Mark Zuckerberg—Zuckerberg and Chan pledged 99% of Facebook shares (~$45 billion) to Chan Zuckerberg Initiative for science, education, and equality
On December 1, 2015, Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan announced in an open letter to their newborn daughter Max that they would give away 99% of their Facebook shares over their lifetimes through the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. The pledge was valued at approximately $45 billion at the time. CZI focuses on personalized learning, curing disease, connecting people, and building strong communities. As of 2025, CZI has committed over $7.22 billion in grants. However, CZI is structured as an LLC rather than a charitable foundation, giving it more flexibility but also less regulatory oversight.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Healthcare Access | +toward | secondary | +0.50 |
| Humanitarian Aid & Global Health | +toward | primary | +1.00 |
| Overall incident score = | +0.993 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (critical ×2) × confidence (0.66)
Evidence (2 signals)
Bloomberg reported Zuckerberg's $45 billion philanthropy pledge as new giving standard
Bloomberg covered Zuckerberg and Chan's announcement to donate 99% of their Facebook shares, noting the unprecedented scale of the commitment and its structure as an LLC rather than a traditional foundation.
Zuckerberg and Chan announced pledge to give away 99% of Facebook shares worth $45 billion
On December 1, 2015, Zuckerberg and Chan published an open letter to their newborn daughter Max announcing their commitment to give away 99% of their Facebook shares through the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, focusing on personalized learning, curing disease, and equality.