foundation is also currently supporting clinicians’ research in developing a treatment for obesity based on natural appetite suppression. The foundation currently spends over $600 million a year in medical research funding.

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In 1985,Steve Wozniak, along with Steve Jobs, received the National Medal of Technology award from then President Ronald Reagan. In December 1989, he was awarded with an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He also contributed funds to make “the Woz” Lab at the University of Colorado at Boulder. In 1997, Steve Wozniak earned a fellowship in the Computer History Museum, where he was a donor and patron to the San Jose’s Children’s Discovery Museum.

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Aside from his Google endeavors, Larry Brilliant was also part of the successful smallpox eradication program of the World Health Organization. He participated from 1973 all the way up to 1976. After working with the World Health Organization, he returned to the US to work as an international health professor at the University of Michigan.

While he was teaching international health to students, Larry Brilliant started to establish more than a few business and charitable ventures. Eventually, in 2005, he was appointed to supervise eBay’s Skoll Urgent Threats Fund.

Aside from working for eBay co-founder Jeff Skoll, Larry Brilliant also spent one half of 2005 volunteering for the World Health Organization. He participated in WHO’s campaign to eradicate polio. That same year, he spent a significant part of his time helping out numerous victims of the tsunami in Sri Lanka.

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Following the consecutive development of such companies under the technology sector, Beyer-Clausen decided to establish a continuing change in the world by helping people, particularly those who are in need of the basic necessities for survival. He wanted to put his skills in business, financial resources, as well as people network, to work and make efforts for good causes.

In 2002, Mickey Beyer-Clausen formed a 501(c)3 private charity organization called the Happiness Foundation, which provides support to several aid groups from around the world with tactical pro bono consultancy. It helps business executives and leaders to share their knowledge to assist nonprofits in promoting their cause. It acts as a matchmaker between Charitable Projects and Volunteer Consultants.

That same year, he earned the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in recognition of and for putting up such an effective foundation that makes a significant difference in the world.

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• Some of the charities Naveen Jain has contributed to include organizations dedicated to helping children in the community, such as the Bellevue Boys and Girls Club, Hopelink, Kindering Care, Treehouse, Peps, and Cry-Child Relief
• Naveen Jain also supports philanthropic organizations that benefit the Indian and South Asian community through education, research, spreading cultural awareness, and a variety of social needs. Naveen Jain’s contributions include donations to Indian American Education Foundation, Chaya, the National Bureau of Asian Research, the Vedic Cultural Center, ASHA, and SMVA Trust.
• In addition, Naveen Jain has also donated to medical facilities, research institutions and community programs such as United Way, Children’s Hospital, Overlake Service League, and IAFF Firefighters.
• Finally, Naveen Jain has made contributions to education and the arts, including donations to University Prep, University of Washington, and the Seattle Art Museum.

A full list of the charities and nonprofits that enjoys the support of Intelius and Naveen Jain can be found on the Intelius Philanthropy Page. Naveen Jain also keeps a blog tracking his and Intelius community efforts at Naveen Jain NonProfit News, which chronicles the nonprofits that he supports. His other blogs include Naveen Jain Space Explorers and Naveen Jain Internet Security.

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William “Bill” Coleman’s network of influence includes the Silicon Valley Leadership Group (as its chairman), Council on Foreign Relations, and The American Electronics Association (as board of directors member). At present, he is a key member of the boards of Palm and Symantec.

In comparison to most philanthropists, William Coleman and his wife Claudia choose not to spread their donations too thinly over numerous organizations. Instead, they take a local and hands-on approach when it comes to their philanthropic efforts. Their devotion to philanthropy is a result of their concern for their niece’s cognitive disability. However, in the mid 1980’s, with the advent of technology and the computer, they saw for themselves how her focus, dexterity and learning skills have significantly improved.

Thus, their enthusiasm in finding treatments for cognitive disabilities with technology ignited their desire to support an institution that focuses on research and projects geared toward this particular cause.

• In 2000, together with his wife, William Coleman initiated a long-term partnership with the University of Colorado. In a year’s time, the Coleman Institute for Cognitive Disabilities began its operations, dedicating its advanced development and research capacities to the improvement of the lives of the afflicted.

• As written in the Institute’s mission, it exists solely “to catalyze and integrate advances in science, engineering and technology to promote the quality of life and independent living of people with cognitive disabilities.”

• William T. and Claudia L. Coleman continue to give annual contributions to the original private endowment of $250 million in order to further the Institute’s programs and research projects.

• The Coleman-Turner Chair in Cognitive Disability was a position created through the couple’s generous endowment. David Braddock, PhD, Associate Vice President of the University of Colorado, has been executive director since its institution.

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A historical figure in various sectors for charity,

As it evolved, Robert Meyerhoff’s initiative began to provide financial, academic, and guidance to both men and women from diverse backgrounds, all with a passion for the sciences as a common factor. Its graduates have all distinguished themselves in their respective fields, after making a name for themselves in exclusive top-tier universities such as Harvard, Stanford, Cornel, and Hopkins, among others.

The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology profiles UMBC as the top institution in the total number of undergraduate chemistry and biochemistry degrees awarded to African Americans and second in the total number of the same degrees for minorities.

UMBC also received a significant contribution for the chemistry and biochemistry facility renovations. It eventually became the Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Chemistry Building. This has been fitted with only the best teaching labs and instrumentation, a laser laboratory, new mass spectrometry facility, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers.

Coming into age during the Great Depression and World War II, Robert Meyerhoff comes from a generation dedicated to giving back to the country and local communities. Born in 1924, he was eligible for drafting. After his military service, he returned home to Baltimore where he entered the family’s construction business. Robert Meyerhoff is a civil engineer alumnus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Professionally, he is well-known and held in high regard within the real estate development industry. His other personal pursuits are collecting art, thoroughbred horse breeding, and other philanthropic activities.

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Recognized as the 12th Richest American, the 55-year old co-founder of Microsoft has a current net worth of $16 billion. Currently, Paul Allen is the chairman of Charter Communications, and the founder and chairman of his private asset management firm Vulcan Inc. His generous donations now collectively run to a total of more than $1 billion.

Paul Allen’s brand of giving revolves around his personal beliefs and passions. He looks at opportunities to invest in not-for-profit, and daringly innovative projects and groups. People have appropriately named this “venture philanthropy.”

Paul Allen’s campaigns are aligned with the needs of his local community – the Pacific Northwest. He champions and funds varied sectors from education to rock music, science fiction, detailed brain and spine mapping, to sports teams.

• One of his key pursuits is Vulcan Productions, creator of compelling documentaries, interesting feature films on different relevant topics, and television programs that make the arts and sciences available to more people. The company has already produced many noteworthy material including the television series “Evolution” (2001) shown on PBS, Emmy Award-winning documentary “Rx for Survival: A Global Health Challenge” (2005), and “Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial,” which won the prestigious Peabody Award.

• Paul Allen also led efforts for and eventually founded several valuable institutions as part of his philanthropic commitment to the arts. One such remarkable project is the interactive music museum called the Experience Music Project (EMP) in Seattle. Other public sites include the Flying Heritage Collection, which houses authentic World War II aircrafts that have been fixed and are even ready to be flown right out the showroom. The Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame are also credited to Paul Allen’s benevolence.

• Founded in 1988, The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation exists as agents of transformation in the sectors of education and youth engagement, arts and culture, community development and social change, and science and technology innovations. The Kenneth S. Allen Library, named after his father, was built in the late 1980’s with their donation of $18 million to the University of Washington. In honor of his mother, the Faye G. Allen Center for Visual Arts was erected in 2003 using the $5 million given to the school.

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His excellence in the sciences was equaled by his generosity:

• Herschel Smith left high-profile bequests to students and teachers at Queen Mary in the University of London through the annual Herchel Smith Senior Research Fellowship in Intellectual Property.
• Cambridge University received its largest private donation ever from Herschel Smith: $90 million for professorships in molecular genetics, mathematics, biochemistry, and physics. Having studied at Emmanuel College in the university, Herchel also sponsored the university’s facility for magnetic resonance imaging and endowed chairs in immunology and chemistry.
• Herchel Smith has donated money to Harvard University. The university received $100 million, which was also used to fund professorships.
• Herschel Smith also sponsored an exchange program between Harvard and Cambridge universities. The program offered post-doctorate scholarships at Cambridge University for Harvard graduates and the same scholarship for Cambridge graduates to study at Harvard.

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• Gordon Moore and his wife Betty established the Moore Foundation to target science, conservation, and higher education. The Foundation’s focus is funding outcome-based projects designed to improve the life of future peoples and encouraging collaboration among all of their grantees to maximize the outcomes for each initiative.
• Moore and his wife gave $600 million to Caltech for research. These funds are to be for mutually agreed upon educational and scientific programs.

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In 2003, the severe acute respiratory syndrome virus (SARS) devastated Asia and spread to 29 countries around the world, resulting in quarantines, travel restrictions, hysteria, and an estimated 774 deaths. Under the direction of Richard Li, PCCW rose to the aid of SARS victims by providing telecommunication services to patients, medical staff, and fundraisers. Richard Li volunteered PCCW to set video conferencing for quarantined SARS victims and volunteers to communicate with their families. Richard Li also directed PCCW to supply telephone hotline support for isolated patients and communities to receive medical and legal advice, a special story time program for children kept home to prevent infection, and call center support for charity fundraisers and community activists.

In addition to technical service, Richard Li and PCCW donated $1 million to the Business Community Relief Fund for victims of SARS. In his annual report for PCCW, Richard Li praised the company’s people for “their contribution to Hong Kong’s fight against SARS. Our people served the community through the company’s efforts to ease social and economic hardships- and many gave up their free time to work as volunteers.”

In 2007, PCCW volunteers participated in the District Elderly Campaign sponsored by the Oriental Daily News Charitable Fund, the Sun Charitable Fund, and Po Leung Kuk. The program supports the elderly by delivering gift packages to the elderly living in the Lower Ngau Tau Kok Estate.

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Irwin Jacobs’ wrote the seminal textbook Principles of Communication Engineering in 1965, a textbook that pioneered important concepts in communication engineering.

As an engineer, Mr. Jacobs helped popularize the use of CDMA technology as a means of transmitting voice and data through wireless networks. Because of this technology, wireless communication has become accessible to people across the globe.

Irwin Jacobs has contributed hundreds of millions of dollars to the field of education through generous donations and grants to several schools and organizations. Most of these contributions went to fellowships and scholarships for deserving students, particularly in the field of engineering and computer science.

Irwin Jacobs has given grants to the following institutions/organizations:

• $31 million to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (where Irwin Jacobs received his post-graduate degrees)
• $15 million and another $110 million to University of California at San Diego (where Irwin Jacobs was professor of computer science and engineering for several years)
• $62 million total to American Technion Society, Cornell University (Irwin Jacobs’ alma mater), KPBS Radio and Television, and San Diego Natural History Museum.

Dr. Irwin M. Jacobs has also given grants amounting to around $130 million to the following institutions:

• La Jolla Playhouse
• Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego
• San Diego Symphony

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• The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is a non-profit leader in global development. With a $31.9 billion endowment, the organization has provided $11 billion in grants since its 1994 inception. In 2006, Warren Buffet donated $10 million in shares to the foundation.
• One program of the Gates Foundation is the Global Development Program, a program devoted to alleviating poverty and hunger in the developing world. This goal is to be achieved via a three pronged approach: supporting agricultural development, providing financial services for the poor, and increasing access to information through computing in libraries internationally.
• The Gates Foundation Global Health Program devotes its resources two main areas. The first is increasing access to existing vaccines and drugs to fight common diseases in developing countries and the second is developing effective and practical healthcare solutions.

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• Michael and his wife Susan established the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation. The foundation has an endowment of over one billion dollars, and funds initiatives and programs that promote public health and community for children.
• The University of Texas – Austin has received a $50 million grant from the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation to promote excellence in children’s health and education. The gift is to be used for 3 new facilities at UT-Austin. These facilities are for the Dell Pediatric Research Institute, the Dell Computer Science Hall, and the Michael and Susan Dell Center for Advancement of Healthy Living.
• The Michael and Susan Dell Foundation has also award $9 million in grants to help fund Texas Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (T-STEM) Academies and Centers. These programs will share best practices through the T-STEM network and enable schools to have access to professional development, curriculum and lesson plans.

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Once a professor of electrical engineering at Stanford University, James Clark first delved into the technology business when he and some Stanford pupils organized Silicon Graphics, Inc. James Clark’s Silicon Graphics Company was the go-to company in Hollywood for special effects and three-dimensional computer imagery.

Many of Jim Clark’s philanthropic gifts were contributed to Stanford University where he was an electrical engineering professor:

• James Clark was indebted to Stanford when he pledged $150 million to the university. Most of the money was used to erect the James H. Clark Center for Biomedical Engineering and Sciences for interdisciplinary biomedical research, including stem cell research. Some of the money also went to procure new educational materials, provide positions for faculty who will be a part of the research effort, and sponsor scholars among graduate students.
• Aside from Stanford, James Clark also contributed $30-million to Tulane University in New Orleans, where James Clark took classes in high school.

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• Carnegie was passionate about education. His wealth was used to fund numerous libraries, schools, and universities internationally. In 1881, Carnegie spent over $56 million to establish free public libraries.
• Carnegie started Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh, and the name later changed to Carnegie Mellon University. By the end of his life, Carnegie had given $350 million, and left $125 million with the Carnegie Corporation to continue giving to society.

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