Key Metrics
18.13
Heat Index-
Impact LevelMedium
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Scope LevelNational
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Last Update2025-08-14
Key Impacts
Positive Impacts (3)
Event Overview
Large-scale philanthropy by a prominent business figure highlights growing trends in billionaire wealth redistribution and corporate social responsibility, with significant implications for nonprofit funding and economic equity discussions.
Collect Records
Warren Buffett donates record $6 billion Berkshire shares
On Friday, Warren Buffett donated $6 billion worth of Berkshire Hathaway stock to five charities: the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, the Sherwood Foundation, and the NoVo Foundation. This donation, made through a transfer of approximately 12.36 million Berkshire Hathaway Class B shares, marks Buffett’s largest annual contribution since he began his philanthropy nearly two decades ago. The specific breakdown of donations includes 9.43 million shares to the Gates Foundation; 943,384 shares to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation; and 660,366 shares each to the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, the Sherwood Foundation, and the NoVo Foundation. Buffett’s total contributions to these charities now exceed $60 billion. After this donation, he still owns 13.8% of Berkshire Hathaway. At 94, Buffett's net worth before Friday's donation was $152 billion, according to Forbes, making him the fifth-richest person globally. He began his charitable donations in 2006, and in 2023 changed his will to leave 99.5% of his remaining fortune to a charitable trust controlled by his children after his death.