John Philips has led a life of philanthropy and has always had a heart for helping others. His philanthropy ranges from working at Children’s Hospital on the weekends when he was in residency to later starting his wealth management firm, Philips Investments, with the goal of helping health care professionals learn how to create and manage their wealth to achieve stability and enable philanthropic giving. In 1999, John donated a substantial gift to MCV (Medical College of Virginia), where he attended dental school, to create the John F. Philips Institute of Oral and Craniofacial Molecular Biology. This institute is focusing on research of head and neck cancer.

Always wanting to make a difference in the lives of others, particularly those vulnerable and in need, John created the Make A Difference Foundation in 2007 but changed the name to 4 Others Foundation in 2016 to better reflect its mission. The mission is to support nonprofits that help the most vulnerable through Christ, health, welfare and education. John is particularly interested in aiding veterans and children and giving back to Edenton, a small town in northeastern North Carolina, where he lived in high school.