Microsoft Co-Founder Allen Makes Giving Pledge
July 16, 2010 | Read Time: 1 minute
Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen marked the 20th anniversary of his family foundation by committing Thursday to leave most of his $13-billion fortune to philanthropy, says The Seattle Times.
Mr. Allen — whose Microsoft partner, Bill Gates, last month called on fellow billionaires to donate at least half their wealth — said he had long planned to give away the bulk of his estate. “He and Bill talked about, this and he thinks it’s a good idea to let people know,” a spokesman for Mr. Allen said.
The 57-year-old, who recently underwent chemotherapy for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, has donated about $1-billion over the years, focusing largely on causes in the Pacific Northwest and establishing two nonprofit organizations, the Allen Institute for Brain Science and the Experience Music Project.
