1) Melinda Gates
Mrs. Gates is an American businesswoman with her main charitable contributions stemming from the foundation she co-founded with her husband: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. It is one of the largest private foundations in the world with an Asset Trust Endowment of $40.2 billion. As co-chair, Melinda has helped to provide life-changing health projects to communities where people are suffering from major health issues and poverty.
She has been awarded many times for her work – in May 2006, her work to improve the lives of children around the world was honoured with the naming of the Melinda French Gates Ambulatory Care building at a children’s hospital in Seattle.
2) Oprah Winfrey
One of TV’s most loved hosts has overcome many personal tragedies in her life to gain the world renowned status she has today. She has not only helped to pave the way for women in the television industry through the establishment of her own network (Oprah Winfrey Network), but she is also an active philanthropist.
Most recently, she was honoured with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013. She created Oprah’s Angel Network in 1998 which has helped to fund projects such as building 55 schools in 12 countries, and providing over $1million worth of school supplies.
3) Dame Jane Goodall, DBE
Dame Jane works tirelessly and inspirationally to make the world and its environment a better place for both humans and animals – she works particularly with endangered species. The Jane Goodall Institute works to protect the famous chimpanzees of Gombe National Park in Tanzania.
The Institute has a global environmental and humanitarian youth program for young people with nearly 150,000 members in more than 130 countries. In 2002 she was named Dr. Goodall a UN Messenger of Peace.
4) Shiza Shahid
I’m sure everyone is aware of the young girl, Malala Yousaf who was shot in the head by the Taliban for seeking girls’ rights to an education. Perhaps you are not so familiar with the young woman who helped and supported Malala’s cause and vision. Shiza became a close friend to Malala and her family when they met at a summer camp Shiza’s University was holding for girls fighting for their right to an education – Shiza is the co-founder and CEO of The Malala Fund.
According to Shahid and mckinsey.com, the fund will help Malala to develop as a leader. Shahid also grew up in Pakistan but unlike Malala, was able to study freely at Stanford University. The fund is supported by an advisory committee which includes Malala, Shiza, a VP at Google and the CEO of Vital Voices.
5) Drew Gilpin Faust
Faust is the 28th president of Harvard University where she is a professor of History. She has ensured that the university’s financial system can now widen the admissions process for students of all economic backgrounds.
She is also a strong advocate for sustainability which is echoed through her aim to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions produced by Harvard University.
6) Alice Waters
Alice is an organic food pioneer and has received the Humanitarian of the Year award from the James Beard Foundation. She is working with Berkeley’s Martin Luther Kings Junior High School to involve children directly in planting, gardening, harvesting, cooking, and eating. The project’s aim is to improve the students’ relationship with food and the environment.
The San Francisco County Jail’s Horticulture Project and its related program, the Garden Project is also aided by Alice. These projects educate prisoners in organic gardening to prisoners and parolees to renew their self-esteem and install community responsibility.
7) Juliana Rotich
Juliana Rotich is a technology entrepreneur and the co-founder of Ushahidi which means witness or testimony in Swahili. It is a an open-source software for collecting and mapping information of a crisis on a real-time basis.
Many of the web-tools she has developed covers topics related to the environment and renewable energy. She is also the co-founder of iHub, a collective tech space in Nairobi that focuses on the growth and development of young entrepreneurs through technology.
8) Eileen Collins
In 1990, Collins became the second woman to graduate as a test pilot and be selected as an astronaut by NASA. By 1995 she was the first woman to pilot a apace shuttle mission and by 1999, Collins became NASA’s first female commander of a Space Shuttle. During her time as an astronaut she flew C-141 cargo planes as part of various military and humanitarian missions all over the world.
She has been awarded many medals for her work including the Defense Superior Service Medal and NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal.
9) Arundhati Roy
Since her novel The God of Small Things won the Booker Prize in 1997, Arundhati has not published a second novel. She has since dedicated her time to humanitarian causes.
One of the ways in which she spends her time is tackling issues in India that lead to citizens and their livelihoods being put in danger or damages to the environment. For example, she took on the Indian government over a dam project that threatened millions of homes.
10) Dr. Hawa Abdi
During the 22 year long civil war in Somalia, Dr. Hawa Abdi Dhiblawe ran a hospital and refugee camp which kept around 90,000 thousand people safe, and saved many lives.
Her decision to become a doctor stemmed from the death of her mother during childbirth. She is the founder and chairperson of the Dr. Hawa Abdi Foundation, a non-profit organization which provides support to women and children of Somalia and also empowers natives to be confident and take control of their futures.
11) Dr. Margaret Chan
Dr. Chan is the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO). According to Forbes, she is the most powerful person in global public health and the only person with the authority to call a worldwide pandemic.
Through Chan’s leadership, the organisation’s statistics report of 2013 claimed that infant mortality rates in the world’s poorest countries are declining and there are increased life expectancies around the world.
12) Angelina Jolie
The Oscar winning actress is not only known worldwide for her success in the film-industry, but she also as a very active philanthropist. She was named UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador in 2001, a post she held for around 10 years until her promotion to “special evoy”.
She has spent her time travelling to disaster-stricken countries raising awareness for global causes, and promoting humanitarian issues on a political level. She has formed the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation with her husband, which has helped to fund the building of no fewer than 10 pereschools and provided medical care to countries in need of them. When the foundation was first established, the couple donated $1million to causes supporting health care and children.
13) Emma Thompson
The British Oscar winning actress, screenwriter and author Emma Thompson is an activist in environmental concerns and human rights.
She is a supporter of Greenpeace, ambassador for the charity Action Aid, and patron of the Elton John AIDS Foundation and Refugee Council.
14) Aung San Suu Kyi
Aung San Suu Kyi is a Burmese politician and chairperson of the National League for Democracy in Burma. She was inspired by Martin Luther King’s non-violent campaigns for US civil rights and by Mahatma Gandhi to organise rallies and travel around the country. Her campaigns were for peaceful democratic reform and free elections.
However, she underwent several periods of detention and house arrest from 1989 – 2010 under the 1975 State Protection Act (granting the government the power to imprison people for up to five years without a trial). In 1990 Suu Kyi’s sons accepted the Nobel Peace Prize she was awarded on their mother’s behalf. She used $1.3 million prize money to establish a health and education trust for the Burmese people.
15) Dame Kelly Holmes
After being recognised for her services to the Military when she received her MBE after almost ten years’ service to the British Army, Holmes returned to her passion for running. During Athens’ hosting of the Olympic Games, Kelly became the first British female athlete to win both the 800m and 1500m.
In 2008, before Beijing’s hosting of the Olympic Games, Holmes founded the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust to provide empowerment and support to young people through the means of athletics. In one year, the trust created 150 projects in 55 locations which benefited over 100,000 young people.
16) Alek Wek
Alek Wek is a Sudanese Model who fled her country during the civil war. She settled in England with her family when she was 14 and began her modelling career at 18. She has starred in Janet Jackson’s music video and named the model of the year in 1997 by MTV.
Wek has served as an advisor to the U.S. Committee for Refugees Advisory Council since 2002. She also works closely with UNICEF and World Vision, an organisation which battles against AIDS. She is also an ambassador for Doctors Without Borders in Sudan. Wek returned to South Sudan in 2012 to raise awareness of refugees returning from the north and the importance of stabilising the country.
19) Hillary Clinton
As a First Lady, Secretary of State and Presidential Candidate, Hillary Clinton’s influence is apparent. She has been honoured for her charitable work concerning health and women’s rights many times. Through her many visits to women’s projects, businesses and activists she ended up visiting more countries than any other secretary of state.
The Clinton Foundation separates the areas they support into: Climate Change, Economic Development, Global Health, Health and Wellness, Women and Girls. Mrs. Clinton herself has personally broken down barriers so that women have more opportunities in leadership.
20) Sheryl Sandberg
Sheryl Sandberg is the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook and sits on the board of directors of Women for Women International.In 2012 she donated 429,184 shares of Facebook stock (worth $11.8 million) to an anonymous recipient. The Business Insider reported, that if the donation were to family, the information would have been disclosed. Therefore it is assumed the donation was to a charitable cause.
Sheryl is part of the advisory board for the Somaly Mam Foundation which is committed to ridding the world of the trafficking and sexual exploitation of women and girls in South-East Asia and supporting the survivors. The Huffington Post reported that at least half of Sheryl and her husband’s $1 billion fortune has been pledged through The Giving Pledge, to charity.
21) Anna Wintour, OBE
American Vogue Magazine is edited by the English fashion journalist Anna Wintour who has held the Editor-In-Chief position since 1988.
Her charitable work includes raising over $10 million for AIDS charities. She also helps unknown fashion designers through the CFDA/Vogue Fund that she founded.
22) Laurene Powell-Jobs
Laurene is the founder of Emerson Collective, which is “shaking up the status quo, one entrepreneur at a time”.
The vision is to create connections between talent and opportunity by partnering with organizations, empowering individuals and advocating fair social policies concerning education, immigration, social justice and the environment. Laurene is the co-founder and President of the Board of College Track, which prepares disadvantaged high school students for University.
23) Perenna Kei
At the age of 24 and with an 85% stake in Logan Property Holdings where her father is chairman and Chief Executive, Perenna Kei is the world’s youngest billionaire according to Forbes (she has a networth of $1.3 billion)
There is little information available on the young billionaire but it is understood she obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Economics from London School of Economics. According to South China Morning Post, Kei has donated HK$120,000 to the Community Chest of Hong Kong and has previously donated to the Xiqu Central Primary School, Red Cross Society of China and Guangxi Charity Foundation.
24) J.K Rowling
The author of everyone’s favourite book-series, Harry Potter is undoubtedly one of the most influential people in the world. Through her most popular book series she encouraged a whole generation of children around the world to read. She is so charitable that her donations have knocked her off the billionaires list, demoting her to the millionaires list.
The Volant Charitable Trust has been set up by the author and is dedicated to two causes: Research into the causes, treatment and possible cures of Multiple Sclerosis, and funding projects to tackle social deprivation, particularly affecting women and children. Rowling has also co-founded the Children’s High Level Group. Her book The Tales of Beedle the Bard was auctioned for the organisation in 2007, and raised £1.95 million. As of 2010 the charity is known as Lumos, and helps children to find safer places to live.
25) Tory Burch
Tory Burch is a fashion designer who has won awards for her work. She is very closely tied with many charitable projects and organisations including Tory Burch Foundation: Finance for Female Entrepreneurs.
Most recently in April 2014, Burch was named by the Obama Administration as an inaugural member of the Presidential Ambassadors for Global Entrepreneurship, a group of American businesspeople who are dedicated to supporting the future entrepreneurs of American and the world.