“Chuck Feeney is the opposite of the grotesque consumption and excess that has been coursing through American society for decades, where ostentatious wealth is not something to be ashamed of but flattered. Both Trump and Feeney set up charitable foundations in the 1980s – the Donald J Trump Foundation and Atlantic Philanthropies (note no name). [ Chuck Feeney obituary: Philanthropist who lived more like a Benedictine monk than a billionaireOpens in new window ]Other universities rushed to follow suit. Chuck Feeney being conferred an honorary degree jointly by the universities of Ireland, North and South, at a ceremony in Dublin Castle in 2012. [ Podcast: Chuck Feeney: the ‘James Bond of philanthropy’ who gave away $8 billionOpens in new window ]His example has, however, infused some billionaires with the giving-while-living notion.

Source: The Irish Times February 28, 2026 16:31 UTC