The Carnegie Family Profile

"The day is not far distant, when the man who dies leaving behind him millions of available wealth, which was free for him to administer during life, will pass away unwept, unhonored, and unsung." - The Gospel of Wealth

While many of the wealthy contributed to charity, Andrew Carnegie set himself apart from his peers by stating that the wealthy have a moral obligation to engage in philanthropy. The Gospel of Wealth's message included that all personal wealth beyond that needed to provide for one's family should be regarded as a trust fund and administered for the community's benefit.

Carnegie distributed his wealth through seven philanthropic and educational organizations in the U.S., including the Carnegie Corporation of New York and several others in Europe. Carnegie Corporation of New York provides grants that benefit people of the U.S, but up to 7.4% of the funds can be used for the same purpose in countries formerly of the British Commonwealth.

One of Carnegie's interests included establishing free public libraries, so that people had a means to self-educate. Eventually Carnegie and the Carnegie Corporation spent over $56 million to build 2,509 libraries in the English-speaking world. The library building program ended in 1917, but the next forty years saw continued interest in improving library services on the part of the Corporation. Other major programs included adult education and education in the fine arts. For example, Andrew Carnegie founded Carnegie Institute of Technology, now named Carnegie Mellon University, in 1900. Over the course of his lifetime, Andrew Carnegie redistributed over $350 million, or approximately $7.2 billion in current dollars.