Town & Country Announces Its Top 50 Philanthropists of the Year

Town & Country has put together a list of the individuals who use their big money and big ideas to help others. T&C calls them “bright lights in a tumultuous year.” Check out who is in the top 10 of their top 50 Philanthropists of the Year list.

1. Florence Irving: She gave $600 million to Columbia University and New York–Presbyterian Hospital. On the same day, the Met got an $80 million bequest from her.

2. Kenn Ricci: The aviation tycoon gave Notre Dame, his alma mater, $100 million.

3. George and Amal Clooney: The couple recently endowed their Clooney Foundation for Justice with $20 million. They gave $500,000 to March for Our Lives earlier this year as well.

4. Bill and Melinda Gates: The two are working toward the goal of economic gender equality. They donated $4.8 billion to their foundation last year.

5. Colin Kaepernick: The former quarterback, who did not play for any NFL team during the 2017 season, gave away $1 million to more than 30 organizations, including Mothers Against Police Brutality and Meals on Wheels. His contributions were matched by other celebrities, like Serena Williams.

6. Paulina and Cam Neely: The couple raised more than $30 million to endow cancer care facilities around Boston, where Neely used to play for the NHL’s Bruins. They also opened the Marlene Neely Center for Digestive Health at Tufts.

7. Padma Lakshmi: She works to advocate for immigrants, especially those held in U.S. detention centers.

8. Wes Moore: His grand plan is to end the poverty cycle. He was recently tapped to lead the Robin Hood Foundation, making him the first CEO of NYC’s largest poverty-fighting organization.

9. Chris Long: The Philadelphia Eagles star donated his entire 2017 salary of $1 million to educational causes in his hometown of Charlottesville, Va. and in Philadelphia, Boston and St. Louis. He helped raise an additional $1,3 million by asking fans to donate in their own communities.

10. Roberta Elliott: Elliott pledged $105.8 million to the Montage Health Foundation in Monterey, California, to create a behavioral health center for children and adolescents.