A
philanthropist is any person that tries to do good deeds to help other people, however, the label is typically applied to those who give substantial amounts of money to certain causes (often
foundations,
museums, or specific
activist groups). The label is far from uncontroversial, as philanthropists are often accused of funding the wrong causes (e.g. funding art instead of fighting world hunger) or doing it for the wrong reasons (e.g. to avoid taxes or out of personal interest).
Some notable philanthropists:
See also philanthropy.