Patrick Collison

Patrick Collison appointed to Meta's board effective April 15, 2025. Appointment came as Meta rolled back fact-checking and DEI programs, donated $1M to Trump's inauguration, and settled lawsuit with Trump for $25M. Collison joins alongside Dina Powell McCormick, a former Trump advisor.

In October 2024, Patrick Collison donated $200,000 to Republican PACs including $83,000 to the National Republican Congressional Committee and $58,300 each to PACs for congressmen Andy Barr and French Hill (pro-crypto House Financial Services Committee leaders). This marked a dramatic shift - since 2016, Collison had regularly backed Democrats including Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi.

Patrick Collison was the first investor in California Forever/Flannery Associates, which secretly acquired 50,000+ acres in Solano County for ~$900 million to build a new city. The project drew controversy for its 'five-year stealth campaign,' aggressive tactics including a $510 million lawsuit against local landowners in 2023 for alleged price-fixing, and proximity to Travis Air Force Base which prompted FBI and Air Force investigations. Local mayor said the project 'devastated our area' and 'broken up ranching families who've worked the earth for five generations.'

In 2021, Patrick Collison co-founded Arc Institute with $650+ million from founding donors to reform scientific research funding. The institute provides scientists with 8-year renewable research terms without requiring external grant applications, allowing focus on fundamental research in neurodegeneration, cancer, and immune dysfunction. Other donors include Vitalik Buterin, John Collison, Ron Conway, Dustin Moskovitz, and Cari Tuna.

Patrick Collison and economist Tyler Cowen created Fast Grants in March 2020, raising over $50 million from tech leaders including Jack Dorsey, Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Mark Zuckerberg, and Eric Schmidt. The program provided funding to scientists within days rather than months, dramatically accelerating COVID research.

In January 2017, Patrick Collison pledged $50,000 to the American Civil Liberties Union to fight Trump's travel ban on people from seven Muslim-majority countries. He and his brother John helped raise over $220,000 total. A Stripe spokesperson called the policies 'morally wrong' and 'economically damaging.'