Facebook's Zuckerberg is America's #1 giver

Facebook CEO donates more than any other philanthropist in 2013, stock donation makes Silicon Valley Community Foundation one of the biggest in US.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Zuckerberg and Chan 370 (photo credit: REUTERS)
Zuckerberg and Chan 370
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Mark Zuckerberg, most famously recognized as co-founder and CEO of networking the site Facebook, came in first place as the United States biggest donor for the year of 2013. According to CNN, Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan donated almost one billion dollars worth of Facebook stock, about 18 million shares.
The enormous donation was made to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation which provides grants to a wide range of charity groups. The stock donation has made the foundation one of the biggest in the United States.
Zuckerberg, also had a good 2013 financially, placing second on the Forbes list of biggest gainers behind also Jewish billionair Sheldon Adelson. Zuckerberg’s fortune more than doubled in 2013, reaching nearly $26billion, according to Forbes.
The Jewish billionaire from New York (29) and his wife (28) top a list of 50 biggest donors in the US who together donated a total of 7.7 billion dollars to charity in 2013, four percent more than 2012 when Warren Buffett topped the list, and Zuckerberg was second biggest charitable donor of the year.
Philanthropists Bill Gates and Warren Buffett surprisingly did not make the top of the list this year. However, this may be because the list is based on new commitments only, made in a given year, and does not account for continued payments on commitments made in previous years. Bill Gates and Warren Buffet have both been credited with inspiring other billionaires to become philanthropists.