The annual Chronicle of Philanthropy’s list of the biggest donors is filled with generous support for basic scientific research. As the article shows, philanthropists are doing more than filling in gaps in federal funding. They are focusing on work that is risky, challenging, and uncertain, but with a potential for huge payoffs to society.

The donors on the Philanthropy 50, The Chronicle’s list of the nation’s top donors, committed $1.6-billion to causes that range from expanding research at children’s hospitals and university labs to creating new centers that will investigate the workings of the human cell. Read the article and see the list here.