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Person

Barbara Britt

Nationality:

American
Born:

1944
Died:

2023

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Barbara Britt was the wife of Time Warner Cable president and CEO Glenn Britt, who died in 2014. Barbara Britt passed away in 2023 at the age of 79. 1 They had a small foundation through which they made charitable contributions to support the arts, conservation, animal welfare, and education. 2 Their largest donation was a $150 million bequest to Glenn’s alma mater Dartmouth College, which was activated upon Barbara’s death in 2023. 3

Background

Barbara Britt was born in 1944 in New York City to James and Margaret Little. She earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Douglass College in New Brunswick, New Jersey in 1965. She was the photography editor of her yearbook at Douglass College. 1

She married Glenn Britt in 1975. 1 She met him while she was working as a journalist and photographer at Time. 4 He joined Time, Inc. in 1972 after graduating with a master’s degree. He was in several leadership positions with the organization and was appointed president and CEO of Time Warner Cable in 2001. He worked in that capacity until he retired in 2013. During his tenure, the firm was highly successful, with profits growing from $6 billion to $21 billion annually. 5

They lived in Westport, Connecticut for many years and also owned homes in New York City and Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. 6  7 Her husband Glenn died of cancer at his home in Manhattan, New York in 2014 at the age of 65. 1  8

Barbara Britt had a lifelong interest in the arts, conservation, and animal welfare, and served on the boards of several organizations in New York, Westport, Connecticut, and Hawaii. 9

She died at her home in Manhattan on August 17, 2023, at the age of 79. 1

Philanthropy

Barbara Britt and her husband Glenn planned a bequest to Dartmouth College as part of their estate distribution. He graduated from Dartmouth in 1971 with a bachelor’s degree in economics and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business in 1972. 10 He credited Dartmouth for providing the financial aid he needed to attend the college and transform his life. 9 He was also a former member of the Tuck School of Business board of advisors. 5 They funded the Tuck School of Business Britt Technology Impact Series, a three-year program of events covering business and technology issues. 11  12 She continued to be involved in Tuck’s Center for Digital Strategies for several years after her husband’s death. 5

The Britts formed the Glenn and Barbara Britt Foundation through which they made charitable gifts. Some of their recipients included the Manhattan Theatre Club, the conservation group Earthplace, the Hawaii Island Humane Society, 13 and the Hualalai ‘Ohana Foundation which funded education and medical care to families in the Hawaiian Hualalai community. 2  14 The foundation’s last tax return was filed in 2015. At that time, it had over $2 million in net assets. 2

In 2024, Dartmouth College received the bequest of over $150 million from the estate of Barbara and Glenn Britt, the largest scholarship bequest in its 255-year history. Barbara’s death in August 2023 activated the bequest 3 which will fund a new Britt Scholarship at the college and a Britt Scholars program at Tuck. 9

Barbara Britt was ranked 17th on the Chronicle of Philanthropy’s Philanthropy 50, which ranks the top philanthropic donors, for 2024, mainly due to the large bequest to Dartmouth College. The list identified a total of $200,200,000 in philanthropic giving by Britt in 2024. 13

References

  1. “Barbara Britt Obituary.” New York Times. August 20, 2023. Accessed October 13, 2025. https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/nytimes/name/barbara-britt-obituary?id=52779703
  2. Glenn & Barbara Britt Foundation. Return of Private Foundation. (Form 990-PF – Part XV.) 2015.
  3. “Dartmouth receives $150 million bequest from Glenn and Barbara Britt.” Candid Philanthropy News Digest. April 3, 2024. Accessed October 13, 2025. https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/dartmouth-receives-150-million-bequest-from-glenn-and-barbara-britt
  4. M.J. Prest. “Former Time Warner Cable CEO Leaves $159 Million to Dartmouth for Financial Aid.” The Chronicle of Philanthropy. April 1, 2024. Accessed October 13, 2025. https://www.philanthropy.com/article/former-time-warner-cable-ceo-leaves-150-million-to-dartmouth-for-financial-aid
  5. “$37.5 million gift to college from Glenn and Barbara Britt may only represent part of a $150 million commitment.” Lifestyles magazine. Accessed October 13, 2025. https://lifestylesmagazine.com/latest-news/37-5-million-gift-to-college-from-glenn-and-barbara-britt-may-only-represent-part-of-a-150-million-commitment/
  6. “Barbara Little Britt.” Willow Brook Cemetery. Accessed October 13, 2025. https://willowbrookcemetery.com/tribute/details/558/Barbara-Britt/obituary.html
  7. “Westporter Glenn Britt, Former Time Warner Cable CEO, 65.” Westport Now. June 11, 2014. Accessed October 13, 2025. https://www.westportnow.com/westporter_glenn_britt_former_time_warner_cable_ceo_65/
  8. Kimberly Nordyke. “Glenn Britt, Former Time Warner Cable CEO, Dies at 65 After Battle With Cancer.” The Hollywood Reporter. June 11, 2014. Accessed October 13, 2025. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/glenn-britt-dead-time-warner-711060/
  9. “Dartmouth Receives Its Largest-Ever Scholarship Bequest.” Dartmouth. March 25, 2024. Accessed October 13, 2025. https://home.dartmouth.edu/news/2024/03/dartmouth-receives-its-largest-ever-scholarship-bequest
  10. Lauren Azrin. “’Pennies from heaven;: Dartmouth announces larges scholarship bequest in its history.” The Dartmouth. March 25, 2024. Accessed October 13, 2025. https://www.thedartmouth.com/article/2024/03/pennies-from-heaven-dartmouth-announces-largest-scholarship-bequest-in-its-history
  11. “Britt Technology Impact Series.” Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. Accessed October 13, 2025. https://mba.tuck.dartmouth.edu/digital/Programs/BTIS/indexBTIS.html
  12. “MBA Enrichment – Britt Technology Impact Series.” Glassmeyer/McnNamee Center for Digital Strategies. Tuck at Dartmouth. Accessed October 13, 2025. https://digitalstrategies.tuck.dartmouth.edu/mba-enrichment/britt-technology-impact-series/
  13. Maria Di Mento. “Barbara Britt.” The Chronicle of Philanthropy – Philanthropy 50. March 4, 2025. Accessed October 13, 2025. https://www.philanthropy.com/article/the-philanthropy-50/#id=details_1552_2024
  14. Hualalai ‘Ohana Foundation homepage. Accessed October 13, 2025. https://hualalaiohanafoundation.org/
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