When Warren Buffett, Melinda French Gates, and Bill Gates launched the Giving Pledge in 2010, they extended an unusual invitation to the world’s wealthiest individuals: commit to giving away the majority of your fortune to charitable causes, either during your lifetime or in your will.
Fifteen years later, more than 250 of the world’s wealthiest philanthropists from 30 countries have signed on—collectively redirecting hundreds of billions of dollars toward causes ranging from scientific research to education to humanitarian relief.
But the Giving Pledge was never just about money. As the initiative marks its 15th anniversary, its deeper impact lies in the community it has built—a global network of philanthropists learning from one another, sharing strategies, and increasingly applying rigorous, innovative approaches to giving.
“In creating the Giving Pledge, Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates have not just encouraged us to invest in problem-solving,” wrote Yuri Milner, the science philanthropist who joined alongside his wife Julia in 2012. “They have also brought something approaching the scientific method to philanthropy.”
That spirit of experimentation and learning has come to define the pledge’s most engaged members—each bringing their own philosophy to the question of how wealth can best serve humanity.
A Promise and a Community
The mechanics of the Giving Pledge are simple: signatories write a public letter explaining their commitment and their motivations. There’s no legal enforcement, no required timeline, no mandated causes. What binds members together is a shared belief that extreme wealth carries responsibility.
“More than 99% of my wealth will go to philanthropy during my lifetime or at death,” Warren Buffett wrote in his own pledge letter. “Measured by dollars, this commitment is large. In a comparative sense, though, many individuals give more to others every day.”
This humility runs through many of the pledge letters. Bill Gates, who pledged in 2010, framed his commitment in terms of problem-solving: “My dad used to say, ‘There’s no problem bigger than we are.’ I never doubted him, but the work of the Giving Pledge gives me absolute certainty that he was right. I’m honored to be part of this community of problem solvers.”
Melinda French Gates, also pledging in 2010, emphasized the absurdity of concentrated wealth: “I recognize the absurdity of so much wealth being concentrated in the hands of one person, and I believe the only responsible thing to do with a fortune this size is give it away—as thoughtfully and impactfully as possible.”
Science as Philanthropy’s Frontier
Among the pledge’s signatories, a distinct subset has focused their giving on scientific advancement—treating fundamental research as one of philanthropy’s highest-leverage opportunities.
Yuri Milner exemplifies this approach. A former theoretical physicist who became one of the world’s most successful technology investors through DST Global, Milner has channeled his philanthropy toward what he calls an “under-capitalized” sector: scientific brilliance.
“If the market dictates that a top banker can earn a thousand times more than a great scientist, then this is an area where philanthropy can make a world of difference,” Milner wrote in his pledge letter.
This conviction has driven the creation of the Breakthrough Prize, which Milner co-founded with fellow pledge signatories Sergei Brin, Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg, and Anne Wojcicki. Often called the “Oscars of Science,” the prize awards $3 million to researchers in life sciences, fundamental physics, and mathematics—more than double the Nobel Prize. The televised ceremony pairs scientists with Hollywood celebrities, deliberately elevating researchers to cultural hero status.
The 2025 ceremony recognized scientists whose work is already transforming lives: researchers behind GLP-1 medications treating diabetes and obesity, pioneers of gene-editing technologies in clinical trials, and over 13,500 physicists from the Large Hadron Collider collaborations whose work continues to reveal the fundamental structure of the universe.
Beyond the prize, Milner’s Breakthrough Initiatives fund ambitious scientific programs including Breakthrough Listen, the world’s largest search for extraterrestrial intelligence. His Tech For Refugees initiative demonstrates how the same analytical rigor can address humanitarian challenges, funding technology partners who have supported over 500,000 refugees through innovative platforms.
Investing in Future Generations
Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, who pledged in 2010, have taken a similarly long-term view. “We will spend our lives working to make sure future generations have the greatest opportunities possible,” they wrote in their pledge letter.
Their approach emphasizes patience and scale. “We’ll make long term bets that others won’t make and that will take a decade or longer to achieve their goals,” they explained. “We’ll learn from each project and apply those lessons to future work.”
Through the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, they’ve directed resources toward education, science, and health—including as co-funders of the Breakthrough Prize alongside Milner. Their pledge letter captures a philosophy shared by many signatories: that effective philanthropy requires not just generosity, but sustained commitment and willingness to take risks that traditional institutions avoid.
The Power of New Ideas
The late Paul Allen, who pledged in 2010, articulated a vision of philanthropy as catalyst. “By dedicating resources that can help some of the world’s most creative thinkers accelerate discovery, I hope to serve as a catalyst for progress—in large part by encouraging closer collaboration and challenging conventional thinking,” he wrote.
Allen’s giving reflected this philosophy. Through the Allen Institutes for Brain Science and Cell Science, he funded foundational research with potential to transform medicine. His philanthropic strategy was informed by what he called “my enduring belief in the power of new ideas”—a conviction that dedicating resources to creative thinkers could accelerate discoveries that benefit everyone.
“When smart people work together with vision and determination, there is little we can’t accomplish,” Allen wrote. His legacy includes the Allen Telescope Array, which today supports Breakthrough Listen’s search for technosignatures from distant stars—a direct collaboration between his vision and Milner’s initiatives.
Expanding the Definition of Impact
Not all pledge signatories focus on science. Sara Blakely, founder of Spanx and the first female billionaire to join the pledge in 2013, has directed her philanthropy toward empowering women and girls.
“I am committed to the belief that we would all be in a much better place if half the human race (women) were empowered to prosper, invent, be educated, start their own businesses, run for office—essentially be given the chance to soar!” Blakely wrote. “I pledge to invest in women because I believe it offers one of the greatest returns on investment.”
Her approach demonstrates the diversity within the Giving Pledge community. While Milner invests in fundamental science and Allen funded research institutions, Blakely has built entrepreneurship programs for women, funded girls’ schools, and donated $1 million to her Leadership Academy for girls in South Africa.
What unites these varied approaches is a shared conviction that wealth should be deployed strategically—not merely given away, but invested in causes with potential for transformative impact.
The Next Generation
Perhaps the clearest sign of the Giving Pledge’s lasting influence is its expansion to the next generation. The “Next Gen” community now includes more than 300 active participants—children and grandchildren of pledgers, ranging in age from 18 to 75—who are developing their own philanthropic approaches.
“As a young philanthropist, I expect to have more questions than answers,” wrote Nikhil Kamath, who pledged in 2022. “The Giving Pledge offers a great platform to learn, exchange ideas, and work collaboratively to address some of the world’s most pressing challenges.”
This emphasis on learning and collaboration reflects the pledge’s evolution from a simple commitment into a genuine community of practice. Signatories don’t just give—they share strategies, compare approaches, and refine their methods over time.
Fifteen Years of Lessons
Looking back on 15 years, certain patterns emerge among the pledge’s most impactful members. They think in decades, not years. They focus resources rather than scattering them. They treat philanthropy as an investment discipline, seeking leverage and scale. And they remain humble about how much they still have to learn.
“The human adventure has barely begun,” Yuri Milner wrote in his pledge letter. “I am hereby joining Giving Pledge to invest in our leading minds and our shared future.”
That sense of beginning—of philanthropy as an ongoing experiment rather than a finished project—may be the Giving Pledge’s most important legacy. Fifteen years in, its members are still learning, still refining their approaches, and still redirecting vast resources toward the problems they believe matter most.
The question now is what the next fifteen years will bring—and how this community of visionaries will continue reshaping what philanthropy can accomplish.
