The Sunday Times Rich List 2026 Profiles Gary Lubner on Philanthropy, Heritage and Political Giving

In May, The Sunday Times published a detailed Giving List 2026 feature on Gary Lubner, founder of the This Day Foundation, offering a wide-ranging account of his upbringing in apartheid-era South Africa, his decades-long friendship with Nelson Mandela, and the philanthropic philosophy that now guides his giving. 

The article outlines Lubner’s place on The Sunday Times Giving List 2026 at joint No. 17, with charitable giving to date exceeding £122 million. It traces the influence of his grandparents, Jewish refugees who fled persecution in eastern Europe and settled in South Africa, on his lifelong views on migration, dignity and belonging, and it revisits his teenage years enforcing apartheid laws as a conscripted police officer in Johannesburg, where he sought to subvert the system from within.

Political giving and a focus on community cohesion

The feature also examines Lubner’s support for the UK Labour Party and his insistence that this giving is unconditional and carries no expectation of influence. It explores his current philanthropic focus on what he describes as a “crisis of community cohesion” in deprived areas of the United Kingdom, channelling resources into more than 200 grassroots organisations rather than top-down policy initiatives. 

Gary Lubner on Nelson Mandela and the founding of This Day

Lubner told The Sunday Times: “He [Mandela] went for reconciliation and brought in broader communities of people who would never have been allied. He was the ultimate people person. So my legacy is about making sure these things are happening now, hence the name of my foundation, This Day, because I want things to happen today.”

The article closes on Lubner’s pledge to give away more than 95 per cent of his wealth within his lifetime, a commitment supported by his three children.

Read the full article on the Sunday Times here.