How UHNW Women Are Shaping the Future of Philanthropy

Every March, Women’s History Month offers a chance to reflect on the extraordinary contributions women have made to our society and celebrate the ground they continue to break. Women in leadership are impacting change across corporate boardrooms, politics, and culture, and their transformative leadership is increasingly visible among UHNW women shaping global philanthropy.

As women increasingly join the ranks of the global ultra wealthy, they’re evolving beyond mere donors into architects of a new philanthropic paradigm. The growing influence of women in philanthropy is closely tied to broader shifts in global wealth dynamics. As Altrata’s Maya Imberg explains in a clip from our recent webinar exploring UHNW trends: 

As women take on a more prominent role as primary wealth holders, their preferences and priorities are reshaping how organizations must think about engagement. 

The rise of UHNW women philanthropists 

Altrata analyzed charitable giving patterns for the world’s ultra wealthy across multiple reports, including the 2025 World Ultra Wealth Report, and 2024’s Ultra High Net Worth Philanthropy Report. Our research found this demographic gave $207 billion to philanthropic causes in 2023 alone, a shocking figure up from $190 billion the year prior.

But these figures are just the surface. The report paints a picture of the full scope of ultra wealthy impact on charity and the unique way they approach giving: 

• Ultra high net worth (UHNW) individuals (with a net worth of $30 million or more) account for nearly 38% of all individual giving globally. 

• UHNW current total donations ($207 billion in 2023) are equivalent to 36% of all giving by individuals worldwide. 

• The world’s 3,200 billionaires account for just 8% of all individual giving.  

• One in five of these UHNW individuals structure their giving through private foundations.  

Looking closer at the numbers, Altrata data shows another undeniable trend: This surge of generosity is being driven largely by women. Altrata identified a critical category of “high-affinity” donors, consisting of the top 20% of UHNW individuals who have donated the highest proportion of their wealth since 2018. UHNW women are significantly more likely to fall into this high-affinity category. 

5 women making history in philanthropy 

For many philanthropists, giving back isn’t just about writing large checks and enjoying tax breaks, but actually serving as partners for social impact. They seek deep understanding of the causes they are supporting, as well as exactly how their resources will tangibly improve conditions for people affected by an issue.  

These women exemplify this new wave of philanthropists:

• MacKenzie Scott (United States) 

Since 2020, MacKenzie Scott has been a champion of trust-based giving. Her foundation doesn’t employ rigid reporting requirements or earmark funds for specific programs. Instead, it provides organizations with resources and trusts them to deploy those resources effectively, focusing on organizations that serve marginalized communities, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), racial justice organizations, and mental health providers, among others. Scott has committed to giving away over $26 billion to thousands of nonprofits.  

• Sheikha Moza bint Nasser (Qatar) 

As Chairperson of the Qatar Foundation, Sheikha Moza has focused on championing education and human development. Taking a big picture view of the transformations taking place in the world, she has become a leading voice for efforts to preserve cultural identity in an increasingly digital world, and ensuring that human values remain front and center in the advancement of technology. Her giving philosophy centers on expanding access to quality education as a way to unlock human potential, across the Middle East and beyond.  

• Esther Koplowitz (Spain) 

Since establishing the Fundación Esther Koplowitz in 1995, Esther Koplowitz has maintained an unwavering focus on supporting social welfare and biomedical research, with an emphasis on long term scientific progress while meeting current needs. It supports Spain’s most vulnerable populations while simultaneously driving advances in medical research. Recently recognized as a Protector Partner by the Royal National Academy of Medicine in Spain, Koplowitz’s work exemplifies how focused, sustained commitment can strengthen both healthcare infrastructure and social services. 

• Yang Huiyan (China) 

As chair of Country Garden Holdings, one of China’s largest property developers, Yang Huiyan has taken the rare step to commit her wealth to charity, even when it’s in decline. In 2023, a severe real estate crisis eroded 80% of her wealth. She responded by donating 55% of her personal stake in the company (valued at around $826 million) to the Guoqiang Foundation Hong Kong. The proceeds support science, education, culture, healthcare, adolescent development, disaster relief, and rural revitalization, building on the Foundation’s existing work to support education initiatives. 

• Tsitsi Masiyiwa (Zimbabwe / Pan-Africa) 

Masiyiwa’s most enduring philanthropic contribution is the Higherlife Foundation, which she co-founded with her husband in 1985 at the height of the AIDS crisis. The organization’s impact is a testament to the power of following a locally-grounded mission. The foundation began as a scholarship trust for orphaned children, and has since evolved into a comprehensive development organization operating across the African continent. Higherlife is focused on holistic development encompassing education, health, and leadership training, with the aim of strengthening whole communities by transforming individual lives.  

Updating fundraising strategies for UHNW women in philanthropy 

These history-making philanthropists support a variety of causes, and each give back in their own unique ways. However, they all have one thing in common: they approach philanthropy as a partnership rather than as a transaction. Successfully engaging UHNW women philanthropists requires an approach that reflects their own values.  

These high-affinity donors want: 

• Strategic values alignment rather than appeals for funding.  

• Understanding of how their resources can tangibly affect change rather than sustain operations. 

• Shared vision with proven ability to execute. 

This represents a sea change in traditional donor engagement strategy. How can a fundraising team even begin to approach prospects this way? To successfully engage this new generation of philanthropic leaders, fundraisers need the ability to: 

• Identify UHNW women with high giving affinity, beyond standard high net worth markers. 

• Analyze liquid wealth versus hard assets to understand giving capacity in order to craft better asks. 

• Discover personal interests, passions, and cause alignment to tailor authentic outreach. 

• Map relationship networks to reveal hidden connections and identify influence brokers . 

• Uncover the full scale of an individual’s influence, including private foundation ownership, corporate board seats, and family office connections

Engage the new leaders of philanthropy with Altrata 

The organizations successful in building partnerships with this new generation of women philanthropists will be those that approach with genuine understanding of who they are as people, not just donors. The key to this kind of engagement is having full, 360 degree people intelligence of a subject before you even begin outreach. 

That’s where Altrata comes in. We provide the unique depth of insight required for modern engagement strategies at scale, including: 

• Comprehensive wealth intelligence that goes deeper than net worth. 

• Detailed donor profiles that include personal interests, affiliations, and even giving history. 

• Sophisticated relationship mapping that reveals hidden networks and influence. 

• Always up-to-date information on board membership, family office connections, and more. 

This Women’s History Month is more than a celebration of the progress women have made; it’s recognizing how they are fundamentally reshaping philanthropy. Want to engage the next generation of social impact leaders? Schedule a demo today.