JK Rowling has donated almost £19million to charities supporting women and disadvantaged children, according to the newly published 2026 Giving List from The Sunday Times Rich List.
The Harry Potter author ranked 21st on this year’s Giving List after contributing £18.8 million over the past year, equivalent to 1.9 per cent of her estimated £975million fortune.
Her philanthropic focus was listed as supporting disadvantaged children and women, showing her life’s work as an honour.
The annual Giving List, compiled in association with the Charities Aid Foundation, tracks the charitable donations of Britain’s wealthiest individuals featured in The Sunday Times Rich List and the 40 richest people under 40.
The author has been put on The Times Rich List
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Her appearance on the list comes after her controversy surrounding debates within transgender rights, feminism, and free speech.
What began as a series of social media posts evolved into a broader cultural and political conflict with the issues first gaining widespread attention in 2019.
Ms Rowling publicly supported Maya Forstater, a British researcher whose contract was not renewed after she posted gender-critical views online.
Ms Forstater argued that biological sex is immutable and should not be replaced by gender identity in law and public policy.
The star has been recognised for her work with children's charities
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The author tweeted support for her, framing the issue as one of free speech and women’s rights.
The controversy intensified dramatically in 2020 after Ms Rowling criticised the phrase “people who menstruate” in a tweet, suggesting that replacing the word “women” with gender-neutral language erased the reality of biological sex.
Critics immediately accused her of being dismissive toward transgender people, particularly trans men and non-binary individuals.
This year’s rankings was hedge fund manager Sir Chris Hohn, founder of TCI Fund Management and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation.
Ms Rowling has been in hot water over her trans views
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Mr Hohn, whose estimated wealth stands at £8.556billion, donated £1.438billion in 2024 — around 16.8 per cent of his total wealth — primarily towards climate change initiatives and children’s health causes.
The 2026 Giving List revealed that the top 100 philanthropists collectively donated £4.982billion to charitable causes, an increase of £1.251billion compared with last year.
Despite the rise in donations overall, the report noted that 63 of the top 100 gave less than one per cent of their wealth.
Among the other high-profile names featured near the top of the rankings were Sir Elton John, who donated £37million to HIV/AIDS, medical and humanitarian causes, and Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton, whose charitable giving focused on diversity in sport.
Sir Chris Hohn founder of TCI Fund Management and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation was top of the list
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Mark Greer, managing director of the Charities Aid Foundation, said the openness of wealthy donors could help encourage wider charitable giving across the UK.
“Our research shows that high net worth donors can be inspired by someone else's story,” he said.
“We hope Sir Chris Hohn's generosity and openness inspires others to give and helps create a wider culture of giving to support hardworking charities that are crucial to UK society.”
Nick Rodrigues, compiler of the Giving List, added: “The Giving List was created 22 years ago to encourage everyone to give whatever they can to worthy causes. Sir Chris Hohn is the example we had hoped the list would deliver.”
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