2020's Biggest Charitable Donations.

Byline: Niall McCarthy

Despite massively growing their fortunes, the amount billionaires donated to charitable causes remained at historic lows in 2020 according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy's annual ranking of the top charitable contributions from individuals and their foundations. There was one exception, however, and that was the staggering $10 billion Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos put into launching the Bezos Earth Fund which is intended to support nonprofits fighting climate change. That amounted to 10 percent of his fortune at the time but it pales in comparison to the growth of his wealth between March and December 2020, which climbed $70 billion. The sum of the second through tenth largest contributions added up to $2.6 billion, the lowest level seen since 2011.

The list was notable for the absence of several key billionaires, particularly Tesla and SpaceX...