In 2024, Chronicle of Philanthropy reported a record-breaking total of nearly $6 billion in charitable donations from individuals or their foundations, with half of that sum coming from just three monumental gifts, each surpassing $1 billion. This year’s list highlights a growing trend in philanthropic giving, particularly in support of financial aid for education and medical institutions.
Topping the list is a $1.1 billion donation from Reed Hastings, co-founder of Netflix, and his wife, Patty Quillin. In January, they donated 2 million shares of Netflix stock to their Hastings Fund at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. This gift continues their long-standing commitment to education, a cause that Hastings, a former high school math teacher and president of the California State Board of Education, has championed for years.
Another $1 billion donation came from Michael Bloomberg, the founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and former mayor of New York City. Bloomberg’s contribution went to Johns Hopkins University, where it will make medical school free for most students and provide additional financial aid to nursing and public health students. Bloomberg, who earned his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from Johns Hopkins, has long supported education and healthcare initiatives.
Ruth Gottesman, a longtime professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, also made a historic $1 billion gift to the institution in February, ensuring free tuition for all future students in perpetuity. Gottesman, whose late husband, David Gottesman, was a renowned investor, dedicated much of her career to the medical school, where she played a key role in developing programs for children and adults with learning disabilities.
In addition to these three major donations, Warren Buffett, who ranks just behind Gottesman and Bloomberg in terms of financial contributions, donated 1.5 million shares of Berkshire Hathaway stock—valued at $716.1 million—through the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation. This foundation supports women’s reproductive health and provides scholarships for Nebraska students.
Together, these gifts reflect a growing focus on education and medical support, with a particular emphasis on improving access to financial aid. These donations are not only transformative for the institutions they support but also underscore the ongoing commitment of philanthropists to address pressing social issues through strategic giving.
