David Rockefeller is a big giver who is part of the trend of not waiting until death to announce large donations. He has just pledged $100-million to Harvard University, his alma mater. This is the third time he has dropped $100 million on a donation, in 2005 that he planned to give $100-million apiece to the Museum of Modern Art and to Rockefeller University. All three organizations will receive the money upon his death (Rockefeller is 92) but in the meantime he will be giving out an an annual payment of $2.5-million a year until he dies which works out to roughly the interest on the money. The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports that Rockefeller has given or pledged a total of at least $1-billion to nonprofit institutions over his lifetime.Posts with tag philanthropy
Big Givers: David Rockefeller Announces Another Huge Donation
David Rockefeller is a big giver who is part of the trend of not waiting until death to announce large donations. He has just pledged $100-million to Harvard University, his alma mater. This is the third time he has dropped $100 million on a donation, in 2005 that he planned to give $100-million apiece to the Museum of Modern Art and to Rockefeller University. All three organizations will receive the money upon his death (Rockefeller is 92) but in the meantime he will be giving out an an annual payment of $2.5-million a year until he dies which works out to roughly the interest on the money. The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports that Rockefeller has given or pledged a total of at least $1-billion to nonprofit institutions over his lifetime.Big Givers: Body Shop Founder Gave It All Away
Dame Anita Roddick, the founder of The Body Shop who died in 2007, makes our Big Givers list posthumously. The Telegraph reports on the details of her estate which were recently revealed. Roddick donated her entire £51 million fortune to philanthopic causes before her death from a brain hemorrhage in September 2007. She had once referred to leaving money to your family after death as obscene and wanted her money to go toward green issues and work in developing countries. She left behind £665,747 which all went to inheritance tax because per the rules in the U.K. individuals have to pay this tax if they do not survive for seven years after making monetary gifts. She had founded The Body Shop in 1976 and sold to L'Oreal in 2006 for £625 million.Big Givers: Home Depot Founder Gives Millions, Gets His Name on the Door
The NY Times reported a big donation on Wednesday. Kenneth G. Langone, a billionaire financier and a founder of Home Depot will be giving a $100 million donation to New York University Medical Center, which is the same amount he donated anonymously to the center in 1999. In honor of the $200 million total gifts from Langone and his wife Elaine, the university will name the medical center the N.Y.U. Langone Medical Center. They will also start a campaign to raise $1 billion for a new hospital pavilion. Langone was named chairman of the medical center's board nine years ago which led to his first donation (and the reason for it being anonymous).
In an ironic turn, former governor Eliot Spitzer's father, Bernard will be treated at the center. Langone and Eliot Spitzer have been involved in a long-standing feud and when Spitzer was seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2006, Langone contributed to the campaign of an opponent, Thomas R. Suozzi, the Nassau County executive. Langone is quoted in the TImes article as saying he hopes that Bernard Spitzer has a successful stay.
Scottish Millionaire To Give Fortune to Charity
We love the stories of big donations, this one comes from Scotland. Duncan Bannatyne, a panellist on BBC One's Dragons' Den, has announced that he is setting up a foundation to give his money away. He has promised to leave most of his £200 million fortune, made through nursing homes and health clubs, to charity. The Scotsman quotes Bannatyne as saying that he believes giving away the money you make is the best reason for making it in the first place.Bannatyne, who has six children, has also made a documentary called Britain's Rich List: Giving It Away which will show him meeting other wealthy people, finding out what they are doing with their money and persuading them to give more money to charity.
Herb Alpert, Music's Big Giver
Eight-time Grammy winner musician Herb Alpert is giving back to the music community in a big way. Alpert, a famed trumpeter with the band the Tijuana Brass, and one of the co-founders of the A&M record label in 1962, established the philanthropic Alpert Foundation in 1988. Last November he pledged $30 million to UCLA to create the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music and the LA TImes reports that he has just given $15 million to the School of Music at the California Institute of the Arts. The school will be renamed the Herb Alpert School of Music. The gift will endow faculty chairs and provide money for scholarships and music programs.Over the past 16 years the Alpert Foundation has given grants to CalArts in order to support the Dizzy Gillespie chair in music, the Dizzy Gillespie Recording Studio, music programs, scholarships and community education programs for children. WIth the $15 million, Alpert has now given nearly $24 million to the school. The foundation has also donated $100 million to musicians, students and other programs around the country.
How does a trumpeter have so much money? Alpert and Jerry Moss sold A&M records to PolyGram in 1989 for a reported $500 million and are also said to have picked up an additional $363 million in stock and cash when they sold a music publishing company to Seagram in 2000.
The International Rhino Foundation, Charity of the Day
The International Rhino Foundation was formed in 1963 to aid the five species of rhino that is rapidly facing extinction, today it is dedicated to the survival of the world's rhino species through conservation and research. Without drastic action, some rhinos could be extinct within the next 10-20 years! There are currently only 17,500 rhinos alive (1,200 of those are in captivity). The Sumatran rhino is one of the most endangered mammals on Earth, with fewer than 300 alive, living in Indonesia and Malaysia. You can help to protect the Sumatran Rhino from extinction by adopting one of them! You can adopt one in your own name, or as a unique gift for a fellow animal lover.
Joan Hornig Jewelry, Beauty for a Cause
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This idea is tremendous, jewelry designer Joan Horning has created a jewelry line where 100% of the profits on each piece go to the purchaser's charity of choice. The Joan B. Hornig Foundation provides support for registered charitable organizations throughout the world. Purchasers are able to direct the donation to a charity of their choice, in their honor. Sales have generated contributions to over 200 different organizations around the world. The designs include gold and silver earrings, bracelets and necklaces. You can also tell the world how you feel with the black lucite bracelet shown above which sells for $245.
Gallery: Joan Horning Jewelry
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Cosmetics Chairman Gives Big Museum Gift
Cosmetics heir Leonard Lauder, chairman of the Estée Lauder Companies, has made New York's Whitney Museum of American Art feel pretty this week. He has donated $131 million which is the largest donation ever received by the museum in its 77-year history.Lauder is also the museum's chairman and donated the money through his arts foundation, The American Contemporary Art Foundation Inc. The money was given partially to ensure that museum will keep the Marcel Breuer-designed building on Madison Avenue at 75th Street even though it plans to open a satellite museum in the meatpacking district. The Whitney specializes in 20th and 21st- century American art and has the largest body of work by Alexander Calder in any museum. Lauder had a net worth of $3.2 billion in 2007 according to Forbes.
The Global Fund, Charity of the Day
You are probably familiar with (RED) the charity which has raised millions of dollars for HIV/AIDs treatment through a variety of commerce-related tie-ins such as sneakers, watches, clothing and gadgets from retailers that include Armani, the Gap and Motorola. Much of the money from Project (RED) has been given to The Global Fund which saves lives by providing resources for countries struggling against the spread of disease. The latest (RED) project is designed to tempt well-heeled art collectors. Artist Damien Hirst has put his considerable skills of promotion to good use by inviting more than 100 artists to contribute to an auction to benefit (RED), The auction will be held on Valentine's Day next year in New York. The pieces are inspired by the color red and dedicated to raising awareness of HIV/AIDS. Contributing artists include Jeff Koons, Jasper Johns, Matthew Barney, Georg Baselitz, Cecily Brown, Douglas Gordon and of course Hirst himself who has contributed seven works including a red heart-shaped butterfly painting entitled All You Need is Love.
Money raised by the auction will go directly to The Global Fund. You may not be able to buy a Hirst original but any donation to The Global Fund is worthwhile. The Global Fund has might great strides in the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. All of your donation will go to the Global Fund and its programs with no portion being diverted for administrative costs by the United Nations Foundation.
[via AP]
A preview of some of the works was held on December 5. Pictures are below in the gallery.
Gallery: Auction (RED)
The Humane Society, Charity of the Day
Most people have heard of The Humane Society of the United States and know that it helps to protect dogs and cats but the Humane Society is also involved with wildlife and habitat protection and much, much more. They also have a Veterinarians Without Borders program that helps to provide animal care in other nations. The Humane Society also advocates for animals by endorsing sensible public policies, investigating cruelty and working to enforce existing laws. They also work with corporations on behalf of animal-friendly policies and are lead disaster relief agency for animals. The Humane Society makes a great donation gift for any animal lover. For the holiday season they have created a 2007 collectible ornament which can be given as a gift for $50. Donate $90 and they will send one to your recipient and one to you as well. All gift recipients of $25 also receive a subscription to The Humane Society's Magazine, All Animals, and a holiday greeting card.
Oxfam America, Charity of the Day
Happy December. Today marks the first in a daily series that will last the month of December, and possibly beyond, highlighting great causes to give funds to. The first part of this month will focus in holiday-themed programs that some charities run. Up first, Oxfam Unwrapped. Oxfam works in 26 countries around the world and sells gift items that symbolically represent their work. The purchase of a gift is not a donation toward a specific program but it help the recipient connect with the projects that Oxfam does around the world. Their biggest ticket donation item is the $10,000 stilt house. Oxfam America builds these homes in flood-prone areas to offer families a place where they can live and adapt to climate change without having to relocate. You don't need to be a big donor to make a big impact. Gifts start at just $18 which can buy a blanket, children's toys and school supplies.
