Almost a quarter of funds disbursed by his philanthropic vehicle Atlantic Philanthropies were to projects in Ireland, including huge support for universities here and peace projects in Norther Ireland.
From 1984, when he established the fund until it was wound up in 2020 it made 6,500 grants of over $8bn, in keeping with Feeney’s motto of ‘Giving while Living.’
Although he eventually became well known, for decades Feeney acted largely in secret and he did not court publicity.
In 1984 he quietly transferred his shareholding in Duty Free Shoppers (DFS), a luxury retail chain he had co-founded, to The Atlantic Foundation which later became The Atlantic Philanthropies, and began distributing the bulk of his personal fortune to good causes.
The Republic of Ireland has received $1.3bn in grants while $570m went to projects in Northern Ireland.
Atlantic Philanthropies said on Monday that Chuck Feeney died peacefully on October 9 in San Francisco.
“If you give while living, the money goes to work quickly, everyone gets to see the action and the results, that’s what we’re all about,” Chuck Feeney explained some years ago.
He lived modestly, quipping that ‘travelling at the front of the plane doesn’t get you there any faster’ when asked why he did not book first class tickets, but amassed a vast fortune from his successful business venture.
In his later years he didn’t own a home or car, preferring to rent as he travelled. None of the around 200 buildings he helped fund in institutions around the world was named after him.
Feeney was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey to Irish American parents at the time of the Great Depression. He was the first in his family to attend university, studying hotel management at the prestigious Cornell University thanks to the US ‘GI’ Bill that funded education for former members of the military.
He is survived by his wife, Helga; five children from his first marriage to Danielle Feeney of France: Juliette Feeney-Timsit of Paris, France; Caroleen Feeney of Los Angeles, California; Leslie Feeney Baily of London, England; Diane Feeney of London, England; and Patrick Feeney of Brussels, Belgium; 16 grandchildren and 4 nieces and nephews.
Credit:Source link
