The Foundation Center has compiled a list of the top givers in the business world based on the most current financial data obtained in May 2013. Here is a list of the top 25 philanthropic corporate foundations, including the total amount of money the foundation has given in its lifetime.

1. Sanofi Foundation for North America; $497,491,467

2. Novartis Patient Assistance Foundation, Inc.; $331,911,548

3. The Bank of America Charitable Foundation, Inc.; $198,213,418

4. The Wal-Mart Foundation, Inc.; $175,680,474

5. The JPMorgan Chase Foundation; $136,201,550

6. GE Foundation; $112,221,740

7. Wells Fargo Foundation; $107,542,374

8. Citi Foundation; $78,614,500

9. The Coca-Cola Foundation, Inc.; $76,230,474

10. ExxonMobil Foundation; $74,507,597

11. Verizon Foundation; $56,282,791

12. The PNC Foundation; $54,22,909

13. The Merck Company Foundation; $53,306,196

14. Caterpillar Foundation; $49,789,926

15. Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies Foundation; $49,556,298

16. Intel Foundation; $43,388,787

17. MetLife Foundation; $43,938,306

18. The UPS Foundation; $39,833,790

19. Illinois Tool Works Foundation; $36,176,325

20. Lucasfilm Foundation; $34,770,779

21. Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals Patient Help Foundation; $30,592,240

22. The PepsiCo Foundation, Inc.; $29,773,085

23. Abbott Fund; $29,545,990

24. The Medtronic Foundation; $29,241,817

25. The Goldman Sachs Foundation; $29,237,825

Corporate philanthropy is important for several reasons and it comes in many forms, from simply donating money to encouraging employees to volunteer within the community. An obvious benefit of businesses giving back is that it benefits the community by either providing money to buy supplies or fund programs, or supplying the volunteers to run events or fundraisers. Other less-obvious benefits include boosting employee morale, recruiting more socially responsible potential employees, as well as boosting the company’s public image. These 25 companies have reaped all of these benefits and more through their generous donations to charities.

– Katie Brockman

Source: Foundation Center, Houston Chronicle
Photo: TreeHugger