2020 - Today
Living Legacy
Chuck Feeney died at age 92. But his vision and philanthropy continue to inspire and make the world better.
In 2020, Chuck Feeney signed Atlantic Philanthropies dissolution papers after his foundation had successfully completed its mission of spending out its entire endowment.
All in all, Feeney gave over $8 billion to charitable causes during his lifetime. $2.5 billion of which helped build 1,000+ buildings on five continents. It was not in Feeney’s character to take credit. He knew opportunities and achievements were due to many people. No buildings bear Feeney’s name, though; in a couple, someone managed to sneak a plaque onto a wall, unable to see his giving go unnoticed.
The buildings that Chuck and Atlantic launched were always about the people who dreamed them and who inhabit them: the leaders, innovators, scientists, educators, medical doctors, nurses, students, patients, social workers, community and rights activists, athletes, thespians, musicians, and audiences. The buildings house and serve young, vulnerable children, curious and aspiring youth, engaged professionals, and dignified elders. They are the homes, the incubators of change, in the lives of those who come to them.
When reflecting on capital projects in his inimitable American Zen articulation, Feeney said,
“Good buildings for good minds can make a big difference in the lives of a lot of people.”
In honor of his 90th birthday and shortly after his death, several of the institutions he supported unveiled “Feeney Ways” at Cornell University, Cornell Tech, St. James Hospital, the University of Limerick, the University of California San Francisco at Mission Bay, and the University of Queensland.
People were always at the heart of Feeney’s philanthropy. So it’s no surprise that one of Atlantic’s final big bets was to support a lifelong community of leaders through the Atlantic Fellows program and the Atlantic Institute, Every day, Atlantic Fellows work in communities around the world to help make them fairer, healthier, and more inclusive. The Atlantic Institute brings them together to connect, collaborate, and learn. Many inaugural Atlantic Fellows got to meet Feeney, and Atlantic’s President and CEO, Chris Oechsli, continues to share the values and vision that animated Feeney’s life and giving, so Fellows can understand their founding story and benefit from his actions, which always spoke louder than his words.
Though he preferred to stay out of the spotlight, Feeney believed in sharing the impact of Giving While Living and Atlantic’s lessons and experiences as one of the largest foundations to intentionally spend out its endowment during its founder’s lifetime. You can find these stories and lessons in Conor O’Clery’s book, The Billionaire Who Wasn’t, in Atlantic’s collections of insights about limited life philanthropy and how zero is the hero—and in the Atlantic Archives at Cornell University, which also curates select stories of an enduring legacy on this website.
Feeney died peacefully on October 9, 2023 and was laid to rest in Ireland.. Since then, many have celebrated his life around the world. As UCSF Chancellor Sam Hargood said,
“We haven’t even begun to see the impact of Chuck Feeney’s generosity. Years from now, his impact will be measured by what has not happened – millions of people won’t develop Alzheimer’s, and countless others will not live in poverty because of all the investments he made in neurodegenerative disease research, education and opportunity. An immeasurable legacy, isn’t that just like Chuck?”
Shortly after Feeney’s death, Bill Gates issued a public letter and video highlighting four important traits that made Feeney so special. “First, he was totally dedicated to giving away everything he had,” says Gates. “Second, Chuck started humble and stayed humble. Third, he was passionate about philanthropy. Fourth, as a result of all of the above, he was a very effective philanthropist.” These traits can also be considered part of the “Feeney Way.”
“I’m grateful to have known and learned from Chuck. His remarkable legacy will live on for generations to come, through all of the organizations he strengthened and all the ways he influenced others to give of their fortunes and of themselves.”
– Bill Gates