John Paulson Donates $100 Million To Central Park Conservancy; Largest Park Donation In US History

In the largest parks donation in US history, a billionaire hedge fund manager has donated $100 million to the Central Park Conservancy in New York City.

According to Bloomberg, John Paulson is founder of Paulson & Co. which manages a staggering $21 billion across 10 funds.

At an event Tuesday announcing Paulson's gift, Doug Lonsky, CEO of the conservancy, said "Central Park is fundamental to the economic and cultural health of New York City and the quality of life of its residents.”

According to Forbes, as of September, 56-year-old Paulson has a net worth of $11 billion and ranked No. 28 on the Forbes 400 list.

"It is a great privilege to be able to contribute to the Central Park Conservancy, one of the most important cultural institutions in New York,” Paulson said Tuesday.

Born and raised in Queens, Paulson went to New York University and attended Harvard Business School. In 2009, Paulson donated $20 million to NYU's Stern School of Business.