September 25, 2023 Can This Sustainability Challenge Help Revive a Struggling City? September 25, 2023/ Connie Matthiessen Deloitte, Salesforce and the World Economic Forum launched a challenge that they hope will help revive a struggling San Francisco. But can backing social entrepreneurs really pull the city out of its “doom loop?”Read More
September 20, 2023 AI in Education? Salesforce Takes the Plunge September 20, 2023/ Connie Matthiessen Artificial intelligence loomed very large at several recent Bay Area functions hosted by Salesforce. As the trailblazing corporate funder leans into AI in its education giving, are there pitfalls to consider?Read More
August 22, 2023 Recent Layoffs Raise Questions About the Future of Education Funding at CZI August 22, 2023/ Connie Matthiessen The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, a committed ed funder, just cut its education team by 30%. What do these layoffs mean for the philanthropy’s education support going forward?Read More
August 11, 2023 AI for the Planet: How One of the World's Biggest Tech Firms Is Backing AI-Powered Climate Science August 11, 2023/ Paul Karon Google.org is putting artificial intelligence at the center of its current efforts to foster innovation in climate research. It’s something of a return to form for a corporate funder that previously focused heavily on COVID response.Read More
August 09, 2023 Inside The Audacious Project: How the Billionaires’ Funding Collaborative Picks its Winners August 09, 2023/ Michael Kavate The Audacious Project has become one of the largest forces in philanthropy, thanks to its singular talent for appealing to the world’s billionaires. We take an in-depth look at who is backing it, how it works and where the money goes.Read More
August 03, 2023 Still an Apex Donor? What's Changing, and Staying the Same, About Jack Dorsey's Giving August 03, 2023/ Philip Rojc Jack Dorsey’s star has faded somewhat since he became a high-profile megadonor back in 2021, but his philanthropy is still going strong. We take a look at what Start Small is backing these days. Read More
July 26, 2023 AI Is Suddenly Everywhere, but Philanthropy Has Been Involved for Years. Here Are the Top Funders July 26, 2023/ Paul Karon Artificial intelligence is on everyone’s mind now, but philanthropy has been boosting research or bracing for its implications for some time. Here are the major funders involved in the field.Read More
July 19, 2023 A Global Philanthropic Competition to Save the Lives of Mothers and Babies July 19, 2023/ Connie Matthiessen Lever for Change recently announced finalists in its Maternal & Infant Health Award grants competition. Can this approach, which supports community-based health programs, move the needle on a global problem?Read More
July 13, 2023 Fair-Weather Friends? Progressive Nonprofits' Dangerous Dependence on the Liberal Rich July 13, 2023/ Philip Rojc As left-of-center groups grow ever more reliant on big funders, is there a price to be paid? If and when the liberal donor class pulls back, the fallout may leave its beneficiaries impoverished in multiple ways.Read More
June 21, 2023 Facing Deep Regional Inequality, Silicon Valley Community Foundation Zeroes in on Early Childhood June 21, 2023/ Connie Matthiessen Silicon Valley has pockets of deep poverty — and child care deserts — alongside areas of immense, tech-fueled wealth. SVCF’s Christine Thorsteinson details the foundation’s efforts boost access to quality early education.Read More
May 22, 2023 On the Ground with the Ballmer Group, One of LA's Leading Antipoverty Funders May 22, 2023/ Wendy Paris Over the past few years, Steve and Connie Ballmer have continued ramping up their commitments in Los Angeles. We took a deep dive into how a vast tech fortune is being put to use to scale up local economic mobility.Read More
May 10, 2023 Larry Page's Foundation Doubled in Size to Hit $6.7 Billion in Assets — Nearly All Giving Goes to DAFs May 10, 2023/ Michael Kavate According to the latest available tax filings, Google cofounder Larry Page’s philanthropy reached new heights in 2021, putting it in league with some of the nation’s largest. The foundation’s giving remains almost entirely opaque.Read More
May 09, 2023 New Frontier: Philanthropy’s Role in Digital Mental Health May 09, 2023/ Anna Bobb, Guest Contributor App-based digital mental healthcare saw a renaissance during the pandemic. As we observe Mental Health Awareness Month, guest author Anna Bobb offers some ways philanthropy can further catalyze that promising field.Read More
April 10, 2023 A Conversation with Caitlyn Fox, CZI’s Climate Lead and First-Ever Employee April 10, 2023/ Michael Kavate Caitlyn Fox, who heads the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative’s nascent climate portfolio, joined us to talk about why CZI’s focusing on carbon dioxide removal, what it’s looking for in grantees, and what lies ahead.Read More
April 06, 2023 How the Ballmers Aim to Build and Diversify the Early Ed Workforce in Washington State April 06, 2023/ Connie Matthiessen The foundation of this billionaire donor couple has made early childhood education a priority, most recently in an effort to strengthen the struggling early educator workforce through a mix of strategies. Read More
April 04, 2023 A Conversation With Sushma Raman, the New President and CEO of Heising-Simons Foundation April 04, 2023/ Connie Matthiessen This Bay Area funder moved $155 million last year for a mix of science, education, climate and more. We talked to the head of the foundation about her plans, the state of philanthropy, and what she likes to do in her free time.Read More
March 17, 2023 Mitch Kapor and Freada Kapor Klein on Philanthropy’s Responsibility to Diversify Tech March 17, 2023/ Paul Karon In the 1980s, Mitch Kapor's Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet app helped make personal computers indispensable. Now, Mitch and Freada Kapor Klein are on a mission to prove that a fairer tech sector can also be a more successful one.Read More
March 15, 2023 Roku Founder Anthony Wood Is a Billionaire Donor to Watch. Here's an Overview March 15, 2023/ Philip Rojc Serial entrepreneur Anthony Wood helped usher in the current dominance of streaming TV. Now, he’s also ramping up his philanthropy with a DAF-centric approach and interests across a range of causes.Read More
March 09, 2023 Salesforce Stumbles, but Its Equity-Focused Philanthropy Marches On March 09, 2023/ Connie Matthiessen The tech giant has hit rocky terrain of late, but the company’s philanthropy continues to move millions. Its Catalyst Fund is supporting Black-led nonprofits promoting leadership and job skills for young people of color. Read More
February 02, 2023 Sergey Brin's Off-the-Radar Foundation Is Huge — and Growing Fast. Here’s What We Know About It February 02, 2023/ Michael Kavate Sergey Brin’s foundation has nearly $5 billion in assets and a portfolio spanning Parkinson’s disease, science and activism. It’s not known for transparency, but we do know a fair amount about what it supports and why.Read More