# Saudi Prince pledges all his £20 billion wealth to charities - Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2015/07/03/saudi-prince-pledges-all-his-20bn-wealth-to-charities/ - Published: 2015-07-03T09:42:54+01:00 - Author: Howard Lake **Saudi businessman and philanthropist HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud has pledged to donate all his wealth to charities over the coming years. His $32 billion commitment is one of the largest philanthropic pledges to date.** Speaking as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of [the Alwaleed Philanthropies](http://www.alwaleedphilanthropies.org/) Prince Alwaleed said that he wanted his gift to help build a “better world of tolerance, acceptance, equality and opportunity for all.” A nephew to former king Abdullah, who died in January this year, Prince Alwaleed has been involved in philanthropic activities for 35 years. He has already donated $3.5 billion through the Alwaleed Philanthropies, one of the major philanthropic foundations in the Arab world. ## Advertisement [⌊Posthub advert. You create the campaign. We'll handle the postal journey. Get started at post-hub.co.uk.⌉](https://fundraising.co.uk/ads/posthub-20261007-300x250/) He said: > “I now pledge to donate my entire wealth to the Alwaleed Philanthropies, which > work in the main fields of intercultural understanding, supporting needy communities, > through health promotion, eradication of diseases, provision of electric power > to remote villages and hamlets, building orphanages and schools, and much more, > as well as providing disaster relief and empowering women, youth and poverty alleviation. > This donation will be allocated according to a well-devised plan throughout the > coming years. It will be based on a strategy that is supervised and managed by > a board of trustees headed by me to ensure that it will be used after my death > for humanitarian projects and initiatives.” Bill Gates, Co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, with whom the Alwaleed Philanthropies have partnered, welcomed the Prince’s decision, saying: > “Prince Alwaleed’s generous commitment promises to significantly extend the great > work that his foundation is already doing. His gift is an inspiration to all of > us working in philanthropy around the world.” Gates is one of those philanthropists who have signed up to [The Giving Pledge](https://www.fundraising.co.uk/2010/08/04/40-billionaire-us-families-pledge-give-away-most-wealth/), promising to dedicate the majority of their wealth to philanthropy. Although Prince Alwaleed’s pledge is on that scale, his statement made no mention of that initiative. > “Since most of my wealth was achieved from this blessed country, I have made giving > back to Saudi my number one priority.” [@Alwaleed_Talal](https://twitter.com/Alwaleed_Talal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > — الوليد للإنسانية (@alwaleed_philan) [July 3, 2015](https://twitter.com/alwaleed_philan/status/616763529752752128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)   The Alwaleed Philanthropies have supported projects in 92 countries. These include: * promoting more sustainable communities in Saudi Arabia, through the Housing Initiative, which allows hundreds of thousands of eligible Saudi citizens to receive housing units. * helping Afghani women by advocating literacy, via the Turquoise Mountain organisation * supporting disaster relief in countries that have suffered natural disasters, including Egypt, Jeddah, Nepal and Turkey * supporting education through six centres at the universities of Georgetown, Harvard, Edinburgh, Cambridge, and the American University of Beirut and the American University in Cairo; in addition to the Islamic Hall at the Louvre in Paris.   * **[Mrs Lily Safra donates another €1 million to Hope and Homes for Children](https://fundraising.co.uk/2015/07/10/mrs-lily-safra-donates-another-1m-euros-to-hope-and-homes-for-children/)**( 10 July 2015) * **[New book explains how to influence and persuade major donors](https://fundraising.co.uk/2015/07/29/new-book-explains-how-to-influence-and-persuade-major-donors/)**( 29 July 2015) * **[The Fundraiser Who Wanted More – book review](https://fundraising.co.uk/2015/09/02/the-fundraiser-who-wanted-more-book-review/)**( 2 September 2015)