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INFLUENTIAL PHILANTHROPY
WOMEN, POWER & PHILANTHROPY
THE WORLD'S WEALTHIEST AND MOST CHARITABLE WOMEN
Left: Dame Ann Gloag and right: MacKenzie Bezos William Smith, philanthrophy contributor
Philanthropy knows no gender, but historically, it has been the male-dominated titans of industry and their subsequent accumulation of family wealth over generations that has meant it is mostly the men of great charity whose names the history books record.
been a growth in women’s equality over the 20th century. Many women now rank among the wealthiest and most charitable individuals in the world.
The first and second industrial revolutions spawned the Rockefellers, Morgans, Venderbilts and Girards. Perhaps most famous, is Andrew Carnegie, the ScottishAmerican steel baron, who gave away more than $350 million during the latter part of his life in the early 20th century. In today’s dollars, that equates to nearly $6.5 billion.
However, before we get into that, some additional context may be helpful. Philanthropy itself was set on its head when, in 1889, Carnegie authored the essay “Gospel of Wealth.” In it, Carnegie laid out his vision for how those self-made rich, might “responsibly” have their surplus wealth administered for the betterment of addressing wealth inequality, which had exploded under the transformation of society by the industrial revolutions. Of course, in sharing his views, Carnegie hoped his vision might be adopted by his peers. It was, and contemporary philanthropy came into being.
But, given the topic of this month’s issue of Polo Lifestyles, we are focusing on women in philanthropy. Despite great struggle, there has thankfully
Today a new generation of philanthropists are seeking to make their mark on the world and in not too dissimilar a fashion as the generation that pro-
ceeded them. Only this time, women are at the forefront. The modern-day equivalent of the “Gospel of Wealth” is “The Giving Pledge.” Launched in 2010 by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffet, The Giving Pledge requests commitments from the world’s billionaires (or would-be billionaires if it were not for significant philanthropic investments) to philanthropically give away the majority of their wealth. Like Carnegie several generations before, The Giving Pledge is a clarion call among the ultra-wealthy to adhere to, in the words of the organization itself, “a new standard of generosity.” Today, more than 204 of the world’s wealthiest families representing 23 countries have signed the pledge. Among the many women who’ve signed the pledge is MacKenzie Bezos, who with her now ex-husband Jeff Bezos, shepherded Amazon from its beginnings into the world’s largest page 115
