Doris Eleanor Buffett (February 12, 1928 – August 4, 2020) was an American philanthropist also known as the 'retail' philanthropist and the founder of The Sunshine Lady Foundation, The Learning By Giving Foundation, and The Letters Foundation which she co-founded alongside her younger brother, billionaire Warren Buffett. She was the daughter of Leila (Stahl) and U.S. politician and stockbroker Howard Homan Buffett. Doris Buffett intended to give all of her money away before she died.
Life and career
Buffett was the granddaughter of Ernest Buffett, who operated a family grocery store in Omaha, Nebraska. Her father Howard Homan Buffett founded the Omaha-based investment business Buffett-Falk & Company in 1931. She was the oldest sister of Warren Buffett, the chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway, and the third-wealthiest person in the world. Buffett grew up in Omaha Nebraska, suffered through the Great Depression and saw frugal times as a young wife before her inheritance which eventually allowed her to do philanthropic work. She was married four times and fought two bouts with cancer.
Buffett attracted attention with the publication of a 2010 book titled, "Giving It All Away: The Doris Buffett Story," which was authored by Michael Zitz. The book, which she pursued at the urging of her brother Warren Buffett and the lead singer of U2 Bono, describes Doris' background and life as a philanthropist. Buffett donated $100 million of her own money, mostly to needy individuals, often taking the time to call and write to them personally and determine the best way to help. Through her Sunshine Lady Foundation, founded in 1996, she helped thousands of children get an education or attend camp, sponsored young women in Afghanistan and supported prison education programs, amongst other philanthropy work. Her goal was to give away her entire fortune, which remained substantial despite her generosity and the 2008 financial crisis.
In 1999, she established the Women's Independence Scholarship Program to provide financial and other support to survivors of intimate partner violence who had escaped their abuser to pursue higher education. The program was started to partner with her friends who had founded a shelter for domestic violence victims. In 2008, she endowed it with $30 million making it its own organization, naming the associated scholarship the Doris Buffett Independent Scholar grant. She said it was the project she was most proud of, celebrating an award winner for attending the Wharton School. As of 2016, the scholarship had awarded more than $35 million to 2,000 women. According to Rita Smith, the executive director of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, abusive partners often sabotage attempts to further their education, and it is one of the most common and significant issues faced by survivors.