The United States has immigrants from many different world countries. Some were raised in poverty-stricken situations and were seeking political asylum. Others came from affluent families and arrived to attend an American college or university. Young and old come to the states for a variety of different reasons. However, not many are aware that a number of immigrants who made the U.S. their home have demonstrated great generosity as philanthropists.
Successful Immigrants
There is insufficient evidence to determine the total number of dollars that the migrated Americans have donated. However, in the last two decades, the number of foundations established in the United States by Chinese-Americans increased in number by 400 percent. One of these Asian Americans was Cyrus Tang who founded the Asian Americans Advancing Justice. Tang came to the country in 1950 from Hong Kong and attended college in Philadelphia. He eventually became a giant in the industry. He donated more than $50 million to his former colleagues.
Other influential immigrants include George Soros, who hailed from Hungary. The private foundation that he established is second in size to the organization established by Bill Gates. Some of the top American immigrants who took part in the “Giving Pledge” include Elon Musk, who was originally from South Africa. Hamdi Ulukaya is from Turkey. He founded Chobani. Jorge Perez is from Argentina and became a billionaire due to real estate.
Like any other philanthropist, the American immigrants donate funds to their college alma maters, charities in which they believe or in order to further education in a particular field. They might also start a charitable organization.
Low-Key Investors
Many of the philanthropists prefer to keep their generous endeavors below the media radar. Tang’s foundation in Los Angeles, for example, is one of the largest ever created by an Asian American. Yet, few were aware of his involvement.
The need for anonymity commonly comes from an individual’s cultural background. Asians are often quiet, reserved people. Latin Americans view public acknowledgment of charitable contributions as classless. For some from violent countries, allowing their wealth to become public fodder makes them a target for kidnapping and other criminal acts.
However, as Tang once explained, he wanted to find a way to demonstrate that America was his home. He was grateful for the opportunity to come here and found a way to express his gratitude.