Time’s biggest donor gave away $3.7 billion in 2024. It’s not Warren Buffett or Melinda French Gates
Michael Bloomberg has been named the biggest donor of 2024 on the TIME100 Philanthropy list. The media mogul gave away $3.7 billion of his sizable fortune – estimated at over $100 billion – in the last one year alone, making him the largest individual donor.
Who is Michael Bloomberg?
Michael Bloomberg, 83, is an American businessman, politician, philanthropist and author. He is best known as the co-founder, CEO, and majority owner of Bloomberg LP, a global financial information and media company.
Boston-born Bloomberg founded Bloomberg LP in 1981. The company revolutionised financial data terminals and is now a leading provider of business and financial news.
The American billionaire has a bachelor’s degree from Johns Hopkins University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
What is his net worth?
With an estimated net worth of $105 billion, Michael Bloomberg is the richest person in the state of New York, according to Forbes.
He also served as the mayor of New York from 2002 to 2013.
What were some of his charitable contributions?
In 2024, Bloomberg’s noteworthy grants included $1 billion to his alma mater, Johns Hopkins University. The grant will help make medical school free for most students and increase financial aid for nursing and public-health students, according to Time magazine.
Last year, he also announced a $600 million gift to the endowments of four historically Black medical schools.
Bloomberg’s philosophy
“I’ve never understood people who wait until they die to give away their wealth. Why deny yourself the satisfaction?” he wrote in an email to the Chronicle of Philanthropy earlier this year. “I’ve been very lucky, and I’m determined to do what I can to open doors for others and to leave a better world for my children and grandchildren.”
Other names on the list
Other names on Time magazine’s 100 most influential philanthropists include Oprah Winfrey, Melinda French Gates, Warren Buffett, Nita and Mukesh Ambani, and Azim Premji.