David Tepper

Amid rising cases of antisemitic incidents in the U.S., in 2023 the Tepper Foundation created a fund to strengthen security at colleges, synagogues, and other Jewish organizations.

In March, when an attacker drove a truck filled with fireworks and gasoline into one of the fund’s grantees, the Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield, Mich., was ready. Security officers exchanged gunfire with the attacker, who later shot and killed himself. One guard was injured, but congregants, staff, and more than 100 children attending preschool inside the synagogue were safe.

“That one made me cry,” says David Tepper, hedge fund manager and owner of the Carolina Panthers. “We saved kids’ lives.”

Last year, Tepper contributed more than $529 million to his three giving vehicles, according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy. He supports efforts to fight food and housing insecurity, provide disaster relief, and protect democracy. He says the Tepper Foundation’s pro-democracy work is bipartisan, which has allowed it to build relationships across the political spectrum.

“We’re radical centrists,” Tepper says. “We want to do what’s good for the country.”