Mark Zuckerberg may not run for president in 2020, but we are starting to understand more about what political issues he's championing.
Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan have committed about $45 million to two causes -- ending mass incarceration and fixing affordable housing -- over the last year, a VICE Newsreport revealed Tuesday.
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That amount was distributed over the past 10 months via the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), the organization Zuckerberg and his wife founded back in 2015 at the birth of their first daughter Max. CZI has been public that it champions three pillars of work -- justice and opportunity, science, and education. These issues align with several of Zuckerberg's Facebook posts from his travels over the years, the same ones that have sparked talk of a 2020 presidential run.
Zuckerberg, his spokespeople, and those close to him have repeatedly denied his interest in running for U.S. president at this time. Instead, they point to his work at CZI, which is supported by his and his wife's wealth, ranking it as the most well-funded charitable organization in the world.
But unlike many philanthropic organizations, CZI isn't exactly transparent on how it's going about that work. CZI does not have to disclose what it's invested in and why because it is structured as a limited liability company and not as a foundation. That means CZI could function as a "black box" -- quite like Facebook's algorithm has been for publishers.
“CZI seems to be pretty transparent about their grantmaking, but the point is that their transparency is entirely discretionary, and we don’t have the mechanisms to know for sure," Ben Soskis, a research associate at the Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy at the Urban Institute, toldVICE.
CZI has chosen to shared many of its investments via its Facebook Page and on Zuckerberg's personal account. But there's no public list or database on all of these investments. VICE's report of the $45 million to ending mass incarceration and fixing affordable housing is informed by the various announcements CZI has made over the last year.
For example, CZI donated $3.6 million to housing crisis relief in the Bay Area, The Mercury Newsreported. CZI also gave a grant to Measures for Justice, an organization for criminal justice reform.
CZI has been forthcoming about its commitment to the sciences. Last September, CZI committed at least $3 billion over the next 10 years toward curing disease.
"By investing in science today we hope to build a future where all our children can live long and rewarding lives," Chan, who is a pediatrician, said at an event for the announcement.
In order to achievement that ambitious goal, CZI invested in building its own research facility as well as partnering with other organizations.
Based on Zuckerberg's and Chan's current wealth, CZI is the most well-funded foundation-like thingamajig in the world. Their commitment values the company at about $60 billion, exceeding the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation with its $43 million.
It's clear that CZI is only getting more ambitious. Zuckerberg and Chan have enlisted some top talent to help run the organization:
Former Obama campaign manager David Plouffe to lead policy and advocacy
Neurobiologist and geneticist Dr. Cori Bargmann to lead science
Former Deputy Secretary of U.S. Department of Education Jim Shelton to lead education
PayPal veteran Peggy Abkemeier Alford as CFO.
CZI is staffed by about 200 people, half of which are in-house engineers, and is based out of Palo Alto, California.
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