Legacy
Despite being a limited-life foundation, long after its doors closed, the Atlantic Philanthropies continue to encourage other leaders and visionaries to carry on its legacy of “giving while living.” One of its final “big bets” was the creation of the Atlantic Fellows program—“a global network of seven interconnected programs” whose aim is to foster “emerging leaders with innovative ideas and the courage, conviction, and capacity to bring lasting improvements to their communities and the world.”
Chuck Feeney has also served as a major source of inspiration for other philanthropists. It was his example that motivated Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, and Melinda Gates to launch the Giving Pledge in 2010—an initiative that calls upon the world’s wealthiest individuals to publicly commit at least half their wealth to charitable giving. Feeney was among the original signatories in February 2011, almost thirty years after he personally committed himself to giving away his wealth.
David Rockefeller, Bill Gates, and Warren Buffett. Letter to Chuck Feeney, May 24, 2009.
Warren Buffett. Email to Chuck Feeney, February 23, 2011.
Photograph from “Racial Equity: Building a Liberatory Future for 2020 + Beyond,” an event hosted by the Atlantic Fellows for Racial Equity at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., October 21, 2019.
Chuck and Helga Feeney visiting with Atlantic Fellows at the Global Brain Health Institute at UCSF, October 17, 2019.
Honorary doctorate conferred to Chuck Feeney by the universities of Ireland, September 6, 2012.
In a move never made before or since, universities across both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland united to honor Chuck Feeney for his transformative contributions to higher education on the island.
Chuck Feeney behind the scenes at his honorary degree conferring ceremony, September 6, 2012.
Photos by Paul Sharp.
Founding Atlantic Philanthropies director and former board member Harvey Dale once said of Feeney: “He doesn’t own a house. He doesn’t own a car. He flies economy. And I think his watch cost about $15.” It is no surprise, then, that he used a plastic shopping bag in lieu of a briefcase, even at the most formal of occasions.