Billionaire philanthropist's biography to be published
Howard Lake | 26 August 2007 | News
The new biography of legendary American philanthropist Chuck Feeney will be published next week. ‘The Billionaire Who Wasn’t: How Chuck Feeney Secretly Made and Gave Away a Fortune,’ by Conor O’Cleary, will be published on 3rd September.
Extracts from the biography, which costs £15, have been published in the Irish Times, describing Feeney’s decision to give away his original $8 billion fortune. Under the umbrella of Atlantic Philanthropies, Feeney has given away ‚€4 billion so far and plans to distribute the balance within ten years.
The book describes how Feeney was heavily influenced by his attorney and adviser, Harvey Dale, who introduced him to the concept of giving-while-living. Feeney’s decision to give away his money, originally secretly, was encapsulated in the statement:
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‘I came to the conclusion I didn’t need a lot of money because I didn’t intend to live a lifestyle that required it,’ he said.
Since the 1980s Atlantic Philanthropies has given over €1 billion to education, research, human rights and political reconciliation in Ireland. Atlantic’s policies currently include Ageing, Disadvantaged Children and Youth, Population Health and Reconciliation and Human Rights.
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.