General Atlantic has been actively involved with philanthropic organizations since our founding in 1980. 

General Atlantic's history is rooted in philanthropy and our commitment to philanthropy is part of the fabric of our organization. Chuck Feeney, co-founder of Duty Free Shoppers Group and one of the world's leading living philanthropists, established General Atlantic in 1980 to invest the capital of his foundation, the Atlantic Philanthropies, to which he had donated substantially all of his assets. While GA has since expanded its funding source to other wealthy families, well-established endowments, foundations and strategic institutions, the Atlantic Philanthropies remained our original capital partner for over 30 years. 

To date, the Atlantic Philanthropies has donated $6 billion to world-class educational institutions and non-profit organizations, particularly in the U.S., Ireland, and Vietnam. Atlantic Philanthropies aims to contribute its remaining funds, an additional $2.5 billion, to non-profit organizations over the next five years.

Our strong ties to philanthropic pursuits continue today, with an ethos focused not just on professional pursuits but also on community involvement. GA has played a long-term material role in the establishment and support of several high-quality, entrepreneurially oriented philanthropic organizations, including the founding of Echoing Green, a non-profit organization which identifies, funds and supports high-impact social entrepreneurs. To date, Echoing Green has invested over $30 million in seed funding to over 500 social entrepreneurs and their innovative organizations, including well-known names such as Teach for America, City Year, Citizen Schools, College Summit and EarthRights International.  

In addition to their professional responsibilities, the GA team dedicates time and energy to philanthropic organizations we believe can positively impact society. Many of our team serve on the boards of major non-profit and educational organizations including Stanford, Dartmouth, Amherst, Cooper Union, Georgia Tech, Rockefeller University, Johns Hopkins, the Nature Conservancy, the Brookings Institute, among many others.