About Us

The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative was founded in 2015 to help solve some of society’s toughest challenges — from eradicating disease and improving education, to addressing the needs of our local communities. Our mission is to build a more inclusive, just, and healthy future for everyone.

Our Leadership
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CZI Co-founder and Co-CEO Priscilla Chan with children at The Primary School, which she founded in East Palo Alto (Education).
August 15, 2018 | Priscilla Chan, CZI Co-founder and Co-CEO, on the first day of school at The Primary School, which she founded in East Palo Alto.
August 15, 2018 | Priscilla Chan, CZI Co-founder and Co-CEO, on the first day of school at The Primary School, which she founded in East Palo Alto.
Priscilla Chan, CZI Co-founder and Co-CEO.

Luck is not a national strategy. We need to build strategies that take luck out of the equation for every person.

Priscilla Chan, CZI Co-founder and Co-CEO.
PRISCILLA CHAN

CO-FOUNDER AND CO-CEO

What We Do

Across our work in Science, Education, and within our communities, we pair technology with grantmaking, impact investing, and collaboration to help accelerate the pace of progress towards our mission.

Stylized Science icon of a microscope.
Science

We support the science and technology that will make it possible to cure, prevent, or manage all diseases by the end of the 21st century. We foster collaboration between scientists and engineers, develop new technologies, and build support for basic scientific research.
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Stylized Education icon of the outline of a brain with a flowering plant rising up in front of it.
Education

We want to ensure that every student — not just a lucky few — can get an education that’s tailored to their individual needs and supports every aspect of their development. And we want every teacher to be equipped with the tools and research they need to help get them there.
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Stylized Community icon of houses and buildings.
Community

We support work to create greater opportunity for communities in the Bay Area and across California, which includes flexible, responsive grantmaking; capacity building for local organizations; and partnerships around key issues, like housing affordability and homelessness.
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CZI is composed of four funding entities: the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, LLC (the main operational funding vehicle); the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Foundation (a 501(c)(3) private foundation); the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation; and Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Advocacy, (a 501(c)(4) organization).

Our Approach

We work at the intersection of philanthropy and technology, while supporting movement and capacity building to achieve progress across our focus areas with a diversity, equity, and inclusion lens.

"Ventures at CZI" team member meeting with developers in Africa (Grants & Ventures).
Grants & Ventures
Through grantmaking and our venture portfolio, we invest in bold ideas that have the potential to accelerate social change. Since our launch in 2015, CZI has awarded approximately $4.8 billion in grants and invested nearly $300 million in ventures whose work aligns with our values.
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Two CZI Science Technology team members working together in front of a laptop computer.
Technology
We are a new kind of philanthropic organization focused on engineering change at scale. Our engineering team partners with issue experts across our science, education, and strategic partners to help bring technology to the table in new ways that drive solutions.
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Man in white cap and leather jacket speaking into a bullhorn (CZI Movement and Capacity Building).
Capacity Building Partners
We believe that lasting change is possible only with the support of community movements and meaningful policy change. Whether shaping policies, ballot measures, or legislative reform, our teams work hand-in-hand with those on the front lines of change‑making.
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Group of CZI employees, smiling (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion).
Group of CZI Women's Coding Circle members around a conference room table during a meeting (Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion).
CZI Co-founder and Co-CEO Priscilla Chan speaking to a group of attendees at a luncheon meeting (Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion).
The author reading aloud from his book to a group of attendees at "Lunch & Learn with Daniel Black" (Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion).

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Engineering solutions to the scale of the issues we’re tackling require fresh perspectives and diverse experiences. Our team’s strength is defined by our ability to bring a wide range of voices to the table — including those from historically marginalized groups. We are committed to maintaining a workplace where everyone is—and feels — welcomed, respected, supported, and valued.

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