Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos topped the U.S. list of biggest philanthropists of 2018 – but overall contributions by the nation's wealthiest donors was nearly half of 2017's total.
Altogether, the donors on the Chronicle of Philanthropy's annual list of people who gave the most totaled more than $7.8 billion in 2018, down from $14.7 billion donated, collectively, by the top philanthropists in 2017.
The drop off in giving coincides with new limits on charitable tax deductions– but those changes only affect small donors who gave less than the standard deduction ($12,000 for an individual or $24,000 for a married couple) – not professional philanthropists.
Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos made the list for the first time with a gift of $2 billion that is predominately dedicated to helping homeless and low-income families.
Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos were first on the Chronicle of Philanthropy's annual list of biggest charitable donors. The couple, shown here in April 2018 in Berlin, announced their separation last month
Jeff Bezos announced his intention to become a big donor in 2017. In 2018 he and his wife pledged $2 billion to charity, putting the now-separated couple at the top of the list of biggest charitable donors
The couple, who announced their divorce last month, launched the Bezos Day One Fund in 2018 to support homeless families and education in under-served communities.
'I'm thinking I want much of my philanthropic activity to be helping people in the here and now — short term — at the intersection of urgent need and lasting impact,' Bezos wrote in a 2017 Twitter post seeking philanthropic ideas.
Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg was the second biggest donor in America in 2018, with $767 million in giving
Bezos is estimated to have a net worth of $134.8 billion, making him the richest man in the world.
His contribution was more than twice the $767 million that former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave to charity in 2018, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy's annual list of biggest givers.
In second place, Bloomberg dedicated his giving to the arts, education, the environment, health and other causes. The effort moved him up from his fifth place spot in 2017, when he donated $702 million to various causes.
The founder and CEO of Bloomberg L.P. financial services and media company, Bloomberg's net worth was estimated at $51.8 billion in 2018, making him the eighth richest person in America and 11th richest person in the world.
The founders of eBay, Pierre and Pam Omidyar, came in third place on the list, with $392 million in gifts to nonprofits that focus on promoting democracy, citizen activism and other causes.
The couple has committed over $1 billion to various causes in recent years, coming in ninth place last year for $257.5 million in charitable giving.
Founders of eBay, Pierre and Pam Omidyar, in 2011 in New York City. The couple ranked third on the list of biggest charitable donors in America
Stephen Schwarzman ranked fourth on the list with $390 million in donations to higher education. Schwarzman is shown (left) in New York City in May, 2018. Paul Allen, a Microsoft billionaire gave more than $261.4 million to charity in 2018. Allen is shown (right) in Seattle, 2014.
Steve and Connie Ballmer, shown in Paris in 2011, donated $295 million to charity in 2018, landing them in fifth place on the list of America's biggest donors
Stephen Schwarzman, the chairman and CEO of private equity firm, The Blackstone Group, ranked fourth on the list with $390 million in donations to higher education.
Last year Schwarzman, whose worth is estimated at $12.5 billion, announced that he would give $350 million to fund a new college at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that will focus on artificial intelligence.
The program will start operating this fall. He also pledged millions to other educational institutions,
