Craig Newmark, the 71-year-old retired founder of Craigslist, has four philanthropic focuses: military and vet families, cybersecurity, journalism and pigeon rescue.
On Wednesday, he pledged $100 million to fund cybersecurity in the US, bringing his total giving and pledges to $400 million since 2015.
Craig Newmark. Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images
According to the Wall Street Journal, Newmark has already committed more than 20% of its $100 million pledge to organizations and projects around cybersecurity. Common Sense Media, for example, received $2 million to fund initiatives such as a cybersecurity awareness campaign for parents and teachers.
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Newmark was worth $1.3 billion in 2020 and pledged to donate nearly all of his fortune to charitable causes by December 2022. He told the Journal that his giving was inspired by the Jewish concept of tikkun olam, Hebrew for “fixing the world.”
Newmark’s approach is to find the right people, give them the resources they need, “and then go out of their way,” according to his philanthropy website. It does not give organizations that receive grants requirements to achieve certain goals.
Newmark has yet to make $88 million of his latest $100 million pledge. Applications are opened through his organization’s website where he reviews proposals.
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