JOHN PAULSON

PHILANTHROPY SCORE:

The arbitrageur famed for his “big short” of the U.S. subprime market before the 2008 financial crisis was once the 17th-richest American. But he has stumbled in recent years on ill-fated bets such as one on the consolidation of the healthcare industry. His hedge fund firm Paulson & Co. lost most of its outside investors and now largely manages his personal fortune plus nearly $2 billion in his foundation. He recently moved his downsized firm into the Manhattan offices of piano maker Steinway & Sons, which he owns.