Learn more about top donors from tech below. Inside Philanthropy collects information on the top tech givers below. Members can also research funding opportunities using the search tool for GrantFinder. Become a member.
Key Funders
Funding Trends
Tech giving is expected to continue growing in the coming years, as donors who made their wealth in technology continue to accumulate massive amounts of wealth. They give a lot in terms of dollar amounts, but to date, it’s been a relatively small portion of their wealth.
Tech donors are known for their interest in data-driven results and a desire to make a big impact addressing big problems. This may be why they are more likely than other industries’ mega-wealthy donors to give nationally and globally. However, it has taken concerted effort on the part of activists and advocates to get Silicon Valley philanthropists to give more locally , in regions where tech companies often displace local residents and apply pressure on local resources.
The philanthropic priorities of tech donors can vary widely. To name just a few examples: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation prioritizes global health and efforts to reduce poverty and inequality. Jeff Bezos has given to climate change causes. The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (established by an Intel co-founder) makes grants for the San Francisco Bay Area, patient care, science, and environmental conservation. The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative is a prominent funder of education, criminal justice reform and science. The Omidyar Network supports a more democratic and equitable economic system in the United States, among other concerns, while the Gill Foundation is a leading LGBTQ+ funder.
And MacKenzie Scott often funds social justice organizations and movements that work on a wide range of intersecting issues.
Tech companies do some corporate giving, but it tends to be more opaque than the giving of private foundations. Few tech companies accept unsolicited grant proposals or provide a way to track awarded grants online. Salesforce founder Marc Benioff pledged to donate 1% of his company’s equity, 1% of product, and 1% of employee time to philanthropic pursuits, and select other tech companies, including Google, have followed suit.
