New York City – Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg can now claim to be No. 1 in a category he cares deeply about: giving his money away.
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Mr. Bloomberg, the self-made billionaire founder of the Bloomberg financial information firm, donated $235 million in 2008, making him the leading individual living donor in the United States, according to a list released online on Monday by The Chronicle of Philanthropy.
Mr. Bloomberg’s top designation applies to people who have actually written checks, not just pledged money. And it does not apply to people who died last year and donated money via their estates, with Leona M. Helmsley’s $5.2 billion bequest to her charitable trust, dedicated to the welfare of dogs, topping the list.
The mayor contributed to more than 1,200 organizations promoting arts, education and health care, like Johns Hopkins Medicine; the Robin Food Foundation, an antipoverty group; and Stand Up to Cancer, a research organization in Pasadena, Calif.
The previous year, Mr. Bloomberg gave to about 1,100 groups, and his total contributions of $205 million trailed those of several people, including Jon M. Huntsman, the chemicals magnate, and the financier George Soros.
Mr. Bloomberg’s donations have increased steadily over the last decade, including a doubling of contributions in 2000 to $100 million from $47 million, at a time when he was laying the groundwork for his run for mayor. His fortune was estimated to be $20 billion before the current recession.
“As the economy took a turn from bad to worse, I felt it was the right time — the essential time — for someone like me, someone who’s been so fortunate in my own life, to step up and give back even more,” Mr. Bloomberg said in a statement. “I don’t think of it only as a responsibility, but as a privilege.”
Mr. Bloomberg generated controversy a few months ago when he asked some of the local groups that rely on his private donations to publicly support his bid for a third term in office. But administration officials say that Mr. Bloomberg separates his philanthropy from his job as mayor, and that the organizations that endorsed his third-term endeavor have worked with the city for years.
Still, Mr. Bloomberg, 66, does have a long way to go before he fulfills his ultimate goal. He intends to give away most of his fortune, and he has said that the best measure of a philanthropist is that the check to the undertaker bounces.
Looks like one smart Jew didn’t invest with Madoff…
smart? how much for Torah?
Yes, Bloomberg is smart. Now let’s see if unzere fundraisers can be smart too and get a piece of the action!
unfortunately it does not look like Torah charities were on his list.. But then again it may have been.. Even he has not yet done so he most certainly can start now. I would love to see that he wrote some major checks to the families of the horrific Mumbai tragedy. That would be amazing!
Charity starts at home, Mike. Why do you continue to press NY with taxes, hikes and fees of every sort? Besides the point someone mentioned before is very valid for us Jews. He gives nothing or close to that when it comes to Jewish organizations. As one of are smart sages once said that to give charity to the right place you need a zchus as well.
He likes funding Haddashah and MDA so points to him there.
And it is HIS money he can decide where best to give it. Personally I think Public Health is a pretty good use of charity money
I disagree with Mayor Bloomberg on a lot of things, but he his a tremendous Ba’al Tzedekah to many different types of organizations. For this I salute him.
A few years back he donated a wing at a Hadassah Hospital in Israel. It was in honor of his mother, who is a long-time Hadssah member.
I love it: “He has said that the best measure of a philanthropist is that the check to the undertaker bounces.”
nu nu. our heimishe yiden take off a 10th of the money they earn with blood and sweat, and distribute it with a smile to meshilochim who disturb them in shul and at weddings again and again and again.
they contribute to ‘hachnosas kalloh’, ‘oorime mishpoochas’ and all the other mumbled causes, they mail out checks to worthy organizations time after time, without having librarys and skating rinks named after them.
their few $$$s far outweigh what the billionaires dribble out with pomp and parade
I don’t know if he financially supports torah but he does donate heavily to israeli social services, including building a new wing at hadasah hospital- I believe that donation alones was in the tens of millions.
Its all about saving on taxes an being re elected. He has no mercy on any middle class or poor person
FYI, In Israel there is a MDA Garage with the Bloomberg name on it. It was donated by the Mayor in memory of his father.
WOW! Stop looking for negatives! this is a kiddush hashem of the hioghest order. The man is a self made billionaire, is the mayor of NYC and DOES NOT take a salary for it (they pay him one dollar each year) Imagein just look at what a great thing he has done for the old image of the tingy jew intoo this paragon of altruisim and generosity.
Makes bill gates look like a scrooge.
You know what? For someone who has his billions, and claims to love this city as much as he does, why does’nt he donate like $1 billion or more to the city instead of raising our taxes and lowering city services? For that kind of money, he can the mayor of New York City for life!!
In his book, he writes that he donates to Jewish charities, which are very important to his mother, who just turned 100 last month.
This guy went from $5 billion to $20 billion while he was mayor. The least he could do is give a nice big chunk of that money back to the city. I think $5 billion would do it. I’m sure there are ways he could donate that money without breaking any laws of the city.