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http://money.msn.com/investing/10-americans-who-gave-away-the-most-money-in-2013-1
Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg tops the most recent 'Philanthropy 50' with a nearly $1 billion donation to charity.
By Susan Adams, Forbes
1 of 12
Giants of generosity
<richtext><xhtml>Who gave away the most money of any American last year? Facebook (FB) billionaire Mark Zuckerberg, 29, and wife Priscilla Chan, 28, who donated nearly $1 billion to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. That gift made up a sizable chunk of the $7.7 billion the top 50 Americans gave away to philanthropic causes in 2013, according to the 14th annual Philanthropy 50, a list of Americans who pledged the most money last year, compiled by The Chronicle of Philanthropy.
The 2013 total rose $300 million from 2012's $7.4 billion but was down from $10.4 billion in 2011. That year's tally was skewed upward by a single $6 billion bequest from the late agribusiness heiress Margaret A. Cargill.
Of the 50 donors on the Chronicle's list, 23 people or couples are on the Forbes 400. That group gave a total of $4.8 billion in 2013. Excluding bequests from donors who have passed away, the total giving among the top 50 was $6.2 billion. That's roughly equal to the amount living donors gave in the previous two years combined. Still, Zuckerberg and Chan's relative youth was the exception. The median age of living donors on the list is 72.5.
Some of America's biggest givers, like Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates, are conspicuously absent from the list. That's because of the Chronicle's methodology. It does not count pledges made in previous years, even if the money didn't flow until 2013. For example, Bill and Melinda Gates gave their foundation $181 million last year, which would have landed them at No. 14 on the list, but they were paying off a $3.3 billion pledge they made in 2004. (They have given $3.5 billion to that end, more than they originally promised).
As for Buffett, in 2006 he pledged a stunning $30 billion to the Gates foundation. So far he has given more than $13 billion of that, including Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) shares worth $2 billion last year, which would have landed him at No. 1 on the list. He also made payments totaling $341.3 million to four Buffett family foundations. He has pledged to give away 99 percent of his fortune, which Forbes last pegged at $58.5 billion in September when he landed at No. 2 behind Bill Gates on the Forbes 400.
Click through this slideshow to see the 10 Americans who gave away the most money last year.
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Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg tops the most recent 'Philanthropy 50' with a nearly $1 billion donation to charity.
By Susan Adams, Forbes
1 of 12
Giants of generosity
<richtext><xhtml>Who gave away the most money of any American last year? Facebook (FB) billionaire Mark Zuckerberg, 29, and wife Priscilla Chan, 28, who donated nearly $1 billion to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. That gift made up a sizable chunk of the $7.7 billion the top 50 Americans gave away to philanthropic causes in 2013, according to the 14th annual Philanthropy 50, a list of Americans who pledged the most money last year, compiled by The Chronicle of Philanthropy.
The 2013 total rose $300 million from 2012's $7.4 billion but was down from $10.4 billion in 2011. That year's tally was skewed upward by a single $6 billion bequest from the late agribusiness heiress Margaret A. Cargill.
Of the 50 donors on the Chronicle's list, 23 people or couples are on the Forbes 400. That group gave a total of $4.8 billion in 2013. Excluding bequests from donors who have passed away, the total giving among the top 50 was $6.2 billion. That's roughly equal to the amount living donors gave in the previous two years combined. Still, Zuckerberg and Chan's relative youth was the exception. The median age of living donors on the list is 72.5.
Some of America's biggest givers, like Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates, are conspicuously absent from the list. That's because of the Chronicle's methodology. It does not count pledges made in previous years, even if the money didn't flow until 2013. For example, Bill and Melinda Gates gave their foundation $181 million last year, which would have landed them at No. 14 on the list, but they were paying off a $3.3 billion pledge they made in 2004. (They have given $3.5 billion to that end, more than they originally promised).
As for Buffett, in 2006 he pledged a stunning $30 billion to the Gates foundation. So far he has given more than $13 billion of that, including Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) shares worth $2 billion last year, which would have landed him at No. 1 on the list. He also made payments totaling $341.3 million to four Buffett family foundations. He has pledged to give away 99 percent of his fortune, which Forbes last pegged at $58.5 billion in September when he landed at No. 2 behind Bill Gates on the Forbes 400.
Click through this slideshow to see the 10 Americans who gave away the most money last year.
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