The Largest Charitable Donations of 2025

The Chronicle of Philanthropy is out with its annual list of the year's largest charitable donations, with a Nike co-founder coming out on top. Phil Knight and his wife, Penny, made a huge donation to cancer research, accounting for 40% of the combined $5 billion in donations recorded by the organization. The AP notes the list might not be exclusive: Michael and Susan Dell's $6.25 billion donation to investment accounts for US children is excluded because it's not known whether the money will be given to a tax-exempt nonprofit. Meanwhile, MacKenzie Scott's $7.1 billion in donations is overlooked because the money was split between numerous charities. The top three single donations:

1. $2 billion: Phil and Penny Knight gave that amount to the Oregon Health & Science University in August to expand cancer research and clinical trials through its Knight Cancer Institute (so named as a result of a $100 million donation in 2008).
2. $746.7 million: That's the value of the 1.5 million shares of Berkshire Hathaway stock that investor Warren Buffett donated to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, a charity focused on women's reproductive health and named for his late first wife, in November.
3. $500 million: Before Jeff Bezos' mother, Jackie, died in August, she and her husband, Mike Bezos, donated $500 million to UNICEF USA and its Child Nutrition Fund, which aims to provide healthy food to women and children in need around the globe.