The 25 Best Givers

(Community Matters) Barron’s names the foundations/philanthropists doing the best at high-impact giving, according to their analysis with the Global Philanthropy Group.

. . . . when the Berber’s Glimmer of Hope digs a well and provides clean water to an Ethiopian Community, people’s lives are improved immediately and critically.

. . . . The best strategies have a real ripple effect. Says Maggie Neilson of Global Philanthropy: “A key ingredient here is what we call connectivity — does the cause the philanthropist supports have implications for other issues?”

1. Pierre & Pam Omidyar, Omidyar Network

2. Jeff Skoll, Skoll Foundation

3. Chris and Jamie Cooper-Hohn,
The Children’s Investment Fund Foundation

4. Eli & Edythe Broad, The Broad Foundations

5. Thomas Siebel, The Meth Project

6. Donna & Philip Berber, A Glimmer of Hope Foundation

7. Bill & Melinda Gates, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

8. Paul Tudor Jones II,
Robin Hood Foundation

9. Helen and Swanee Hunt, Women Moving Millions

10. Richard Branson, Virgin United

11. John Wood, Room to Read

12. Arpad Busson, ARK: Absolute Return for Kids

13. Bill & Hillary Clinton, William J. Clinton Foundation

14. Jane Rosenthal, Craig Hatkoff & Robert De Niro,
Tribeca Film Festiva

15. Jimmy Carter, The Carter Center

16. Sunil Mittal, Bharti Foundation

17. Brad Pitt, Make It Right Foundation

18. John Fisher, The KIPP Foundation

19. George Soros, Open Society Institute

20. Howard G. Buffett, Howard G. Buffett Foundation

21. Earvin “Magic” Johnson,
The Magic Johnson Foundation

22. Marcos de Moraes,
Zip Educação/Instituto Rukha

23. Jennifer and Peter Buffett,
NoVo Foundation

24. William Barron Hilton,
Conrad N. Hilton Foundation

25. David and Cheryl Duffield,
Maddie’s Fund

This is very timely for me.  Since lunch with a friend on Tuesday, an uber-entrepreneur who’s retooling my thinking about entrepreneurship and philanthropy, I’ve been thinking about the replicability of models for community change, about the systemization of social ambitions. Guess, I’d been thinking about all this even longer, but this friend frames systemization & metrics of success differently.  Also, this was my topic of discussion at meetings in Washington DC last week.  I remain thoroughly convinced that there is no shortage of philanthropic dollars, simply a shortage of convincing investment opportunities.