Charitable Giving: It’s True, Our President Does Have A Heart Two Sizes Too Small
Source: Silicon Bay Partners’ staff with assistance from ChatGPT
Photo: ChatGPT
With Melinda French Gates recently committing $215 million to women’s health initiatives and MacKenzie (Bezos) Scott continuing her unprecedented pace of charitable giving—having donated more than $26 billion to thousands of nonprofits since 2019—we became curious about a different group of wealthy and influential Americans: U.S. presidents.
Presidents often speak about service, sacrifice, and giving back, but how do their own charitable records compare? From Jimmy Carter’s decades of hands-on humanitarian work to the foundations established by Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, presidential philanthropy has taken many forms. Some presidents have quietly donated significant portions of their income, while others have faced questions about the gap between public claims and documented giving.
So we decided to take a closer look at the charitable records of modern presidents—and see how America’s commanders-in-chief stack up when it comes to giving back.
Comparing presidential charitable giving is surprisingly difficult because presidents have very different levels of wealth, different reporting standards, and sometimes donate through foundations rather than directly. Still, based on public tax returns, foundation records, and published reports, here’s a broad overview of modern presidents.
Jimmy Carter
Widely regarded as one of the most charitable former presidents. He and his wife devoted decades to charitable work through Habitat for Humanity and donated substantial portions of income from books and speaking engagements.
George H. W. Bush
Known for extensive volunteerism and philanthropy, though less publicized than Carter’s. Supported numerous charitable causes after leaving office.
Bill Clinton
Through the Clinton Foundation, Clinton has raised billions for global health, disaster relief, and development initiatives. Personally reported significant charitable contributions in tax filings.
George W. Bush
Has donated millions through family foundations and charitable organizations, especially veterans’ causes and global health initiatives.
Barack Obama
Public tax returns showed annual charitable giving often ranging from 10–20% of adjusted gross income during and after the presidency. Supported education, veterans, and community organizations.
Donald Trump
Publicly promoted charitable activities for decades, but his record became controversial because of the dissolution of the Trump Foundation and disputes over the extent of his personal giving. Unlike several recent presidents, Trump did not publicly release detailed tax returns during most of his political career, making direct comparisons difficult.
Joe Biden
Public tax returns showed charitable giving generally in the tens of thousands of dollars annually, often to religious institutions and nonprofits.
If you measure by percentage of income
The leaders are generally considered:
Jimmy Carter
Barack Obama
George W. Bush
If you measure by charitable impact through foundations
The largest philanthropic operations associated with former presidents are generally:
Clinton Foundation
Obama Foundation
George W. Bush Presidential Center
Carter Center
Where Trump stands
Trump is something of an outlier. Before politics, he often publicized charitable activities and fundraising events, but investigative reporting found that many donations highlighted in publicity materials came from the Trump Foundation rather than Trump personally. The foundation itself was later dissolved after a New York court found misuse of charitable assets. At the same time, many charities and individuals have reported receiving donations or assistance from Trump over the years. The dispute is less about whether he ever gave to charity and more about the scale, source, and presentation of those donations.
A concise ranking by reputation for personal philanthropy among modern presidents would likely place Carter at the top, Obama and the Bush presidents in the middle-upper tier, Biden somewhat lower simply because of less wealth and fewer philanthropic vehicles, and Trump as the most controversial and difficult to evaluate due to the foundation issues and lack of consistent public disclosure.