Oprah's Philanthropy

One of the reasons Oprah is so beloved by her fans is that even as the only African-American billionaire in America, she has never forgotten what it was like growing up in poverty, and has always excelled at the art of philanthropy.  Her television-show stunts like the famous episode where everyone in the audience was given a brand new car were amazing enough, but these only scratched the surface of the charitable nature of undoubtedly one of the most powerful women in the world.  

In 1998, Oprah created Oprah's Angel Network, an organization dedicated  to encouraging people worldwide to aid those in need.  The network provides grants and raises funds for projects worldwide to help the underprivileged, and to date has raised more than $51 million to help the disadvantaged.  As her own contribution, Oprah covers all the administrative costs out of her own pocket, meaning her charity is one of very few in which 100% of donated money goes directly toward aid projects without any overhead.  This is in addition to her regular donations, estimated at more than $300 million to various causes over the years.

Oprah has also made education one of her causes, and has funded many scholarships.  The plight of children in Africa led her to raise money for gifts and school supplies for children in need and to create a girls' academy in Johannesburg, South Africa.  For these actions, she was honored by Nelson Mandela for her efforts to improve the future for Africa's youth.