Canva billionaire vows to donate half of his wealth for ‘urgent’ cause

By MAX ALDRED FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA

Published: 02:14 BST, 20 May 2025 | Updated: 02:43 BST, 20 May 2025

Canva co-founder and multi-billionaire Cameron Adams will donate half of his estimated $4.79billion fortune to address urgent environmental issues.

Mr Adams and his former zoologist wife, Lisa Miller, announced the move in a letter to global environmental organisation The Giving Pledge.

Canva is worth an estimated US$32billion after a share price surge last year.

Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates established the group in 2010 for the world’s überwealthy to fund global philanthropic ventures.

In a letter penned to the group, Mr Adams said he and Ms Miller believed ‘with great fortune comes great responsibility’.

‘We recognise that the opportunities we have had in life place us in a position to give generously and act with purpose,’ he wrote.

‘Philanthropy is more than charity; it is a means of addressing systemic issues, driving meaningful change, and ensuring that future generations inherit a world rich in possibility and biodiversity.

‘By joining the Giving Pledge, we aim to emphasise this responsibility and commit our resources to the planet that we all rely on.

Canva co-founder Cameron Adams and his wife Lisa Miller will donate half of their fortune to address environmental issues

‘And this commitment is critical during the next decade.’

Ms Miller has been operating the couple’s Wedgetail Foundation, protecting and restoring biodiversity. 

Together they own a 5000 hectare property in Tasmania that is under development as a conservation research site with the University of Tasmania. 

The couple said they have since grown their confidence ‘that these are issues worth fighting for’.

The software billionaire said governments and businesses will be important in preventing ecological declines, but philanthropy ‘has a unique ability to drive bold action’.

‘Through the Giving Pledge we are directing the majority of our wealth toward this, because the alternative – inaction on a dying planet – is unacceptable.’

‘We hope others will recognise the power of philanthropy to create lasting environmental and societal impact by joining us in this commitment.’

Their Wedgetail venture has provided ‘green loans’ to coffee and cacao businesses in the central Americas. 

Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates started The Giving Pledge with Warren Buffett in the 2010s

The project has also funded a carbon accounting software platform and a large-scale reforestation project. 

The Australian’s rich list estimates Mr Adams’ wealth to be $4.79billion, while the Australian Financial Review suggests he has $7billion in wealth, largely locked up in Canva equity.

Fellow Canva co-founders Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht signed the pledge in 2021.

Canva first launched in 2013 before becoming an international success. 

Andrew and Nicola Forrest also signed the pledge in 2013. 

They directed their money to help address poverty and slavery. 

‘We feel that if we all do whatever we can with whatever we have, large or small, then each of us will help make our world a more equitable and positive environment for others to thrive in,’ Mr Forrest said at the time. 

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Canva billionaire vows to donate half of his wealth for ‘urgent’ cause

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