Philanthropist Chuck Feeney dies aged 92, with $8B ‘giving while living’ legacy
“It’s much more fun to give while you are alive than to give when you are dead,” said Chuck Feeney, one of America’s most prolific philanthropists.
The multi-billionaire entrepreneur who made his fortune as co-founder of the Duty Free Shoppers Group and pledged to give away all but $2 million of his vast wealth during his lifetime, has died at the age of 92.
In his autobiography, The Billionaire Who Wasn’t, Feeney wrote: “I had one idea that never changed in my mind—that you should use your wealth to help people.” And he did so.
Feeney’s foundation, The Atlantic Philanthropies, has given more than $8 billion in grants to people and organizations on five continents. Much of it was given anonymously and Bill Gates said he was the “ultimate example of Giving While Living.”
Charles Francis Feeney, a New Jersey native born to Irish American parents during the Great Depression, never stopped giving but also never stopped seeking out new business opportunities. As a kid he sold Christmas cards door-to-door and at Cornell University he ran a sandwich business. He donated more than $1 billion to the college during his lifetime.
“His life’s mission of consequential philanthropy, the breathtaking impact of his giving to his alma mater, and the way his quiet example has motivated so many others, has been immeasurably transformative to Cornell and to Cornellians,” said Cornell President Martha E. Pollack in an obituary on the university’s website.
The Atlantic Philanthropies was founded in 1982 with all of Feeney’s business assets transferred to it. Christopher G. Oechsli, president and CEO of Atlantic and long-time adviser to Mr. Feeney, said that helping people and business success were equal passions.
“He cared more about being
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