Bloomberg Gave $4.3 Billion Direct to Causes as New Tax Law Threatens $5.7 Billion in Charitable Giving

Michael Bloomberg gave $4.3 billion direct to causes in 2025, topping the Philanthropy 50 as new tax law adds AGI floor projected to cost charities $5.7 billion.

Bloomberg Gave $4.3 Billion Direct to Causes as New Tax Law Threatens $5.7 Billion in Charitable Giving Michael Bloomberg gave $4.3 billion direct to causes in 2025, topping the Philanthropy 50 as new tax law adds AGI floor projected to cost charities $5.7 billion. Aaron Rafferty March 22, 2026 Key Takeaways: Michael Bloomberg topped the Chronicle of Philanthropy's Philanthropy 50 for the third consecutive year, giving $4.3 billion directly to arts, education, environment, public health, and city government programs in 2025. The top 50 US donors gave $22.4 billion in 2025, but only 19 of the Forbes 400 wealthiest Americans donated enough to make the list. A new 0.5% AGI floor on charitable deductions took effect in 2026, projected to cost charities $5.7 billion, while a Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation lawsuit tests whether foundations can shift from donor intent to trust-based philanthropy. Michael Bloomberg gave $4.3 billion to charity in 2025, landing at the top of the Chronicle of Philanthropy's Philanthropy 50 for the third year running. The Bloomberg financial-news founder directed his giving to arts, education, the environment, public health, and programs to improve city governments. The money went directly to causes through Bloomberg Philanthropies, not into an endowment to sit and compound. That distinction matters. The number two donor, Bill Gates, gave $3.7 billion, but it went to the Gates Foundation, which is under renewed scrutiny after Gates apologized to foundation staff in February 2026 over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Warren Buffett donated $1.3 billion to four family foundations. Paul Allen's $3.1 billion was a bequest to start a new foundation. The top 50 donors collectively gave $22.4 billion, but a significant portion landed in intermed