Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index A philanthropist is a lover of humanity, a person who looks towards the greater good of humanity. This is generally recognised by his deeds towards welfare (charity, public service etc.). The label is most often applied to someone who provides a large fraction of the money that supports the efforts in a particular category. Often a charitable foundation, a museum, or a specific activist organization is the direct recipient. A philanthropist does not always find universal approval; common accusations include supporting the wrong cause (e.g. funding art instead of fighting world hunger), or a having selfish motivation (e.g. to avoid taxes or out of personal interest). Some notable philanthropists: Joan_Kroc Paul Allen Walter Annenberg Thomas John Barnardo Samuel Augustus Barnett Andrew Carnegie Arthur Coles Anthony Ashley Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury Bill Cosby Anthony J. Drexel Henry Duncan Benjamin Franklin Elizabeth Fry John 'Mad Jack' Fuller Bill Gates Bill Gates' dad Calouste Gulbenkian Sir Paul Getty Edward Harkness Johns Hopkins J. C. Jacobsen Steve Kirsch Alfred Lee Loomis John D. MacArthur Sir Robert Mayer Robert Raikes William Marsh Rice John D. Rockefeller Joseph Rowntree Sir Run Run Shaw Ted Turner Cornelius Vanderbilt Joseph Whitworth William Wilberforce Sir Alfred Yarrow See also philanthropy. This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.