No. 7: Silicon Valley Community Foundation December 17, 2015 UNITED STATES – £287m In 2006, two community foundations merged into the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, with the aim to create positive regional change in the San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties in the Silicon Valley. The Foundation describes itself as a center of philanthropy, partnering with donors to strengthen the common good in the [...]
No. 8: National Philanthropic Trust December 17, 2015 UNITED STATES – £285m The National Philanthropic Trust (NPT) was founded in 1996. Since then, it has raised almost £3.5bn in charitable contributions and currently manages £2.6bn in charitable assets. NPT has made more than 121,000 grants totaling over £1.1bn to charities all over the world. NPT is one of the organisations in this list [...]
No. 9: Atlantic Philanthropies December 17, 2015 UNITED KINGDOM – £264m New Jersey-born Chuck Feeney was an entrepreneur from an early age, selling Christmas cards door-todoor and teaming up with a friend to shovel sidewalks during snowstorms. After high school, Chuck enlisted in the US Air Force, serving in Japan during the Korean War. He took advantage of the GI Bill to [...]
No. 10: Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation December 17, 2015 UNITED STATES – £252m The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation stems from the charitable organization that Warren Buffett formed many years ago to manage his charitable giving. He renamed his Buffett Foundation to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation in honor of his wife when she died in 2004. Susan Buffett’s will bestowed about £1.6bn to the [...]
No. 11: The Walton Family Foundation December 17, 2015 UNITED STATES – £227m The world’s largest retailer is Walmart, and the Walton family has a 51 per cent stake in the company. No wonder that the Waltons are the richest family in America. The Walton Family Foundation was set up by Walmart’s founders, Sam and Helen Walton in 1988, when they pledged to shake [...]
No. 12: The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation December 17, 2015 UNITED STATES – £219m It’s probably no wonder that the United States’ largest philanthropy dedicated solely to health is the brainchild of the founder of healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson, Robert Wood Johnson, known as “The General” because he served in World War II. The products his firm have created, such as Savlon, Neutrogena and [...]
No. 13: William and Flora Hewlett Foundation December 17, 2015 UNITED STATES – £218m Hewlett, one half of the duo that set up computer manufacturing giant Hewlett Packard, set up the foundation with his wife Flora and their eldest son Walter in 1967. “Never stifle a generous impulse,” was one of William Hewlett’s favourite sayings and he kept his word. It was the personal generosity of Hewlett, who [...]
No. 14: Church Commissioners December 17, 2015 UNITED KINGDOM – £216m The Church Commissioners main role is supporting the Church of England by managing its investment portfolio – valued at £6.7bn last year – and it can trace its history back to Queen Anne's Bounty of 1704, set up to support poor clergymen. The Church Commissioners manage investments within ethical guidelines; this means they do [...]
No. 15: Lilly Endowment December 17, 2015 UNITED STATES – £211m The pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Company was founded in 1876 by Colonel Eli Lilly. Eli Lilly and Company was the first to mass-produce penicillin, the Salk polio vaccine, and insulin. Lilly is also the world's largest manufacturer and distributor of psychiatric medications such as Prozac. When Eli Lilly died in 1898, three [...]
No. 16: Foundation for the Carolinas December 17, 2015 UNITED STATES – £198m Since 1958, the Foundation for the Carolinas has connected individuals, companies and organisations to needs and philanthropic opportunities across North and South Carolina (combined population over 14m), and beyond. As a community foundation, the Foundation for the Carolinas works in cooperation with donors, civic leaders and non-profits to help achieve charitable goals [...]
