George Lucas' donation of over half the $4 billion from the Disney deal will see him considered amongst the most generous philanthropists of all time. After announcing that he had sold LucasFilm to Disney, a spokesperson told the Hollywood Reporter that Lucas has expressed his intention to donate the majority of the proceeds to his philanthropic endeavours.
Though it's not clear how much Lucas will take from the deal personally, it's likely to be billions. He signed on to Bill Gates and Warren Buffett's Giving Pledge back in 2010 and promised to give away at least half of his wealth by the time of his death. In his pledge letter, the legendary director and producer wrote, "I am dedicating the majority of my wealth to improving education. It is the key to the survival of the human race. We have to plan for our collective future - and the first step begins with the social, emotional, and intellectual tools we provide to our children." Though his couple of billion won't see Lucas reach the heady philanthropic heights of Gates and Buffett (who have both donated more than $45 billion combined), the filmmaker is certainly now amongst the top tier of givers. Elsewhere, George Soros has given over $8 billion, while Intel founder Gordon Moore has handed over $6 billion to worthy causes. The wealthiest man in the world, Carlos Slim Helu, has given $4 billion, according to Forbes.
Lucas founded the George Lucas Educational Foundation and the website Edutopia to reform and improve K-12 education.
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