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Tag: Philanthropy

  • Tim Cook Is Donating His Fortune to Charity

    Tim Cook Is Donating His Fortune to Charity

    Apple CEO Tim Cook has joined another club for the super wealthy – the philanthropy club. Which to be honest, is probably the best kind of club for the super rich.

    In an interview with Fortune, Cook revealed that he plans to give all of his money to charity – well, pretty much all of it. After he pays for his nephew’s college, he says, the rest will go toward philanthropic goals.

    From Fortune‘s profile:

    Representing their companies publicly is obligatory for CEOs, but Cook takes public stands on issues including stopping the transmission of AIDS, human rights, and immigration reform. He sees them as opportunities for leadership. “You want to be the pebble in the pond that creates the ripple for change,” he says, adding that Apple’s people have long cared about such issues even if they haven’t previously spoken so openly about them. To Cook, changing the world always has been higher on Apple’s agenda than making money. He plans to give away all his wealth, after providing for the college education of his 10-year-old nephew. There should be plenty left over to fund philanthropic projects. Cook’s net worth, based on his holdings of Apple stock, is currently about $120 million. He also holds restricted stock worth $665 million if it were to be fully vested.

    Cook joins a growing list of high-profile, incredibly wealthy business leaders who’ve decided to give most – if not all – of their fortunes to charity.

    If you’re curious as to who else has pledged to give away the majority of their money, check out Warren Buffet and Bill Gates’ Giving Pledge website. There you’ll see names like Michael Bloomberg, Sheryl Sandberg, Reed Hastings, Carl Ichan, Elon Musk, Ted Turner, and Mark Zuckerberg.

    Cook appears to be a very generous person.

  • Mark Zuckerberg, Wife Priscilla Chan Give $75 Million to Hospital Where She Completed Residency

    Mark Zuckerberg, Wife Priscilla Chan Give $75 Million to Hospital Where She Completed Residency

    Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, have just announced a huge donation to San Francisco General Hospital.

    The couple is giving $75 million to the hospital, which is called The General, to expand the size of the ER and provide more beds for patients.

    “To add some specifics, our contribution today will allow The General to double the size of its new Emergency Room and quadruple the number of beds, and provide state of the art equipment for healthcare providers and first responders,” says Zuckerberg.

    “We believe everyone deserves access to high quality health care. The General is the main public hospital in San Francisco, and it is an important safety net for our community. More than 70% of the families it serves are uninsured or underinsured. It is open to anyone who lives, works in or visits the city … We hope this contribution alongside the great work of other contributors, will help The General to continue to save lives and deliver care to everyone who needs it.”

    Post by Mark Zuckerberg.

    Chan is a pediatrician. She completed her residency at The General.

    In October, Zuckerberg gave the Centers for Disease Control $25 million to help battle Ebola in Africa. In May, he donated $120 million to help improve Bay Area schools.

    Image via Priscilla Chan, Facebook

  • Mark Zuckerberg, Paul Allen, Bill Gates Outgive Several Major Countries to Fight Ebola

    Mark Zuckerberg, Paul Allen, Bill Gates Outgive Several Major Countries to Fight Ebola

    According to a report from Business Insider, three of America’s tech giants are out-giving several major countries in the fight against Ebola.

    We reported here about Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan pledging $25 million to fight Ebola on the front lines in Africa. Bill Gates has already pledged $50 million through the Gates Foundation. And recently Paul Allen pledged $100 million through his Allen Family Foundation toward stopping the epidemic.

    Seeing billionaires give money to a good cause is nothing new. These three men have already been leaders in philanthropic circles, especially Gates and Allen, for a long time.

    This year alone, the Gates Foundation has given many millions of dollars toward educational institutions, financial services for the poor, agricultural development, and children’s health causes.

    Paul Allen’s foundation says it gives in three major focus areas:

    “Our Pacific Northwest Program funds arts, and culture, libraries, education and financial empowerment projects in local communities; our Global Initiatives fuel exploration and innovation in the fields of science and technology; and our Signature Awards area recognizes and awards creative leaders and promising researchers.”

    Their grantee list shows that they give to arts and culture concerns, science and technology endeavors, as well as asset building and education efforts.

    Zuckerberg reportedly does not have a “foundation,” per se. Inside Philanthropy reports that he has a “donor-advised fund at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation and also created a supporting organization of SVCF called Startup:Education, which is the outfit through which Zuckerberg and Chan do their giving.”

    Zuckerberg not only gives cash grants through his philanthropic arrangements, but millions of shares of Facebook stock.

    The combined totals that these three men (and their wives) are giving to fight Ebola is $175 million dollars. This number starts to look quite impressive when stacked up against other totals. For example, here are the totals of a few other “donors”.

    India $12 million
    China $33 million
    Japan $40 million
    Canada $57 million
    France $89 million
    Germany $130 million
    Int’l Monetary Fund $140 million
    African Dev. Bank $150 million

    Let’s pause there a moment. Three men in America are together giving more money toward fighting Ebola than several countries combined, and more than the IMF.

    Only when we get to the top three “donors” do we see these Big Three Tech Philanthropists in comparable company.

    United Kingdom $210 million
    World Bank $400 million
    United States $750 million

  • Olivia Wilde Helps Others By Being Consciously Fashionable

    Olivia Wilde Helps Others By Being Consciously Fashionable

    Olivia Wilde, 29, is taking Hollywood philanthropy to another level.

    The “Cowboys and Aliens” actress, who is also a first-time mom-to-be, has been working on elevating a benevolent online business that blends charity and fashion into one.

    Conscious Commerce, also what Wilde refers to as a”FUNdraising” expenditure, uses a shopping savvy technique that not only gives consumers what they want but also provides the less fortunate with what they need. By connecting brands with selective charities, it guarantees that proceeds will be funded to an organization.

    “It should be shocking when a product isn’t somehow helping the people who made it,” Wilde told Forbes.

    As stated on the company’s about page:

    “Along with pointing you in the direction of cool, ethically sound businesses, we have paired some of our favorite brands with small, locally run organizations, to create limited edition products. These exciting collaborations are our way of bringing together consciousness and commerce, and making them make sweet, sweet love…”

    The fairly new commerce delivers an online store that consists of a variety of stylish products. Every item bought encompasses its own donation component, but just not to any charity.

    Wilde and her partner-in-crime, Barbara Burchfield, have made sure to team-up with small, local charities that would need the extra boost financially.

    Deals with big-time clothing companies like New Light India ensures that they donate a portion of their sales as dresses to schoolgirls in India.

    Despite Wilde’s passionate zeal for Conscious Commerce, she feels that philanthropy is hard work and can be repetitive at times, especially when it comes down to pleading with the same companies to donate money.

    Thus, Wilde obtained her inspiration from traveling to Haiti with film director and humanitarian, Paul Haggis.  From then on, she decided to take a different approach to philanthropy and develop something that would ultimately be consciously fashionable.

    “By incorporating a giving back structure into small purchases, it can make a huge difference,” she said.

    Just last month, Wilde opened up to People StyleWatch about some of her beauty mistakes following her nomination as Revlon’s spokesperson.

    One of her issues has always been with her eyebrows, which she equated to “devil horns.”

    “If I brush them up they look like crazy, pointy, “devil horns,” the actress previously said.

    Well, two things are for certain, she is far from mirroring the facet of a devil and she knows more than she thinks when it comes to using fashion the right way.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Taylor Swift Opens $4M Country Hall Of Fame Center

    Taylor Swift, the young star of the country music genre, has opened up the Taylor Swift Education Center at the Country Music Hall of Fame Center and Museum. It was opened on Saturday morning in her home of Nashville, Tennessee. Taylor Swift is a singer-songwriter who has gained great popularity in the country music genre, after moving to Nashville at the age of 14 to pursue a career in the country music business. She has been honored with awards from the Nashville Songwriter Association and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Her latest album, Red, was released in 2012.

    In addition to the new center that she opened, she has a history of philanthropy, and has done work with arts education, children’s literacy and more. She donated the new education center to the museum as a part of its expansion campaign. She showed supporters of the center and local high school students the new classroom and exhibit space before it opened. The new center will have space for a classroom, a hands-on instrument room, and continuing opportunities for education. Officials with the museum say that her new center should increase educational opportunities seven-fold, as they move forward and start to receive more business in the future.

    Swift, only 23 years old, is already one of the most popular artists in her genre, and using her wealth and popularity for good with this business move. Swift’s donation of $4 million in order to fund the education center makes it the largest donation by any musical artist in the 46 year history of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. The center will be 7,500 square feet, and cover two floors, feature three classrooms, a learning lab, and a state-of-the-art exhibit gallery for children. Her six Nashville Songwriters Association International will also be displayed in the new addition. She is the youngest performer to ever receive the award.

    She cut the ribbon to the new center this morning, and those that are able might want to check it out. It sounds as if it will be a great place for kids too, as officials mention that the new center will allow families to make meaningful connections to country music and allow for a great learning experience for the younger generation.

    Image via Youtube

  • Here Is Mark Zuckerberg’s Plan To Make The Internet More Affordable

    Here Is Mark Zuckerberg’s Plan To Make The Internet More Affordable

    The Internet is expensive. Sure, you may think that the $60 you pay a month for cable isn’t that much, but what about the estimated 5 billion people around the world who don’t even have access to basic Internet services. The costs of connecting those people to the world wide Web are immense, and nobody wants to foot the bill. That’s where Mark Zuckerberg’s Internet.org comes in.

    You may recall that in late August, Zuckerberg started up a new initiative called Internet.org that would aim to connect the entire planet to the Internet. It’s an incredibly ambitious idea, and an expensive one at that. To help with the cost problem, he proposed a number of ideas that would drive down the price of data delivery. Now he’s back with an in-depth explanation of these proposals.

    If you want a recap, Zuckerberg says that he’s planning on making the Internet 100 times more affordable in two ways. First, he’s going to make Internet delivery 10 times cheaper, and second, he’s going to make data ten times cheaper. He hopes to do this by building out better cell towers that can deliver stronger signals while making better use of the white spectrum currently available. As for data, he wants to use local caching and data compression to make sure that mobile devices only have to use 40 percent of the data that they currently use.

    If these plans come to fruition, we may just have a world where the Internet is made available to more people. That’s only a good thing as increased Internet access will benefit everybody. To take an example from the above video, just imagine farmers in Africa being able to coordinate with agriculture scientists from halfway across the world on how to best increase crop yields. The same Internet access that we take for granted daily would be a revolutionary force of change in the lives of millions without it.

    It’s still early days for Internet.org, however, and it’s going to need all the help it can get to achieve it’s goals. You can’t connect the entire world to the Internet overnight, but it’s something that’s well worth the time and effort.

    [Image: Internet.org/YouTube]

  • Angelina Jolie Set To Receive Honorary Oscar

    For all of the work that Angelina Jolie does for others around the world, she is finally being recognized for it. She is scheduled to receive a honorary Oscar for her Humanitarian work, along with Steve Martin and Angela Lansbury. Piero Tosi, a costume designer, will also be presented with an award. Angelina Jolie is a famous actress, appearing in films such as Changeling, Salt, and many others. For her role in Changeling, she was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar in 2008. She also won Best Supporting Actress for her role in Girl, Interrupted, which came out in 2000. The honorary awards will be presented by the Board of Governors Of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the same organization that presents the Oscars each year.

    She will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for the volunteer work that she has done around the world. The award is named after the Danish actor and philanthropist who served as president of the Motion Picture Relief Fund, said US Weekly. Previous winners include Oprah Winfrey, Paul Newman and Audrey Hepburn.

    According to CBS News, Jolie has traveled around the world on behalf of several organizations. She has worked with The Council on Foreign Affairs and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees, bridging a gap between her film career and her work as a humanitarian. She is able to make such a difference in the lives of people around the world and be accepted everywhere, partly because of her success in film. Jolie often gets attention for her films and her marriage, but recognition like this is what is really important and it is good to see her presented with this type of an award.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfZ76le_Pes

    It is always good to see celebrities like Jolie who choose to do something with positive with their time and money. The actions that she has made in recent years have been able to benefit people all over the world, which sends a very positive message and sets an example for other celebrities who could do similar things. In addition to these types of actions when she visits places such as Ecuador and Pakistan, there are the children that she has adopted from various parts of the world, living in poverty. This includes her oldest son Maddox, who is now 12 years old. She adopted him from an orphanage in Cambodia.

    The presentation of the awards will happen on November 16, 2013.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Bill Gates: Google’s Internet Balloons Won’t Help Kids Dying of Malaria

    Back in June Google announced Project Loon, an initiative to bring the internet to remote areas via giant balloons that float around stratospheric winds and beam access down to people on the ground. Google knows that it’s an ambitious program. They’ve called it a “moonshot” and even the name suggests that it’s a rather loony idea.

    Now, Bill Gates is questioning whether Google’s internet balloons can really help those in impoverished areas fight the real battles they face.

    In an extensive interview with Bloomberg, Gates was asked whether bringing internet access to underdeveloped areas can help to solve problems. This was his pointed response:

    “When you’re dying of malaria, I suppose you’ll look up and see that balloon, and I’m not sure how it’ll help you. When a kid gets diarrhea, no, there’s no website that relieves that. Certainly I’m a huge believer in the digital revolution. And connecting up primary-health-care centers, connecting up schools, those are good things. But no, those are not, for the really low-income countries, unless you directly say we’re going to do something about malaria.”

    I mean, Gates has a point here. There’s no immediate benefit to kids dying of malaria that can be afforded by a giant, floating balloon that gives internet access. But it’s always been Google’s assertion that expanding internet access to underprivileged areas can lead to a ton of secondary benefits. Sure, accessing a website can’t cure disease – but it can provide information on how one would go about preventing or treating disease. Plus, institutions that help to deal with the real problems faced by the poor can be aided immensely by reliable internet access.

    And in response to Gates’ comments, you have to ask the question: are all charitable institutions made equal? Shouldn’t Google focus on providing free internet access to poor areas – since that’s something that they would presumably be quite qualified to do? Can’t Google’s Project Loon provide an equal, but different benefit to the same people Gates is trying to help with his numerous programs to eradicate disease?

    Gates also had something to say on Google’s other charitable initiatives – mainly their philanthropic arm Google.org:

    “Google started out saying they were going to do a broad set of things. They hired Larry Brilliant, and they got fantastic publicity. And then they shut it all down. Now they’re just doing their core thing. Fine. But the actors who just do their core thing are not going to uplift the poor.”

    I wouldn’t call this “shots fired” or anything. It’s obviously just a difference in principle, and in methods for helping the underprivileged. But it does come off as dismissive. What do you think?

  • Simpson’s Co-Creator Giving Away His Fortune

    Sam Simon’s name has been in The Simpson’s credits as executive producer since 1993. It was a savvy business move on his part, which kept the money from the series he created with Matt Groening coming in. His take for doing nothing each year? Ten million dollars. So for 20 years he has made $10 million per year.

    Simon married Jennifer Tilly, for a while. Then he married Playboy Playmate Jami Ferrell. But marriages ended in divorce with no children. Now Simon has a ton of money and no one to inherit it.

    And now Simon is dying. Five months ago Simon was diagnosed with terminal colon cancer. He was given three to six months to live and vowed that he would give away all of his Simpson’s royalties fortune.

    Simon not only wrote the Simpson’s gags. He wrote for loads of other shows including Cheers, Barney Miller, Taxi, It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, and Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids.

    Ex-wife Jennifer Tilly said about Simon, “I think it’s really nice for him that he’s doing it now and he gets to see the results of his philanthropy. He really does have a passion to survive, and the longer he’s on the earth, the more good work he can do.”

    Simon told the Hollywood Reporter that he enjoys giving away all his money. “The truth is,” Simon says, “I have more money than I’m interested in spending. Everyone in my family is taken care of. And I enjoy this.”

    Simon has a particular soft spot for animal causes, especially PETA.

    “I want medical experiments on animals stopped,” he says. ‘They don’t do anything, and they don’t work. Veganism is an answer for almost every problem facing the world in terms of hunger and climate change. It helps people’s health. Meat is the biggest greenhouse gas producer. There’s also the cruelty and suffering aspect.”

  • John Hammons Dies; Hotel Developer Was 94

    Hotel developer and philanthropist John. Q. Hammons has died at the age of 94.

    According to a statement released by Hammons’ company, he died “peacefully” at his home in Springfield, Missouri on Sunday.

    Hammons grew up in Fairview, Missouri and attended Missouri State University before becoming a middle school teacher in 1939. During World War II, Hammons served in the Merchant Marines. Following the war, Hammons began building houses in Springfield.

    In 1958, Hammons began his famed career in the hotel industry, investing in ten Holiday Inns with Roy E. Winegardner. He and Winegardner started the Winegardner & Hammons Incorporated development company, which built dozens of hotels in the 60s.

    In 1969, Hammons struck out on his own, founding the John Q Hammons Hotels company. The company now operates 78 hotels in 24 states.

    In addition to his hotels, Hammons was known for his philanthropic efforts. He and his wife, Juanita, founded many projects throughout Missouri, including the Hammons Heart Institute at Springfield’s St. John’s Regional Health Center, a performing arts center at Missouri State University, and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

    “Hammons was a giant in the hospitality industry and was unwavering in his commitment to exceptional quality and service and to giving back to the community,” said Jacqueline Dowdy, CEO of John Q Hammons Hotels & Resorts. “He was a great mentor and friend and will be missed by all who came to know him, but his legacy will live on forever.”

  • Zuckerberg, Brin Among ‘Most Generous Donors’ of 2012

    Zuckerberg, Brin Among ‘Most Generous Donors’ of 2012

    In a recent list of America’s “Most Generous Donors,” tech comes out very well.

    The list comes to us from The Chronicle of Philanthropy, a magazine devoted to tracking to world of nonprofits.

    Mark Zuckerberg and his new wife Priscilla Chan rank #2 on the list after donating nearly $500 million to the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. Zuckerberg made the donation back in December 2012 in the form of 18 million Facebook shares. The Silicon Valley Community Foundation is a leading philanthropic trust organization in the area. It’s Zuckerberg’s largest single charitable donation to date, having given $100 million to improve public schools in Newark, New Jersey back in 2010.

    Their gift of $498.8 million is second only to Warren Buffet, who spread nearly $3.1 billion around Howard G. Buffett Foundation, NoVo Foundation, and the Sherwood Foundation.

    In fifth place on the list is Google’s Sergey Brin and his partner Anne Wojcicki, who donated approximately $222.9 million in 2012, most of it to their own Brin Wojcicki Foundation, which supports multiple causes including “education, environment, women’s issues, and many other causes; the Human Rights Foundation; and Tipping Point Community, a nonprofit that seeks to eliminate poverty in Northern California.”

    They also made a $32.8 million contribution to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.

    Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen also broke the top 5, coming in at #4 for his $309.1 million in 2012 donations.

  • Bill Gates Is Better Than Batman

    Frugal Dad brings us the daily infographic about the numerous lives that Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has saved since he turned to charity work.

    It’s called “Redefining Action Hero: Bill Gates is Better than Batman.” Frugal Dad had this to say on it:

    I have a lot of respect for Bill Gates. Not just because he’s been wildly successful, but because as far as I can understand, he’s kept a steady head about him in spite of his success. As one of the wealthiest men in the world, he’s also making a name for himself as one of the most philanthropic.

    Obviously most of us don’t have the kind of capital that Bill Gates has to work with, but I feel that everyone could learn from his philosophy towards philanthropy. I admire that his approach is both compassionate and practical. He sees charitable endeavors as something well worth investing in, because ultimately everyone benefits from an overall better quality of life around the world. He sums it up himself pretty well: “[The] hybrid engine of self-interest and concern for others can serve a much wider circle of people than can be reached by self-interest or caring alone.” I feel like that’s a refreshingly balanced philosophy. Not only that, but as this Infographic shows, there are direct results that speak to just how powerful a well-informed and carefully invested philanthropist can be.

    microsoft infographic

    Source: frugaldad.com

    I won’t make any jabs at Steve Jobs out of respect, but Bill Gates is a pretty amazing person. I think it’s about time he gets credited for all the amazing philanthropy work he has done.

  • Google Gives Back. A Lot.

    Google Gives Back. A Lot.

    Google took a moment today to update everybody with the fact that they are awesome. And by awesome, I mean they’re big-time philanthropy heroes that support science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education; girls’ education in the developing world; empowerment through technology; and the fight against modern-day slavery. A preview of their mission has been compiled in the following video:

    That’s a lot of causes to be taking on, but Google has partnered with numerous organizations in order to make the most of their efforts. The STEM organizations will be working to encourage students to embrace the science/tech/engineering/math field and hopefully take advantage of the 2.4 million jobs that will be created in this arena over the next six years.

    Google has also focused on improving education for girls in areas such as Africa and the Middle East. With the benefit of education, a girl will “earn 25% more money, be 3 times less likely to contract HIV/AIDS, and have a smaller, healthier family.” With their partners, Google aims to help educate more than 10,000 girls living in the developing world.

    It’s no secret that low and middle-income countries have significantly less access to digital technology. Through the use of social media, open source programming, and other technology platforms, Google hopes it can increase the economic growth of impoverished regions of the world and foster a prosperous environment that will bring about much-needed change.

    Beyond propelling change into future generations, Google also wants to initiate change now starting with the liberation of slaves. According to studies, “there are more slaves today than at any other point in history” but Google hopes to provide freed slaves with the means and tools to return to their villages and help educate people from being tricked or forced into slavery. Google expects that their plan will liberate over 12,000 people from modern-day slavery as well as protect millions of others from becoming victimized into this pure, abject misery.

    This year alone, Google contributed more than $100 million for various causes around the world, $40 million of which were grants distributed to organizations designed to undertake the four causes listed above. To learn more, see a list of participating organizations enlisted for each cause or find out how to become involved in the cause(s), visit Google Gives Back.

  • Google For Nonprofits Program Launches

    Google For Nonprofits Program Launches

    Nonprofit organizations that are open to the idea of adopting new software and IT solutions may want to get in touch with Google.  This afternoon, the search giant announced a program called Google for Nonprofits, and it’s designed to help charitable groups save money and reach more people.

    For the cynics out there: yes, this also happens to serve as a push to increase usage of Google’s products and services.  The company isn’t just offering to lend nonprofits its accountants and buy everyone a few billboards.

    Still, a post on the Google Nonprofits Blog explained, “If you work for a nonprofit, this program provides you with several new benefits. . . .  If approved, you can access our suite of product offerings designed for nonprofits: up to $10,000 a month in advertising on Google AdWords to reach more donors, free or discounted Google Apps to cut IT costs and operate more efficiently, and premium features for YouTube and our mapping technologies to raise awareness of your cause.”

    Then the post noted a couple more perks, continuing, “We’ve also developed other online resources such as educational videos, case studies and better ways for you to connect with other nonprofits.”

    Organizations seem to be responding well so far, as the video below shows.  And of course, as a worst case scenario, Google for Nonprofits is just something an organization can ignore.

    More information is available here if you’re interested (or if you’d like to email a link to whatever charitable groups you support).

  • Mark Zuckerberg Pledges Majority Of Wealth To Charity

    Critics of Mark Zuckerberg should consider taking the day, week, month, year, or even decade off.  Zuckerberg, whose net worth was calculated to be $6.9 billion as of September, has pledged to donate the majority of his fortune to charity.

    Zuckerberg did this by taking the Giving Pledge, something organized by Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates.  The simple (and official) explanation is that it’s "an effort to invite the wealthiest individuals and families in America to commit to giving the majority of their wealth to philanthropy."

    Mark ZuckerbergZuckerberg reasoned in a statement, "People wait until late in their career to give back.  But why wait when there is so much to be done?  With a generation of younger folks who have thrived on the success of their companies, there is a big opportunity for many of us to give back earlier in our lifetime and see the impact of our philanthropic efforts."

    This act establishes a definite pattern of non-greedy behavior on Zuckerberg’s part.  The CEO of Facebook is known for favoring t-shirts over tailored suits.  He drives an Acura TSX rather than an Italian sports car, and at least until recently, lived in a modest rented house.

    Plus, in September, Zuckerberg volunteered to give $100 million to New Jersey public schools.

    A round of applause for Facebook’s CEO, then.  And while you’re at it: other people who just took the Giving Pledge include Carl Icahn and Dustin Moskovitz.

  • Google Announces Project 10^100 Winners

    Google Announces Project 10^100 Winners

    Two years ago, Google committed to changing the world by funding "ideas that could help as many people as possible."  Then it got overwhelmed by 150,000 suggestions.  But now Google’s sorted through everything, held a public vote, and announced the five Project 10^100 winners.

    For the sake of ending on a positive note, let’s point out two problems here.  First, the timing of Google’s announcement is terrible, considering that this involves five concepts and a total of $10 million, whereas Mark Zuckerberg just donated $100 million to improve the Newark, New Jersey school system.

    Also, Google’s bound to encounter some criticism over taking 24 months to reach a decision.

    Still, let’s get back to thinking happy thoughts and run through the winners.  The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences is first alphabetically, and as you might have guessed, it promotes the study of graduate-level math and science in Africa.

    Next up is FIRST, which uses math- and science-oriented competitions to similar effect for the sake of young(er) people.  Then there’s the KHAN Academy, an organization dedicated to putting educational videos online so that everyone can learn for free.

    Following that comes Public.Resource.Org, which is trying to make more government documents available online.  Finally, there’s Shweeb, "a concept for short to medium distance, urban personal transport, using human-powered vehicles on a monorail."

    Shweeb’s interesting, to see the least.  See a pic of a prototype for yourself below.

    Now, as that’s sure to have put a smile on your face, we’ll just wish you a good weekend.