This week, correspondent Jon Wertheim profiled 60 Minutes Steve Ballmerthe former CEO of Microsoft and current owner of the Los Angeles Clippers.

While Ballmer is consistently ranked among the world’s top billionaires, he doesn’t live the life of some of his colleagues.

He bought a basketball team, which he says is an extravagance, but he doesn’t have a superyacht, a new wardrobe or a new spouse. And Ballmer gives away billions of dollars through a charity called the Ballmer Group, which he runs with his wife, Connie.

In an interview at their home in Washington, Steve and Connie Ballmer shared their vision for this philanthropy.

Steve Ballmer, who retained most of his Microsoft shares after stepping down as CEO in 2014, has seen his net worth rise to over $120 billion.

Connie Ballmer firmly believed that with all happiness comes responsibility.

She first suggested the idea of ​​a charity to her husband ten years ago, but Steve admits he was skeptical.

Essentially, he believed that the government could manage the distribution of resources in the United States. He believed that the private sector could not match the effectiveness of government and make a difference in people’s lives at the national level. He said that over time, Connie changed his way of thinking.

“The government provides almost all the money to help people. (But) philanthropy has a role in providing evidence, proving where things are going and intervening where the government doesn’t want to go,” Steve told Wertheim.

In 2015, the pair co-founded Ballmer Group after Steve retired from Microsoft.

The group’s mission is to improve economic mobility, particularly for children and families in disadvantaged communities.

“We were both incredibly lucky to be born in this country at that time and to have such great privileges,” Connie told Wertheim. “Children have no voice. And they don’t get to vote on where they are born and where they live.”

Her husband agrees. “Every child deserves a chance,” Steve said. “Not every child will be successful. But if you are born to parents who are less wealthy, you should still have the opportunity to pursue your dreams.”

So far, the Ballmers have awarded around $7.4 billion in grants.

They have taken a cradle-to-career approach, investing in a variety of causes: from early childhood and K-12 education to college access and preparation, careers, workforce and housing initiatives.

In 2022, Ballmer Group donated $175 million to a nonprofit called StriveTogether, which connects local communities with a nationwide network. The two organizations can share data and find resources to improve young people’s educational and career opportunities.

The Ballmers say they are particularly connected to the communities to which they have personal ties, such as Los Angeles County, home of the Clippers; Washington state, where they live; Southeast Michigan, where Steve was born and raised; and Oregon, where Connie went to college.

Through philanthropy, the couple has pumped $15 million into Partnership for Los Angeles Schools and invested $24 million into the Boys and Girls Club of America.

In 2022, Connie’s alma mater, the University of Oregon, received a $400 million grant to create the Ballmer Institute of Children’s Behavioral Health.

Wertheim asked the Ballmers what a “victory” looks like and how they measure success.

“Every area is different,” Connie said. “(But) if we have less violence in the community. When we have more teachers of color in schools that need them. When we have higher graduation rates. If we have better kindergarten readiness.”

At the end of the interview, Wertheim changed the subject. Steve already owns a professional sports franchise. Could another one be on the horizon?

“I told him he and his next wife would have a lot of fun with it,” Connie said, laughing.

Steve Ballmer dismissed the idea in a fit of laughter: “No, sir.”

“We have enough sports… I can use my passion for it. I can get involved in philanthropy.”

The video above was produced by Will Croxton. It was edited by Sarah Shafer Preacher.