The William J Clinton Foundation has revealed is donor list for 2009, which includes many foreign countries, including Saudi Arabia, Norway and Oman, as well as the Elton John AIDS Foundation and Coca-Cola.

The release of the donor list is linked to Bill Clinton’s wife Hillary being in office and the ironing out of any potential conflicts of interest.  It was President Obama who decreed that the release of the donor list was a condition of her appointment as Secretary of State.

The Foundation works in the US and around the globe helping out on issues such as climate change, healthcare, AIDS and economic development, and also provides for the Presidential Library in Arkansas.

Donors this year included Barbara Streisand, and Saudi Arabian businessman Nasser al-Rashid, who has given at least $1m since its inception. Norway has donated at least $10m to the foundation over time.

90% of its donations were of $250 or less.

We say: We harangue our millionaires for being rich, stupid or both. However, whether it is becoming fashionable or otherwise, many do give up huge sums of money, and the release of this donor list is proof that charitable foundations have a role to play in extracting some of that wealth and redistributing it. The same goes for oil-rich countries, whose wealth can often be redistributed through business, but as we all know, mostly ends up in the hands of businessmen. This is a great way to make sure most of it gets to the people who really need it.