The top donation was a $1 billion bequest from Ralph Wilson, Jr., owner of the Buffalo Bills. The money went to a foundation in Wilson’s name with his heirs now in charge of fulfilling his charitable goals.
Although the combined top 10 biggest gifts of 2014 total $3.3 billion, about the same as that of 2013 ($3.4 billion), charitable giving by the ultra-rich has not yet recovered from the financial downturn. In 2007, the top 10 biggest gifts totaled $4.1 billion. But we have seen an upward trend from the years directly following the financial crises, when totals didn’t reach above $2.5 billion.
Most of the big donations went to colleges, research institutes, and foundations, with enormous capital campaigns leading the way. Harvard is aiming for a new capital campaign record with a $6.5 billion drive and received two of the donations on the top 10 list.
Check out the rest of the top 10 donors here and let us know which organizations topped your giving in 2014!