Millionaires for Humanity

Background

Millionaires for Humanity is a network of wealthy individuals who advocate for policies that “promote progressive taxation, close tax loopholes, and ensure a fairer distribution of wealth.” Its members invest in left-of-center issues such as inequality, social justice, and climate change. ³  The group publishes petitions and sign-on letters addressed to the media and to politicians to advocate for taxation of the wealthy and for left-of-center social policy. ⁴

In 2016, Djaffar Shalchi established the Human Act Foundation (Human Act) based in Copenhagen, Denmark with a $30 million investment to give back to society and to support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In 2020, he launched two initiatives supported by the Human Act: Move Humanity and Millionaires for Humanity. His primary goal was to establish a global 1 percent wealth tax. ^{5 6}

Shalchi claims that President Joe Biden’s proposal for a tax on wealthy households would be a step in the right direction, but would not be supported by Republicans in the U.S. Congress. ⁷  He advocates wealth taxes in countries around the world, a global minimum wealth tax of 1 percent, and to use these taxes to achieve the SDGs. ¹

Advocacy

Millionaires for Humanity claims that by taxing the wealthy, governments can provide health care for all, free education, housing and social services for the poor, and investments in projects to address climate change. ²

Millionaires for Humanity publishes sign-on letters and campaigns internationally in partnership with other similar organizations. Its original sign-on letter published on its website showed 112 individual signatures from millionaires located in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Canada, Austria, Denmark, Netherlands, Switzerland, Mexico, New Zealand, Sweden, and Norway. ⁸

We Must Draw the Line is a campaign launched in early 2025 by Millionaires for Humanity, Oxfam America, Patriotic Millionaires, and Tax Me Now. It published an open letter at the start of the World Economic Forum’s Davos summit signed by wealthy individuals from different countries urging governments to tax the wealthy. ⁹  Millionaires for Humanity and its partner organizations have published similar letters in prior years, including Proud to Pay More, Cost of Extreme Wealth, and In Tax We Trust. The common message in these campaign letters is to tax the wealthy and provide public services such as education, health care, and infrastructure, as well as supporting a “green transition.” ^{10 11}

The G20 letter was launched by Millionaires for Humanity, Oxfam America, The Patriotic Millionaires, Earth4All, and the Institute for Policy Studies. It was addressed to the G20 leaders urging them to tax high-wealth individuals at the national and international levels. ¹²

Notable Members

Abigail Disney is a Disney heiress and co-founder of the Daphne Foundation. She is an active participant in Millionaires for Humanity. ¹³ Disney is also a member of Patriotic Millionaires and the founder of activist group Peace is Loud. ¹⁴

Nik Hanauer is a venture capitalist, entrepreneur, and left-wing civic activist. He and his wife established the Nick and Leslie Hanauer Foundation. He also founded Civic Ventures, described as a group of “political troublemakers” focused on social change. ¹⁵

Antonis Schwarz is an impact investor and founder of the Guerrilla Foundation located in Germany. He is a founding member of Tax Me Now which partners with Millionaires for Humanity. ¹⁶

Austrian heiress Marlene Engelhorn advocates for the redistribution of wealth and is planning to donate 90 percent of her inheritance. Engelhorn co-founded Tax Me Now in 2021. ^{17 18}

Partner Organizations

Millionaires for Humanity works in partnership with other organizations on advocacy initiatives and capacity building. ¹⁹

Patriotic Millionaires is a group of wealthy Americans who want to “tax the rich, pay the people, spread the power,” claiming that America is an oligarchy. Members of the group include Walt Disney heiress Abigail Disney and Chuck Collins, a senior scholar at the Institute for Policy Studies and the great-grandson of Oscar Mayer. ²⁰

Tax Me Now is an organization for wealthy people in German-speaking countries. ²¹

Oxfam is a global organization that supports left-of-center issues such as “economic justice, gender equality, and climate action.” ²²

UBI4ALL advocates for progressive wealth taxes to fund a universal basic income for all. Through donations it organizes a periodic raffle that offers a universal basic income for a year to the winner. ²³

Tax the Super Rich is a “movement for a greener and fairer world” focused on taxing the rich and using revenues to end poverty, reduce inequality, and address social and environmental issues at a global level. Member organizations include Amnesty International USA, the Center for Economic and Social Rights, and U.S. Climate Action Network.  ²⁴

Funding and Leadership

Founders Djaffar Shalchi and his wife Ane Maro invested an initial $30 million in Human Act in 2016 which was made up of both cash and real estate. In 2019, they donated an additional $5 million. The foundation continues to be funded by the annual profits from its properties. ²⁵  In 2021, they established Human Act Development, a venture fund that invests in start-up companies. Profits from this organization go to the Human Act Foundation, making it self-financed with no requirements for donations. ²⁶ Shalchi married Ane Maro in Denmark in 1988, and they have two children. ²⁷