Charitable Giving: How much did you give?

Eleven leading philanthropists spoke with The Washington Post’s Tom Heath about how much they have given in the past year, and their approach to charitable giving.

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Debbie Marriott Harrison

Debbie Harrison is the senior vice president for government affairs of Marriott International. She is also on the board of the J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation. "Last year, Marriott International donated $23.8 million in cash and in-kind contributions," according to Harrison.

Elizabeth Dausch /

Wendy Thompson Marquez

Wendy Thompson Marquez is the president and chief executive of EVS Communications, a nonprofit that uses media to reach underserved Latino communities. She is also president of Onyx Media Group, which creates socially relevant films and television programs. For Marquez and her husband, Dario, the amount given is not important. "It's not the amount we give," Marquez told The Post, "but the groups we give to."

Courtesy of Wendy Thompson Marquez

Martin Weinstein

Martin Weinstein is a partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher. He has donated more than $1 million over the past five years on behalf of the Willkie Foundation.

Bachrach Photography

David Falk

David Falk is the founder of FAME Basketball, and is one of the sports industry's leading figures and most talented innovators. He has been representing athletes since 1974, including NBA superstars Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing. In addition to other donations, Falk gave $15 million to Syracuse University for the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics.

MBK Photo / MBK Photo

Cal Ripken

Cal Ripken is a Hall of Fame shortstop. He played for the Baltimore Orioles for 21 seasons. He is also a best-selling author. The Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation is slated to spend nearly $5 million on youth development park construction sites, while cash operating grants will total $2 million. Equipment grants will total $500,000.

Bill Wood Photography

Patty Alper

Patty Alper is president of Alper Portfolio Group, a marketing and consulting company. She gives roughly $25,000 a year.

Freed Photography

Dr. Jaylee M. Mead

Jaylee M. Mead is a board member of The Studio Theatre and theatreWashington. She is also a Life Trustee at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. She supports Signature theatre and the Atlas Performing Arts Center. She established the Mead Family Foundation in 1989. She gives approximately $1-2 million a year of her personal funds for annual giving and pledges.

Courtesy Jaylee Mead

Craig Ruppert

Craig Ruppert is chief executive of Ruppert Landscape. The company gives 5 percent of its profit annually to charitable causes.

/ Courtesy of Craig Ruppert

John M. Kane

John Kane is president and chief executive of Kane Co., a Maryland-based firm specializing in commercial transportation, office re-location and records archiving. Through his company, he is "on track this year to give $200,000," he told The Post.

Robert Smith Photography

Jeffrey Z. Slavin

Jeffrey Slavin is the mayor of Somerset, Md., and a second-generation leader of the Sanford and Doris Slavin Foundation. "Last year, through our family foundation, we donated more than $180,000 to roughly two dozen nonprofit organizations that provide services to Montgomery County residents," Slavin told The Post.

Daniel B. McNeill

Michelle Freeman

Michelle Freeman is the founding president and chairman of the Joshua M. Freeman Foundation. She has also served as president and chairman of the Carl M. Freeman Foundation since 2007. The latter gives grants of over $1.5 million a year.

By Doug Phillips

FEATURED PHOTO GALLERIES

A police forensics officer investigates a crime scene where one man was killed in Woolwich, southeast London May 22, 2013. British Prime Minister David Cameron has called a meeting of his government's emergency Cobra security committee after the killing of a man in south London, his office said on Wednesday. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth (BRITAIN - Tags: CRIME LAW POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

Terrorism cited in London cleaver attack

Two assailants hacked to death a man reported to be a British soldier on a busy East London street Wednesday afternoon before delivering an apparent...

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 21: Statues on display on the Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden in The Great Pavilion at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show on May 21, 2013 in London, England. The Chelsea Flower Show run by the RHS celebrates its 100th birthday this year. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

Photos of the day

Chelsea Flower Show, face transplant in Poland, Oklahoma residents cope with tornado aftermath and more.

ANNAPOLIS, MD - MAY 20: The Herndon Monument Climb is the traditional culmination of plebe year at the United States Naval Academy. The plebes climb to the top of the lard-covered 21 foot high monument and remove the 'dixie cup' hat at the top replacing it with an upperclassman's hat. After completing this, the freshmen are called 'fourth class midshipmen.' This class completed the task in 1 hour 32 minutes and 43 seconds. The hat was placed by Patrick Lien from Orlando. (Photo by Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post)

The Herndon Climb

The Herndon Monument climb is the traditional culmination of plebe year at the U.S. Naval Academy.

Lea Bessinger salvages a picture of Jesus as she and her son Josh Bessinger sort through the rubble of the elder Bessinger's tornado-ravaged home Tuesday, May 21, 2013, in Moore, Okla. A huge tornado roared through the Oklahoma City suburb Monday, flattening an entire neighborhoods and destroying an elementary school with a direct blow as children and teachers huddled against winds. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Tornado near Oklahoma City causes more damage

Rescue workers are searching for survivors after a twister carved a long path of destruction in a suburb of Oklahoma City. It was part of the...

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 21: Ken Marino, Erica Oyama, Ben Stiller, Chris Harrison, and Mike Rosenstein aceept the Webby Award for 'Burning Love' at the 17th Annual Webby Awards at Cipriani Wall Street on May 21, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for The Webby Awards)

Eye on entertainment

Ben Stiller, Jerry Seinfeld, Emma Stone, 2 Chainz, Tyrese Gibson, Susan Boyle and more.

This combination of Associated Press photos shows left, a neighborhood in Moore, Okla., in ruins on Tuesday, May 4, 1999, after a tornado flattened many houses and buildings in central Oklahoma, and right, flattened houses in Moore on Monday, May 20, 2013. Monday's powerful tornado in suburban Oklahoma City loosely followed the path of a killer twister that slammed the region in May 1999. (AP Photo)

Okla. tornado loosely followed path of 1999 twister

Monday’s powerful tornado in suburban Oklahoma City loosely followed the path of a killer twister that slammed the area in May 1999.

A Burrowing owl tries to perch on a protective rope in a public park in Cooper City, Fla. Monday, May 20, 2013 as rain falls. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

Animal views

Fun and fascinating creatures around the world.

A man walks on sulphur and mineral salt formations near Dallol in the Danakil Depression, northern Ethiopia April 22, 2013. The Danakil Depression in Ethiopia is one of the hottest and harshest environments on earth, with an average annual temperature of 94 degrees Fahrenheit (34.4 Celsius). For centuries, merchants have travelled there with caravans of camels to collect salt from the surface of the vast desert basin. The mineral is extracted and shaped into slabs, then loaded onto the animals before being transported back across the desert so that it can be sold around the country. Picture taken April 22, 2013. REUTERS/Siegfried Modola (ETHIOPIA - Tags: BUSINESS SOCIETY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

ATTENTION EDITORS: PICTURE 2 OF 30 FOR PACKAGE 'ETHIOPIA'S ANCIENT SALT TRAIL'
SEARCH 'DANAKIL DEPRESSION' FOR ALL

Ethiopia’s salt trail

For centuries, merchants have traveled to Ethiopia’s Danakil Depression with caravans of camels to collect salt from the surface of the vast desert basin. The mineral is extracted...

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