Today the Giving Pledge announced that 14 philanthropists joined the group throughout the previous year, bringing the total to 183 from 22 countries since the pledge began in 2010 with 40 American philanthropists.
Now in its eighth year, the philanthropy effort continues to expand internationally with the addition of philanthropists from Canada, India, the United Arab Emirates, as well as the United States. The multi-generational initiative, created by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett, invites the world’s wealthiest philanthropists to commit more than half of their wealth to charitable causes during their lifetimes or in their wills.
The 14 new signatories announced today are:
Aneel and Allison Bhusri – United States
David G. Booth – United States
Charles Butt – United States
Garrett Camp – Canada
Candy and Charlie Ergen – United States
Mario and Regina Gabelli – United States
Orion and Jackie Hindawi – United States
Reid Hoffman and Michelle Yee – United States
Badr Jafar and Razan Al Mubarak – United Arab Emirates
Richard and Melanie Lundquist – United States
Rohini and Nandan Nilekani – India
Ernest and Evelyn Rady – United States
Dr. B.R. Shetty and Dr. C.R. Shetty – United Arab Emirates
Shamsheer and Shabeena Vayalil – United Arab Emirates and India
“Over the past eight years, we’ve been inspired by the dedicated philanthropists who have chosen to join the Giving Pledge, and this year’s group is no exception. They are passionate about using their wealth to help reduce inequities and improve the lives of everyone in the world,” said Warren Buffett. “We welcome their energy, enthusiasm, and creativity, and look forward to learning from them as we all work to ensure our giving makes a positive difference.”
Many of the new additions to the Giving Pledge are already actively engaged in philanthropy, providing support to a range of causes including education, poverty alleviation, medical and healthcare research, economic development, entrepreneurship, and advocacy and governance. They bring to philanthropy their expertise from fields such as finance, food retail, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, property development, technology and venture capital.
This week, the Giving Pledge group convened for its annual two-day learning conference to discuss their own experiences in giving and learn from outside experts about how to be most effective with their philanthropy. People who have joined the Giving Pledge are united by a shared commitment to learning and giving, and they participate in learning events throughout the year in addition to the annual conference. Topics discussed at this year’s annual gathering include how to help build effective grantee partnerships, data-driven giving, pros and cons of different philanthropic structures, and giving with family, as well as how philanthropy can make a difference on issues like education, clean water and sanitation, the opioid crisis, and supporting women leaders to improve health and economic outcomes globally.
