  a philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes. the term may apply to any volunteer or to anyone who makes a donation, but the label is most often applied to those who donate large sums of money or who make a major impact through their volunteering, such as a trustee who manages a philanthropic organization. a philanthropist may not always find universal approval for his/her deeds. common accusations include supporting an unworthy cause (such as funding art instead of fighting world hunger) or having selfish motivation at heart (such as avoiding taxes or attaining personal fame).a philanthropist is also someone who cares for someone else's needs,instead of their own. ==some notable philanthropists== * mother teresa - founded the missionaries of charity. her work among the poverty-stricken in calcutta made her one of the world's most famous people. * bill gates - co-founder of the bill & melinda gates foundation. * melinda gates - co-founder of the bill & melinda gates foundation. *bono - one of the world's best-known philanthropic performers and was named the most politically effective celebrity of all time by the national journal. he has been dubbed, "the face of fusion philanthropy", both for his success enlisting powerful allies from a diverse spectrum of leaders in government, religious institutions, philanthropic organisations, popular media, and the business world, as well as for spearheading new organizational networks that bind global humanitarian relief with geopolitical activism and corporate commercial enterprise. *michael jackson - has donated more than us$500 million to various foundations, and is noted as the entertainer who supported the most charity organisations by guinness world records. he has won numerous awards for his humanitarianism. he also founded the heal the world foundation. *jon bon jovi american rock star. founder of the jon bon jovi soul foundation in 2006 *alagappa chettiar - notable for his work on indian education. * sir cliff richard - one of the vice-presidents of tearfund, a british religious, relief and development agency which have done many charity works in over 50 countries including projects in india, bangladesh, nepal, sudan, kenya, uganda, haiti, bulgaria and cambodia. he supports other organizations and foundations: the hunger project, kidney research uk, roy castle lung cancer foundation, teenage cancer trust, cliff richard tennis foundation, [[
Philanthropists