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San Francisco Chronicle
18-05-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Bay Area nonprofits face funding cuts as DEI programs come under fire
Nonprofit organizations across the Bay Area and nation are facing existential threats amid mounting challenges to diversity, equity and inclusion programs under President Trump's second administration. Many fear they could lose federal, corporate or foundation funding — and some already have. The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative in Redwood City, established by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, is perhaps the largest and most public example of a major donor that has ceased funding DEI-related programs. But changes like those at Chan Zuckerberg are just one big challenge facing nonprofits today. Other foundations have made more subtle shifts in grantmaking or messaging. Meanwhile, critics of race-conscious programs are ramping up legal challenges. That's creating fear and uncertainty among nonprofits over what's ahead and how to respond. In the most immediate threat, agencies across the federal government have cut funding to hundreds of nonprofits because the grants 'no longer effectuate the program goals or agency priorities.' In a March 4 speech before Congress, Trump said, 'We've ended the tyranny of so-called diversity, equity and inclusion policies all across the entire federal government and, indeed, the private sector and our military. And our country will be woke no longer.' Regardless of your profession, 'you should be hired and promoted based on skill and competence, not race or gender.' The current climate marks a sharp turnaround from 2020, when there was an outpouring of support for nonprofits working toward racial equity and related causes, according to which provides data and research on nonprofits. However, not all pledges made during that period turned into grants, and commitments appeared to decline starting in 2021, according to the Philanthropic Initiative for Racial Equity. Even before Trump took office in January, opposition to DEI programs had been mounting for years. In 2023, the Supreme Court effectively banned affirmative action in college admissions. Although the decision was largely confined to higher education, it raised questions about DEI policies in grantmaking, contracting and employment — issues that are being pushed to the forefront now. Facebook, Meta and CZI In January, Facebook parent Meta — whose CEO is Zuckerberg — became the latest large corporation to eliminate or roll back DEI programs. It cited the changing 'legal and policy landscape surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion efforts,' according to a memo to employees obtained by Axios. At that time, employees at the Chan Zuckerberg Institute reportedly were told the move at Meta would not affect them. However, in a Feb. 18 blog post, CZI said that 'given the shifting regulatory and legal landscape, we will no longer have a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility team at CZI.' It said it had reassigned its three-person DEI team and discontinued its 'diverse slate practice' used in employee recruiting. CZI's decision to disband the internal team 'was separate and apart from Meta,' a CZI spokeswoman said via email. Although it's often called a nonprofit, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative is a limited liability company that can invest in private companies. It also makes tax-deductible contributions to 501(c)3 charities through its own tax-exempt entities including the CZI Foundation (now the nation's 18th largest foundation by assets), the CZI Biohub and the CZI donor-advised fund at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. When they started the initiative in 2015, Chan and Zuckerberg said its mission was to 'advance human potential' and 'promote equality.' In a Facebook post, they said, 'We must make long term investments over 25, 50 or even 100 years. The greatest challenges require very long time horizons and cannot be solved by short-term thinking.' In its early years, CZI gave to biomedical and education research, political and social advocacy and causes related to diversity, equity and inclusion. According to CZI, its shift away from DEI-type funding to focus on 'the intersection of biology and AI' was years in the making. CZI leadership 'made the decision a few years ago to wind down our social advocacy work and have since discontinued that funding,' Chief Operating Officer Marc Malandro said in the Feb. 18 website post. 'This includes our previous work on immigration reform, as well as our racial equity grantmaking as we've completed the five-year program we announced in 2020. We haven't launched new programs in this area for a few years.' It said it would honor a 'small number' of multi-year grants, 'but none of these will support political activism.' The changes at CZI flew somewhat under the radar until The Primary School — a K-8 private, tuition-free school in East Palo Alto that was founded and funded by CZI — announced on April 21 that it and its newer preschool program in San Leandro would shut down after the 2025-26 school year. The school serves minority students, with a stated commitment to DEI. It gave no reason for the closures, but a former administrator told the Chronicle that the school's board and many faculty members were not satisfied with the school's academic outcomes. A school board member told the Chronicle that the school was closing due to financial challenges. Based on CZI's and the school's tax filings, it appears that The Primary School received virtually all of its philanthropic funding from CZI entities. CZI's grantmaking database, which begins in 2018, shows it had given about $100 million to the school, including about $20.3 million in 2024. The Internal Revenue Service requires most tax-exempt public charities to meet a 'public support test' that shows they are not overly reliant on a single donor. Schools, churches and hospitals, however, are considered public charities by default and therefore don't have to meet this test, said Brian Mittendorf, an accounting professor at Ohio State University who specializes in nonprofits. But even if tax laws don't require donor diversification, sound management does. 'The school's problem was that it valued diversity more than diversification,' said Leslie Lenkowsky, professor emeritus at Indiana University. Jean-Claude Brizard, the school's board chairman, did not return requests for comment. But he told the New York Times that it struggled to attract other donors and it was his decision to 'put on the table the nuclear option' of disbanding the school. The CZI spokeswoman said the impending closure was the school board's decision and 'was not DEI related, in fact CZI has committed $50 million' over five years to communities the school served for college savings accounts, transition and other services. Lenkowsky said it can be hard for a nonprofit to attract outside funding when it is so closely associated with one individual. 'The fact that it was related to Chan Zuckerberg could be a problem for fundraising. He's so wealthy, it's expected he would pay a large share of the bills. This is not uncommon,' Lenkowsky said. Chan Zuckerberg is not the only major donor that has backed away from DEI funding. In early February, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute abruptly killed a $60 million 'Inclusive Excellence' program aimed at helping underrepresented students stay in university science, technology, engineering and math majors. An extensive description of the program also disappeared from its website. The institute said in an email that it ended the program because it is 'refocusing resources to provide direct support to outstanding scientists across all career stages who are currently part of people-centered programs for graduate students, postdocs, and faculty pursuing biomedical research.' Backing away 'quietly' Other donors appear to be backing away 'more quietly,' said Ryan Schlegel, director of research with the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy. They are deleting or editing webpages to remove terms related to DEI or 'reframing program strategies to de-emphasize equity and inclusion. Especially those with connections to living donors are changing how they talk about their work from their website.' The Omidyar Network in Redwood City, founded by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar and his wife, Pamela, is another LLC that invests in companies and contributes to nonprofits through its tax-exempt foundation. A year ago, its homepage prominently said, 'We invest to build more inclusive and equitable societies,' according to images of the site preserved on the Internet Archive. One of its three program areas was 'building cultures of belonging.' Today there is no mention of diversity, equity or inclusion on its homepage. A page titled ' diversity and inclusion ' has disappeared since February. The network did not return requests for comment. A more startling example, though not local to the Bay Area, is the Sherwood Foundation, founded by billionaire Warren Buffett's daughter Susan A. Buffett. In early February, the foundation's homepage said it 'values equity and social justice with a generous heart for women and children' and featured a colorful photo illustration of a home with seven yard signs including Black Lives Matter, Equal Rights, Gender Equity and a rainbow. By late February, all that had been removed and replaced with a simple map of Nebraska and the words, 'The Sherwood Foundation provides grants that help make Nebraska a better place to live, work, learn, and play.' It did not return a request for comment. It's hard to say if such moves represent 'a change in grantmaking strategies or communications or both,' said Geoff Green, CEO of the California Association of Nonprofits. The Marin Community Foundation removed a 'climate justice' page from its website that said 'due to historic redlining practices, communities of color are often close to industrial sites and have the added risk of buried toxic industrial chemicals intermixing with intruding water.' Vikki Garrod, a spokeswoman for the foundation, said it is 'rebranding' its Climate Justice Initiative, 'which is why it's currently off the website.' Combining the terms climate and justice 'was confusing to folks and it was becoming a barrier' to effective communication and support. It will now be named Building Resilient Communities. 'We will continue to remain focused on those communities that are most vulnerable to impacts and most lacking in resources to address them,' Garrod said via email. In mid-April, San Francisco's Walter & Elise Haas Fund identified 'racial justice' as one of four focus areas on its homepage. Its recently revamped home page makes no mention of racial justice. 'We are not de-emphasizing or eliminating DEI-related activities,' spokesman Anthem Salgado said via email. 'The fund has been working on a years-long strategy refresh which we finally launched recently. It details how we integrated our former programs for more cohesiveness, which explains why Racial Justice no longer appears as a stand-alone program area. We continue to highlight equity and justice in our definition of Belonging.' It's too early to know for sure what impact the DEI backlash has had on actual grantmaking. Many foundations still have not filed their 2024 annual tax filings, which disclose grantmaking, with the IRS. But Green said he has seen funders and charities 'quietly walk back from certain types of work. They are not going to advertise that they are obeying the Trump administration.' Government funding Although foundations are an important source of funding for nonprofits, they pale in comparison to program revenues (such as fees for services) and government grants. Since taking office, Trump has issued dozens of executive orders, some of which seek to eliminate DEI and accessibility programs that violate 'anti-discrimination' laws from the federal government, schools, universities and nonprofits. His first order, on Jan. 21, called for 'encouraging the private sector to end illegal DEI discrimination and preferences' by, among other things, having the attorney general and government agencies 'identify up to nine potential civil compliance investigations of publicly traded corporations, large non-profit corporations or associations, foundations with assets of 500 million dollars or more, state and local bar and medical associations, and institutions of higher education with endowments over 1 billion dollars.' While many of his executive orders are being challenged in court, they are still causing anxiety among nonprofits and their donors. Many charities have already had federal grants canceled, revoked or paused, Green said. For example, on April 22, the U.S. Department of Justice's largest grantmaking arm, the Office of Justice Programs, cancelled about 370 grants awarded to 221 nonprofits and local governments. The grants were originally worth about $820 million, though some portion already had been paid out, according to the Council on Criminal Justice. It estimated the amount remaining was $500 million. They supported programs for crime victims, opioid addiction, gun violence, community violence prevention and intervention, safeguarding incarcerated youth and re-entry services for people exiting incarceration. Grantees were given 30 days to appeal. CASA/GAL, a national organization that supports regional programs matching volunteer court-appointed advocates with abused and neglected children, lost three federal grants. It said the termination notice from DOJ said the grants 'no longer effectuate the program goals or agency priorities,' which includes 'protecting American children.' CASA/GAL added, 'Since that is in fact the mission of the CASA/GAL program, we strongly disagree with the decision to terminate the grants.' The grants initially were worth nearly $50 million, according to a database posted on Reuters, but it's not clear how much remained. In the Bay Area, the wave of grant cancellations hit about 14 nonprofits, along with the city and county of San Francisco, which lost federal grants initially worth around $50 million, according to data provided by the Council on Criminal Justice. Some were multiyear contracts and it's not clear how much funding remained. As of April 22, Impact Justice of Oakland had lost three DOJ grants with $8.5 million remaining. It tries to prevent incarceration, improve prison conditions and help those who have been released. It had received $280,000 in grants from Chan Zuckerberg in 2020. Youth Alive, another Oakland nonprofit, had received only $60,000 of the $2 million grant it was awarded under the Biden administration for its Caught in the Crossfire violence prevention program before it received an email in April canceling the remaining grant. The email said the Justice Department had changed its grant funding priorities to focus more directly on 'supporting certain law enforcement operations, combatting violent crime, protecting American children, and supporting American victims of trafficking and sexual assault, and better coordinating law enforcement efforts at all levels of government.' The canceled funding made up 5% of Youth Alive's total budget but 20% to 25% of Crossfire funding, said Executive Director Joe Griffin. He has managed to avoid layoffs by shifting staff and freezing open positions. Nonprofits are also concerned about language in the House Ways and Means Committee's reconciliation bill, dubbed 'The One Big Beautiful Bill,' which is now moving toward a vote in the House. Although private foundations are exempt from income taxes, they must pay an excise tax of 1.39% annually on net investment bill would raise this tax on foundations with at least $50 million in assets to between 2.78% and 10% depending on asset size. It also would let the Treasury Department revoke a nonprofit's tax exempt status if it was deemed to be a 'terrorist supporting organization.' 'This authority could enable any administration of any political party to target charitable organizations based on ideological grounds,' the National Council on Nonprofits said. On another front, some nonprofits are facing pressure and lawsuits from other groups opposed to DEI. On April 1, The American Alliance for Equal Rights, led by conservative activist attorney Ed Blum, formally asked the Internal Revenue Service to 'open investigations into the racially discriminatory practices' of the tax-exempt Gates Foundation for offering college scholarships to low-income minority students. Less than two weeks later, the nation's largest private foundation said it would open its signature Gates Scholarship to all low-income students. It said it had been considering the move since last fall. Weathering the storm Even amid the funding and legal threats, many organizations expressed confidence in their ability to weather the storm. In Oakland, the Rising Sun Center for Opportunity said it receives no federal funding and has not felt pressure from donors to backtrack on DEI. Its President and CEO Julie Hatton said its mission is 'building career pathways for economic equity and climate resilience in the Bay Area and Central California.' Hatton said one funder did let them know that its legal department would be 'reviewing proposals for 'discriminatory' language, i.e., naming specific racial demographics. That was new.' But 'they were not saying that applications that mentioned racial equity or DEI would be considered discriminatory.' She has also seen 'some federal grants disappear that we planned to apply for, such as the U.S. DOE's Good Jobs in Clean Energy Prize.' While some foundations and donors are pulling back from DEI, many have posted statements supporting it, including Richard Tate, CEO of the California Wellness Foundation, Richard Besser, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Bob Friedman, chairman of the San Francisco Foundation. 'Most DEI-related activity is legal,' said Phil Buchanan, president of the Center for Effective Philanthropy. 'There is no reason to back away from a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion just because the executive branch doesn't like it, unless you are depending on federal funding in which case you are in a truly difficult position.' 'It's unfortunate when we have major donors who actually have more freedom to stand up for their values who are running scared,' he said, 'because of some executive branch pronouncement that, in many cases, is not consistent with the law.'
Gizmodo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Gizmodo
Chan Zuckerberg Is Reportedly Killing Funding for Non-Profits Associated With ‘DEI'
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (or CZI) has been quietly suspending grants to nonprofits across California and the country, especially those that might be construed as reflecting support for diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. While CZI claims that it has long planned to move its focus away from social issues and towards the sciences, current and former employees had a different story to tell the San Francisco Standard. In 2015, then-Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan, created CZI. The couple pledged to donate 99% of their Meta (then Facebook) shares to the organization, which currently implies a sum of nearly $100 billion. CZI says it has distributed almost $7B in grants over the course of its 10-year history. The organization, whose founding mission was to 'build a more inclusive, just, and healthy future for everyone,' has also given millions of dollars to nonprofits in San Mateo County, where Meta is headquartered. In recent months, however, many of those grants have been suspended. The Standard spoke with Juan Hernandez, the CEO of Creser Capital Fund, which provides loans to Latino entrepreneurs, who learned last month that his CZI grant would not be renewed. And just last week, The Mercury News reported that CZI cut funding for local homelessness and affordable housing groups. The cuts come in the wake of CZI's warning to employees in February that the organization would be winding down its DEI work, both internally and externally. In a message posted to its website, CZI's COO Marc Malandro seemed to speak out of both sides of his mouth, saying that while CZI was still committed to 'ensuring our work serves everyone' and to 'building a workforce that reflects a broad ranges of experiences, thoughts, and opinions,' the organization would be shifting its focus away from political and social advocacy (where it had worked on immigration reform and racial equality); eliminating its Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility team ('given the shifting regulatory and legal landscape'); and discontinuing its 'Diverse Slate' hiring practices, which aimed to ensure that candidates from underrepresented backgrounds were considered for roles. The Standard spoke with current and former CZI employees about the recent changes at the organization, two of which described an internal meeting that included remarks from General Counsel Mark Kim. According to the Standard's reporting, Kim explained that the organization is a 'political target' because of its billionaire co-founders (at least one of whom has done his very best to make friends with the Trump administration) and is simply hoping to avoid litigation. In response to the Standard's reporting, a CZI spokesperson pushed back on the idea that the changes stemmed solely from CZI's desire to avoid being sued, saying that the organization's strategy is 'driven by our science vision to cure, prevent, and manage all disease by the end of this century.' Except, perhaps, the disease of bigotry? Anyway. Additionally, CZI spokesperson assured the Standard that it remained committed to serving the local community, partially through its Community Fund, which has provided $35 million in the last eight years to fund 'local organizations doing essential work throughout San Mateo County.' However, one former grantee told the Standard that she was informed by CZI that she was suddenly 'no longer eligible' to apply for a grant from the fund. Adriana Ayala, who leads the Chicana Latina Foundation, says she was told by a CZI program officer that it was because of her foundation's focus on a targeted population (namely, Latinas). 'In this political climate, targeted populations are frowned upon, or they're seen as DEI,' Ayala told the Standard. The changes at CZI come just months after Zuckerberg's Meta announced that it was ending its fact-checking program on social media and winding down its internal DEI efforts, including the 'Diverse Slate' practices it shared with CZI. The Guardian reported that the changes at Meta caused angst at CZI, with employees asking in a Slack group for managers and executives if CZI 'would 'reaffirm' the organization's values.' At the time, Mark Gundacker, CZI's Head of People, assured employees that CZI's policies and governance remained entirely separate from Meta's, and that 'Meta's changes to its DEI efforts does not impact ours.' He reiterated this point, saying, 'If employees have questions, please reaffirm this for them and we'll continue to do the same whenever the question comes up.'
NDTV
29-04-2025
- Business
- NDTV
School Opened By Zuckerberg And Wife To Close After 10 Years, Parents Stunned
An elementary school opened by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, in California is set to close next year, much to the surprise of parents. The tuition-free school for low-income communities of colour was founded in 2016 by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) in East Palo Alto, just a few kilometres away from Meta's headquarters. The parents were invited over for breakfast when the news of the abrupt closure was delivered to them, according to a report in The New York Times. "After much deliberation, our schools in East Palo Alto and the East Bay will be closing at the end of the 2025-26 school year. This was a very difficult decision, and we are committed to ensuring a thoughtful and supportive transition for students and families over the next year." "To sustain The Primary School's legacy, CZI will make a $50M investment over the next few years in the East Palo Alto, Belle Haven, and East Bay communities." 'Guy who's been giving money' Emeline Vainikolo, a parent, said that her kindergartner son told her the reason for the school shutting down after hearing it from his teacher. "'Mommy, the guy [Zuckerberg] who's been giving money to our school doesn't want to give it to us anymore,'" he told her. The school started with just preschoolers, but was expected to eventually serve toddlers through eighth graders, adding one grade every year. The 2025-26 school year will be the first time it has offered eighth grade, and the last. Though the school did not provide a reason for the closure, the announcement comes at a time when Mr Zuckerberg has taken a strong 180 on his social beliefs as he attempts to curry favour with the Trump administration. At Meta, Mr Zuckerberg has already ended the diversity, equity and inclusion programmes, known as DEI. The company is said to be focusing on providing "fair and consistent practices that mitigate bias for all, no matter your background".
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
A tuition-free school created by Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan will shutter next year
In 2016, Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, opened a tuition-free school for low-income families in California's Bay Area, where Meta is headquartered. Created under the couple's philanthropy, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), the Primary School aimed to combine healthcare and education for students 'from birth through high school.' Chan, a former pediatrician, once described the organization's education efforts as combining her two core passions. But last week, the Primary School abruptly announced plans to shut down at the end of the 2025-26 school year. The school called the closure a 'very difficult decision,' but offered little explanation, in a message to the hundreds of families that it serves across two campuses. The closure comes amid bigger shifts by CZI and its namesake leaders, and as Big Tech broadly repositions itself in the era of President Donald Trump. Parents were told that the school was shuttering because CZI was withdrawing its support, according to reports from the San Francisco Standard and the New York Times. A representative for the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative told CNN that the school's board of directors made the decision and pointed to its statement, but did not respond to an additional question about the group's funding for the school. CZI plans to donate $50 million to the communities and families affected by the closure, the school said in its note this week. Carson Cook, the Primary School's senior manager of strategy and advancement, confirmed in an interview with CNN that the school began meeting with parents to inform them of the closure last Thursday and said those conversations are ongoing. But he declined to comment on the reasons behind the closure or the timing. 'At the Primary School, our model has always been one that carefully considers the needs of the whole family, and we want to do our absolute best to ensure that every child and their caregiver is supported,' Cook said. 'And I think what we just want to say is that that hasn't changed.' Cook declined to comment on CZI. The philanthropy has recently undergone a series of significant changes. In February, the organization told employees it would cut internal and external diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. That followed a similar move a month earlier by Zuckerberg's company Meta — one of several Trump-friendly changes the social media giant has made since the start of this year. Zuckerberg and Chan also attended Trump's inauguration, where they were seated prominently among other Big Tech leaders. When Chan and Zuckerberg founded their philanthropy initiative in 2015 — at the same time that Zuckerberg pledged to give away 99% of his Facebook fortune — they did so with four goals: personalized learning, curing diseases, connecting people and community building. The group said it was dedicated to improving health outcomes and invested in other education projects and immigration and criminal justice reform efforts. The Primary School was among the first of those investments. In a column for CNN the year after the Primary School's founding, Chan wrote that the organization wanted to address 'toxic stress' among children that can be caused by abuse, neglect or poverty. She said the school's early success proved that 'children and adults can build resilience and thrive even in the face of trauma.' The Primary School had become a model for other organizations — just last month, its medical director hosted a session at the SXSW conference about how integrating early childhood education and healthcare could help 'the most vulnerable children and families.' More than 95% of the school's students are 'underrepresented minorities,' the Primary School reported in a 2023 tax filing. The school's unique approach involved pairing parents with 'parent wellness coaches,' in an effort to support not just kids, but whole families. Cook said those coaches will work directly with parents to explore other schooling options for their children after the Primary School closes next year. In the years after the school was founded, as Meta grew and gained influence, Zuckerberg and Chan continued to speak out about social issues. In 2017, Zuckerberg pledged to visit and meet with people in every US state — even sparking rumors that he might make a bid to challenge Trump for the White House in 2020. Then in 2020, he and Chan expressed 'disgust' and called for 'unity' after Trump's inflammatory remarks about nationwide protests against racial injustice. But Zuckerberg has since made somewhat of a political about-face. Last summer, Zuckerberg called Trump a 'badass' after he survived an assassination attempt. The CEO later visited Mar-a-Lago as he angled for an 'active role' in the president's policy discussions, and he donated $1 million, through Meta, to Trump's inauguration. Meta has also shelled out $25 million to settle the lawsuit Trump brought against the company for suspending his account after the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol — $22 million of which will help fund a forthcoming Trump presidential library. Announcing major policy updates ahead of Trump's inauguration in January, Zuckerberg said the new administration represented 'a real opportunity' for change at Meta. Then in February, CZI announced it would focus on science and 'wind down' its investment in 'social advocacy.' That included cutting work on 'immigration reform, as well as our racial equity grantmaking,' it said, along with its internal DEI programs For families at the Primary School, CZI's abrupt decision to shut its doors marks another way tech giants like Meta have reshaped their community — and not always for the better. For years, Bay Area residents have complained that as Silicon Valley grew, the influx of highly paid tech workers created a housing shortage and priced lower-income people out of the area. One parent told the San Francisco Standard that the school had been a 'gift to the community' in the wake of the housing crisis. 'Now they're gonna take this away too,' she said. As for the Primary School's staff, Cook said they are focused on the year they have left with students. 'We have an incredible staff and the fact that we have one more year with our families just invigorates and motivates us to provide them with the best year of school and programming that we possibly can,' he said. 'Our team cares very deeply about our children, our families and about this community.'
CNN
25-04-2025
- Business
- CNN
A tuition-free school created by Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan will shutter next year
In 2016, Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, opened a tuition-free school for low-income families in California's Bay Area, where Meta is headquartered. Created under the couple's philanthropy, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), the Primary School aimed to combine healthcare and education for students 'from birth through high school.' Chan, a former pediatrician, once described the organization's education efforts as combining her two core passions. But last week, the Primary School abruptly announced plans to shut down at the end of the 2025-26 school year. The school called the closure a 'very difficult decision,' but offered little explanation, in a message to the hundreds of families that it serves across two campuses. The closure comes amid bigger shifts by CZI and its namesake leaders, and as Big Tech broadly repositions itself in the era of President Donald Trump. Parents were told that the school was shuttering because CZI was withdrawing its support, according to reports from the San Francisco Standard and the New York Times. A representative for the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative told CNN that the school's board of directors made the decision and pointed to its statement, but did not respond to an additional question about the group's funding for the school. CZI plans to donate $50 million to the communities and families affected by the closure, the school said in its note this week. Carson Cook, the Primary School's senior manager of strategy and advancement, confirmed in an interview with CNN that the school began meeting with parents to inform them of the closure last Thursday and said those conversations are ongoing. But he declined to comment on the reasons behind the closure or the timing. 'At the Primary School, our model has always been one that carefully considers the needs of the whole family, and we want to do our absolute best to ensure that every child and their caregiver is supported,' Cook said. 'And I think what we just want to say is that that hasn't changed.' Cook declined to comment on CZI. The philanthropy has recently undergone a series of significant changes. In February, the organization told employees it would cut internal and external diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. That followed a similar move a month earlier by Zuckerberg's company Meta — one of several Trump-friendly changes the social media giant has made since the start of this year. Zuckerberg and Chan also attended Trump's inauguration, where they were seated prominently among other Big Tech leaders. When Chan and Zuckerberg founded their philanthropy initiative in 2015 — at the same time that Zuckerberg pledged to give away 99% of his Facebook fortune — they did so with four goals: personalized learning, curing diseases, connecting people and community building. The group said it was dedicated to improving health outcomes and invested in other education projects and immigration and criminal justice reform efforts. The Primary School was among the first of those investments. In a column for CNN the year after the Primary School's founding, Chan wrote that the organization wanted to address 'toxic stress' among children that can be caused by abuse, neglect or poverty. She said the school's early success proved that 'children and adults can build resilience and thrive even in the face of trauma.' The Primary School had become a model for other organizations — just last month, its medical director hosted a session at the SXSW conference about how integrating early childhood education and healthcare could help 'the most vulnerable children and families.' More than 95% of the school's students are 'underrepresented minorities,' the Primary School reported in a 2023 tax filing. The school's unique approach involved pairing parents with 'parent wellness coaches,' in an effort to support not just kids, but whole families. Cook said those coaches will work directly with parents to explore other schooling options for their children after the Primary School closes next year. In the years after the school was founded, as Meta grew and gained influence, Zuckerberg and Chan continued to speak out about social issues. In 2017, Zuckerberg pledged to visit and meet with people in every US state — even sparking rumors that he might make a bid to challenge Trump for the White House in 2020. Then in 2020, he and Chan expressed 'disgust' and called for 'unity' after Trump's inflammatory remarks about nationwide protests against racial injustice. But Zuckerberg has since made somewhat of a political about-face. Last summer, Zuckerberg called Trump a 'badass' after he survived an assassination attempt. The CEO later visited Mar-a-Lago as he angled for an 'active role' in the president's policy discussions, and he donated $1 million, through Meta, to Trump's inauguration. Meta has also shelled out $25 million to settle the lawsuit Trump brought against the company for suspending his account after the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol — $22 million of which will help fund a forthcoming Trump presidential library. Announcing major policy updates ahead of Trump's inauguration in January, Zuckerberg said the new administration represented 'a real opportunity' for change at Meta. Then in February, CZI announced it would focus on science and 'wind down' its investment in 'social advocacy.' That included cutting work on 'immigration reform, as well as our racial equity grantmaking,' it said, along with its internal DEI programs For families at the Primary School, CZI's abrupt decision to shut its doors marks another way tech giants like Meta have reshaped their community — and not always for the better. For years, Bay Area residents have complained that as Silicon Valley grew, the influx of highly paid tech workers created a housing shortage and priced lower-income people out of the area. One parent told the San Francisco Standard that the school had been a 'gift to the community' in the wake of the housing crisis. 'Now they're gonna take this away too,' she said. As for the Primary School's staff, Cook said they are focused on the year they have left with students. 'We have an incredible staff and the fact that we have one more year with our families just invigorates and motivates us to provide them with the best year of school and programming that we possibly can,' he said. 'Our team cares very deeply about our children, our families and about this community.'
