| Rank | Name of Foundation | Year | Expenditure in € million |
| 1. | The Wellcome Trust (UK) | 2003 | 806,0 |
| 2. | Charities Aid Foundation (UK) | 2004 | 294,6 |
| 3. | Atlantic Philanthropies (Ireland) | 2003 | 273,7 |
| 4. | Fondazione Monte dei Paschi di Siena (Italy) | 2003 | 162,4 |
| 5. | Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio delle Provincie Lombarde (Italy) | 2004 | 144,1 |
| 6. | Stichting NOVIB (Netherlands) | 2003 | 134,7 |
| 7. | Campagnia di San Paolo (Italy) | 2004 | 131,6 |
| 8. | Stifterverband fuer die Deutsche Wissenschaft (Germany) | 2004 | 130,0 |
| 9. | Fondation de France (France) | 2003 | 116,7 |
| 10. | Volkswagenstiftung (Germany) | 2004 | 100,5 |
| 11. | Fundacao Calouste Gulbenkian (Portugal) | 2004 | 100,1 |
| 12. | Fundacion ONCE (Spain) | 2004 | 90,9 |
| 13. | Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Torino (Italy) | 2002 | 74,5 |
| 14. | Bertelsmann Stiftung (Germany) | 2002 | 63,0 |
| 15. | Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH (Germany) | 2004 | 63,0 |
| 16. | Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (Germany) | 2003 | 51,0 |
| 17. | Deutsche Bank Stiftung (Germany) | 2001 | 45,0 |
| 18. | King Baudouin Foundation (Netherlands) | 2004 | 41,1 |
| 19. | Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Roma (Italy) | 2004 | 33,2 |
| 20. | Lloyds TSB Foundation for England and Wales (UK) | 2001 | 32,3 |