More than 200 from 23 countries are committed to philanthropy
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John and Marcy McCall MacBain are among nineteen new names to join the growing list of philanthropists to join a global commitment to philanthropy and a better future.
The Giving Pledge has been signed by 204 individuals and couples in 23 countries, with each pledging to give at least half their wealth to philanthropy or charitable causes during their lifetime or in their will.
It was founded by Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett in 2010, the organization’s signatories are often already involved in philanthropy supporting causes focused on climate change, education, poverty alleviation, medical research, healthcare services, economic development, and social justice.
Former Trader Classified Media founder John McCall MacBain and his wife Marcy are no strangers to philanthropy.
Their McCall MacBain Foundation has made donations of tens of millions of dollars to support a wide range of causes and in February 2019 they made the largest-ever single donation to a Canadian university, $200 million for a graduate scholarship program at McGill University.
Crypto exchange founder joins the pledge
Among the other 19 new signatories to The Giving Pledge are MacKenzie Bezos, ex-wife of Amazon chief Jeff Bezos; Lowercase Capital founder Christopher Sacca and his wife Crystal; and Brian Armstrong, co-founder and CEO of cryptocurrency exchange CoinBase.
"We are thrilled to welcome this year's group of Giving Pledge signatories to the community, which has grown to more than 200 people in just nine years," said Warren Buffett. "The generosity of this group is a reflection of the inspiration we take from the many millions of people who work quietly and effectively to create a better world for others, often at great personal sacrifice."
The Giving Pledge signatories meet this week for an annual two-day learning conference to discuss their experiences in giving and to learn from each other and outside experts about how to be most effective with their philanthropy.
This year they will discuss topics including how philanthropy can make a difference in areas such as education, climate and clean energy, equity and access to health care, community development, and disaster relief.
The 19 new signatories
- Tegan and Brian Acton
- Brian Armstrong
- Stewart and Sandy Bainum
- MacKenzie Bezos
- Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Bin Musallam Bin Ham Al-Ameri
- Ben Delo
- Jeremy and Hanne Grantham
- David and Claudia Harding
- Sonia and Paul Tudor Jones
- Ryan D. "Jume" Jumonville
- Erica and Jeff Lawson
- Francine A. LeFrak and Rick Friedberg
- Daoming Liu
- John and Marcy McCall MacBain
- Emily and Mitchell Rales
- Chris and Crystal Sacca
- Paul and Jennifer Sciarra
- Nicolai and Katja Tangen
- Robert and Jane Toll
