Sir Chris Hohn tops Sunday Times Giving List after giving £1.4 billion
Howard Lake | 15 May 2026 | News
The UK’s most generous philanthropists have collectively donated a record £4.982 billion to charitable causes in the past year, according to The Sunday Times Giving List 2026.
The total giving figure from the 100 most charitable members of the Rich List saw a significant rise, up by £1.251 billion on the previous year’s total. This year’s list, compiled in association with the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), highlights continued support across major areas, including climate change initiatives, healthcare, children’s charities, and humanitarian causes.
Hohn sets new philanthropic benchmark
Hedge fund manager Sir Chris Hohn has once again been listed at the top of the Giving List, becoming the first British billionaire to give away more than a billion pounds in a single year. He first topped the list in 2023.
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Hohn, 59, the founder of TCI Fund Management and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, donated an unprecedented £1.4 billion. This contribution alone represents around 16.8% of his estimated wealth of £8.556 billion, and nearly 30% of the total amount given by the entire top 100 list. His main beneficiaries are focused on climate change and children’s health.
Mark Greer, Managing Director at the Charities Aid Foundation, emphasized the potential for this high-profile generosity to drive a wider culture of giving. “Our research shows that high net worth donors can be inspired by someone else’s story,” Greer noted, expressing hope that Sir Chris Hohn’s openness inspires others to support vital UK charities.
Giving List compiler Nick Rodrigues echoed this sentiment, stating the list was created 22 years ago to encourage everyone to give. Rodrigues noted, “Sir Chris Hohn is the example we had hoped the list would deliver”.
The breadth of giving
The 2026 list, which tracks the philanthropic activity of 100 individuals who appear in The Sunday Times Rich List and the 40 richest under 40, shows high concentration at the top. According to the most recent accounts, ten individuals out of the top 100 gave more than £100 million in the past year.
However, the list also reveals room for growth in giving proportionality, as 63 out of the top 100 gave less than 1% of their total wealth.
- Charity begins at Hohn (24 June 2008)
Notable figures and regional philanthropists featuring on the list include:
Second Place: Sir Michael Moritz and Harriet Heyman, who take second place, making Sir Michael Moritz the most generous Welsh philanthropist. Their main beneficiaries focus on democracy, community, and education.
Scotland: Sir Ian Wood is named the most charitable person in Scotland.
Celebrities: high-profile names such as Sir Elton John, J.K. Rowling, Ed Sheeran, and Sir Lewis Hamilton are also featured.
Newcomer: Gary Lubner, Labour’s biggest donor, debuts on the Giving List.
Youngest: Dan and Melanie Marsden are the youngest on the list at ages 33 and 32 respectively.
The Giving List ranks donors based on the proportion of total wealth donated or pledged to charity (the Giving Index).
The Sunday Times Rich List 2026 is published today online at The Sunday Times and in the print edition of the newspaper on Sunday 17 May.
The Sunday Times Giving List 2026 : top 30 ranked by the proportion of wealth given or generated for charity
| Rank | Name | Estimated wealth | Donations | Giving Index (% of wealth) | Main beneficiaries |
| 1 | Sir Chris Hohn | £8.556bn | £1,438.4bn | 16.8 | Climate change, children’s health |
| 2 | Sir Michael Moritz and Harriet Heyman | £5.481bn | £627.6m | 11.4 | Democracy, community, education |
| 3 | Alan Parker | £3.29bn | £283.7m | 8.6 | Environment, child safeguarding |
| 4 | Sir Elton John | £480m | £37m | 7.7 | HIV/Aids, medical, humanitarian |
| 5 | Chris Rokos | £3bn | £190m | 6.3 | Education |
| 6= | Lord Edmiston | £897m | £53.7m | 6 | Christian faith |
| 6= | Suneil Setiya | £1.86bn | £110.9m | 6 | Climate change |
| 6= | Greg Skinner | £1.86bn | £110.9m | 6 | Climate change |
| 9 | Henry Engelhardt and Diane Briere de l’Isle | £935m | £47.8m | 5.1 | Health, poverty, education |
| 10 | Sir Michael Gooley | £433m | £20.6m | 4.8 | Medical, veterans, education |
| 11 | Marit, Lisbet, Sigrid and Sir Hans Rausing | £8.888bn | £417.8m | 4.7 | Arts, culture, environment |
| 12 | The Duke of Devonshire | £915m | £35.1m | 3.8 | Conservation, Chatsworth House |
| 13 | Dame Marit Mohn Westlake* | £520m | £16m | 3.1 | Arts, education, children |
| 14 | Earl of Iveagh* | £807m | £24m | 3 | Housing, education, health |
| 15= | Sir Paul Marshall | £950m | £26.7m | 2.8 | Education, religion, children |
| 15= | Ian Wace | £950m | £26.2m | 2.8 | Children, young people |
| 17= | Terry Bramall* | £429m | £10.6m | 2.5 | Medical, arts, religion |
| 17= | Gary Lubner | £1.3bn | £32.5m | 2.5 | Community, refugees |
| 17= | Sir Ian Wood* | £1.876bn | £47.1m | 2.5 | Africa, youth (Scotland) |
| 20 | Jeremy Coller | £2bn | £42.5m | 2.1 | Animal welfare, education |
| 21 | JK Rowling | £975m | £18.8m | 1.9 | Disadvantaged children, women |
| 22 | Sir Brian Souter and Ann Gloag | £878m | £16.2m | 1.8 | Social, Christian |
| 23= | Denise, Peter and John Coates | £9.728bn | £161.6m | 1.7 | Medical research, health and welfare |
| 23= | Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou* | £1.628bn | £27.5m | 1.7 | Environment, poverty, education |
| 23= | Yan Huo | £1.225bn | £21m | 1.7 | Arts, education, science |
| 23= | Steve Morgan | £935m | £15.7m | 1.7 | Children, social |
| 27= | Patricia Thompson* | £902m | £14.7m | 1.6 | Medical, arts, culture |
| 27= | Guy, George, Alannahand Hilary Weston* | £18.939bn | £300.7m | 1.6 | Welfare, health, environment, arts |
| 29 | John Armitage | £1.22bn | £16.6m | 1.4 | Education, youth, parenting support |
| 30= | Sir Lewis Hamilton | £435m | £5.7m | 1.3 | Sport diversity |
| 30= | The Shepherd family | £1.35bn | £17.7m | 1.3 | Armed services, arts |
*Denotes family wealth
For the full 100 most charitable rich people in the UK visit The Sunday Times.
- Football Rich List published (7 January 2008)
- More specialist rich lists (29 October 2008)
- Marcus Rashford is the youngest person to lead The Sunday Times Giving List (26 May 2021)
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About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.