The Giving Pledge, a philanthropic campaign co-founded by Warren Buffett that urges the ultra-rich to donate 99.9% of their wealth to charity over their lifetime, has become a popular framework among wealthy donors. But for tech entrepreneur Jeff Atwood, it was missing a key component. “When will this wealth be transferred?” Atwood asked in a blog post published on January 7.
Atwood, 55, the co-founder of programming question-and-answer site Stack Exchange and discussion platform Discourse, has made his own contribution to the Giving Pledge by pledging to give away half of his wealth over the next five years. He’s giving it his all. The software developer has made eight separate $1 million donations to organizations including disaster response organization Team Rubicon; PEN America, a nonprofit that advocates for writers; and The Trevor Project, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group. Suicide prevention organizations for young people.
“This example of trust-based philanthropy allows us to immediately help the community,” Team Rubicon CEO Art delaCruz said in a statement to the Observer. Maayan Dauber, chief development officer of PEN America, said in a statement to the Observer Atwood’s donation will “strengthen our work in the United States and ensure that writers can continue to find readers for the work that brings meaning to our lives,” the Observer said in a statement.
Save the American Dream
The foundation of Atwood’s philanthropic goals is to combat growing inequality across the United States, where “housing, health care and education costs are soaring far faster than inflation and wage growth,” Atwood wrote in his recent blog The article states that he pointed out the problem of disproportionate wealth.
Atwood reportedly came from humble beginnings in Virginia and currently lives in Alameda, California. centered website. But rather than passing on the bulk of his wealth to his children, Atwood said they will have enough money to go to college and buy a home, and he hopes to allocate his wealth to enhance opportunities to “live the American dream.”
Atwood said his pledge was inspired in part by the recent presidential election, which highlighted the historically high level of political polarization and the 42% of Americans who did not or were unable to vote. “Our status as the world’s leading democracy is called into question,” he said.
While Atwood declined to reveal the exact amount he plans to donate, his first round of donations is just the beginning. By 2030, he hopes to invest in long-term efforts that prioritize protecting democratic institutions and making it easier for Americans to vote, in addition to possibly establishing an organization inspired by the nonprofit RAND Corporation or Lever for Change. Organizations receiving funding opportunities.
“Now is the time to distribute half of the wealth that I will be blessed to acquire over the next five years, not just for my own family but for all of my fellow Americans,” he said.
