Top Sources of Wealth for Donors of $1 Million or More to Colleges, 2017

Among donors to higher education who gave $1 million or more in the 2017 calendar year, the largest share could attribute their financial status to real estate. Technology was the No. 4 source of wealth, and family fortunes were No. 8. The top 10 sources of wealth accounted for 70 percent of the $7.5 billion in big gifts to colleges noted by The Chronicle of Philanthropy last year.

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Note: Only private gifts to higher education of $1 million or more that were submitted to The Chronicle of Philanthropy or found through internet searches and entered in the publication’s database of big gifts are included. If a donor had more than one category identified as a source of wealth, an equal share of the gift was attributed to each category. How donors made their money was identified through news releases and internet searches. The source of wealth for nearly 9 percent of all gifts was unknown, primarily because the donors were anonymous. The value of gifts is based on information from institutions or donors at the time the gifts were promised or received. The Chronicle of Philanthropy‘s database, which compiles private gifts of $1 million or more from 2005 to the present, can be found here. Information on gifts can be sent to gifts@philanthropy.com