Bill Gates (1955–Present)
Transitioning from Microsoft to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Gates has applied data and business strategy to humanitarian work. His focus is on...
Oprah Winfrey (1954–Present)
Overcoming poverty and abuse, Oprah Winfrey became a media mogul who used her show to encourage compassion. She popularized “participatory philanthropy,”...
Danny Thomas (1912–1991)
A successful comedian and actor, Danny Thomas promised God that if he found his way in life, he would build a shrine to St. Jude, the patron saint of hopeless causes....
Muhammad Ali (1942–2016)
Known as “The Greatest” in the boxing ring, Ali was equally powerful as a humanitarian. Driven by his Islamic faith, he viewed his fame as a tool to help the...
Madame C.J. Walker (1867–1919)
Rising from the cotton fields to become America’s first female self-made millionaire, Madame C.J. Walker used her hair care empire to fund racial uplift. She saw her...
Jane Addams (1860–1935)
Jane Addams was a pioneer of social justice who believed that democracy meant social equality. She moved into the slums of Chicago to live among the people she served,...
John D. Rockefeller (1839–1937)
Rockefeller transformed charity into “scientific philanthropy.” Instead of just giving alms to the poor, he created foundations designed to cure diseases,...
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