The United States is the country with the most billionaires in the world, and these wealthy individuals also have generous hearts, making them the most charitable philanthropists.
As per Forbes’ estimate, the top 25 philanthropists have given $241 billion in their lifetimes by the end of 2024, which was $30 billion more than the last year's total.
However, this 14% increase was nothing in comparison to their fortunes that rose 18.5%. The biggest 25 philanthropists billionaires of the country are now worth a combined $1.6 trillion, which is up from $1.35 trillion a year ago.
Most generous billionaires of America:
From prominent businessmen to tech giants, here is the list of the top ten most charitable billionaires in America in 2025.
Warren Buffett & family
For the fifth year in a row, Warren Buffett tops the Forbes list of the most generous givers in America, with lifetime giving of $62 billion and over $5.3 billion per year.
American investor and philanthropist who currently serves as the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, last year in June made his annual mega-donation of Berkshire Hathaway stock, $5.3 billion, to the Gates Foundation, a charity named for his late wife, and foundations run by each of his three children.
Later in November the 94-year-old donated another $1.1 billion to his children's foundations. His donations are mainly focused on health and poverty alleviation.
Bill Gates
With a net worth of $117.2 billion, Bill Gates is one of the philanthropists not only in the US but in the world. Recently he announced that he will give away 99% of his vast fortune in the next 20 years.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which was co-chaired by Gates' ex-wife Melinda till June last year, donated $8.6 billion in 2024.
The foundation also partnered with Saudi Arabia's crown prince, Mohammad Bin Salman, on a new programme of up to $2.5 billion to support nonprofits.
However, on the 25th anniversary of the foundation in January following Melinda's, they renamed it as the Gates Foundation.
George Soros
A renowned Hungarian-American business magnate, investor and philanthropist, George Soros's lifetime giving reached $23 billion after a $1.7 billion increase from the last year to support democracy and human rights.
Over more than 30 years, he has donated a massive amount from his fortune, $32 billion, into his foundation, Open Society Foundations.
The foundation in 2023 said that it gave away $1.7 billion, with an estimated $4.2 million to U.S. civic engagement nonprofit Accelerate Action and $2.4 million for scholarships and research for the American University of Central Asia in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
The Open Society Foundation has spent $32 billion over the years. However, the details of last year's charities have not been disclosed yet.
Michael Bloomberg
The founder of financial data and media company Bloomberg LP, Michael Bloomberg, has so far given 17% of his $104.7 billion net worth.
The 82-year-old donated $1 billion to Johns Hopkins University last July to make its medical school free for most students and later increased the aid for the other students at Bloomberg’s alma mater, making a total of $4.6 billion in charity.
Bloomberg has also served as the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions since 2021, and in January he announced covering the funding gap that appeared due to President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Agreement’s international treaty on climate change for the second time.
Notably, he previously fulfilled two-thirds of America's $15 million commitment to the UN Climate Change Secretariat’s two-year funding cycle in 2018 and 2019.
MacKenzie Scott
American philanthropist and novelist MacKenzie Scott donated $2 billion to 560 nonprofit groups in 2024 for education, housing and economic equity.
She mostly donated for the groups working across the US but also in Kenya, India and beyond.
Scott, some of the biggest grants included substantial repeat gifts worth over $50 million to notable organisations, including the affordable housing nonprofit Enterprise Community Partners and the debt relief group Undue Medical Debt.
Jeff Bezos’ ex-wife also gave an additional $640 million to 361 winners of her first-ever competition for grants.
Beside these top five most charitable billionaires, the other leading philanthropists in the US include Marilyn Simons & family, Mark Zuckerberg & Priscilla Chan, Steve & Connie Ballmer, Jeff Bezos, and Phil & Penny Knight.
