The New York Times reported on the rationale behind Paulson’s philanthropy: at Tuesday’s press conference announcing the donation, Paulson said, “Central Park is among the most deserving of all of New York’s cultural institutions. And I wanted the gift to make a difference”. The funds will be evenly divided between the park’s endowment and capital improvements.

Paulson joined the Central Park Conservancy board in June, and he has supported the group for 20 years. According to Forbes, this gift far exceeds Paulson’s earlier philanthropic commitments, placing him “in a league with several of his most charitable peers atop New York City’s alternative asset management universe.”

Conservancy officials expressed delight at the bequest–president and CEO Doug Blonsky hailed the gift as “transformational,” saying it will enable the park to break its cycle of restoration and decline.

Paulson’s financial career has also experienced several ups and downs. He founded his hedge fund management company, Paulson & Co, in 1994 and became a billionaire in 2007, making most of his money by shorting subprime loans and effectively rooting for the collapse of the real estate market.

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The firm’s latest announcement is significant in a couple of ways. They’re publicizing a massive September 29^th concert in Central Park with headliners Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Foo Fighters, and The Black Keys, but the details of the event are even more interesting: As reported on the Huffington Post, the show’s 54,000 tickets will not be available through the usual channels. Fans will have to “earn” their way into a raffle by downloading an app from the Global Citizen website and accumulating points by performing acts like donating to charities, signing petitions, or sharing information about global poverty on social media channels.

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