In recent years we’ve witnessed a remarkable explosion of billionaire philanthropy. From Bill Gates to Warren Buffett to George Lucas, there is a brilliant new trend of those with net worths in the 10-20 figure range who are giving away the bulk of their fortune to charities and foundations designed to make the world a better, more human and compassionate place.
Last night 60 Minutes profiled one of these billionaires. His name is Paul Tudor Jones and with a personal wealth of $3.6 billion he is fighting poverty with the hardnosed, business sense of Wall Street. While in his early 30s in the late 1980s, Tudor Jones was a fierce hedge fund manager who happened to watch an episode of 60 Minutes which profiled a wealthy man who was transforming the lives of a group of young students, which inspired Tudor to start his own charity. Founded in 1988, the Robin Hood Foundation has given away more than one and a quarter billion dollars over the past 25 years, and it’s become the city’s largest private backer of charter schools, job training and food programs.
You can watch the 60 Minutes profile of Paul Tudor Jones below. And to learn about what billionaire George Lucas has been doing with his fortune be sure to read this recent FEELguide story: Banner Photo #102: George Lucas Dedicating Majority Of $4 Billion Sale Of LUCASFILM To Education.
