Giving Pledge adds 14 billionaires to philanthropist list

The Giving Pledge announced Tuesday that 14 more billionaires, including the CEOs of DoorDash and Pinterest, had promised in 2021 to donate more than half their fortunes, raising the total to 231 philanthropists from 28 countries.

Founded in 2010 by Bill Gates, Melinda French Gates and Warren Buffett, the Giving Pledge aims to foster a culture of philanthropy among the world’s wealthiest to tackle the world’s biggest problems.

“I’ve always believed that if you’re in a position to help somebody, you should do it,” Gates said in a statement. He said the new group will “continue to learn from each other and find new ways to maximize the positive impact of our philanthropy.”

This year’s new Giving Pledge philanthropists include Tony Xu, the CEO and co-founder of DoorDash, and his wife, Patti Bao; Ben Silbermann, CEO and co-founder of Pinterest, and his wife, Divya; and Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht, co-founders of design platform Canva.

Jon Ayers, former CEO of veterinary services firm IDEXX Laboratories and current chairman of Panthera, the global wild cat conservation organization, also signed the pledge with his wife, Helaine. He said they wanted to learn from other philanthropists to be more effective with donations.

“I think it’s a commitment of not just money, but it’s a commitment of time to be good,” said Ayers, 65. “I think it’s a very, very important responsibility.”

Ayers and his wife have become the largest private supporters of lion conservation in the world. Earlier this year, Ayers pledged $20 million over the next ten years to Panthera to preserve wild cats and their ecosystems around the world. After joining the Giving Pledge, he said, plans to donate even more to Panthera and other nonprofits that are dedicated to wild cats and nature conservation.

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