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Year 2020 - Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Annual Letter
webchanzuckerberg.com·chanzuckerberg.com/about/annual-letter/year-2020/
This is a philanthropic annual letter from a major tech-adjacent foundation; minimally relevant to AI safety except as context for CZI's general technology and science funding priorities, which occasionally intersect with AI research tools and biomedical AI.
Metadata
Importance: 12/100organizational reportprimary source
Summary
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative's 2020 annual letter from Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan reflects on the year's challenges including COVID-19 and social justice, and outlines CZI's philanthropic priorities in science, education, and community. It discusses their long-term mission to help cure diseases, improve education, and address inequality, with significant funding commitments to scientific research and technology tools for researchers.
Key Points
- •CZI reflects on 2020's dual crises—COVID-19 pandemic and racial injustice—and how they shaped philanthropic priorities.
- •Significant investments directed toward biomedical science, including funding for COVID-19 research and infectious disease preparedness.
- •CZI emphasizes building scientific infrastructure and open-source tools to accelerate research across institutions.
- •Education equity and access remain a core focus, with technology-driven approaches to personalized learning.
- •The letter frames long-term generational philanthropic commitment rather than short-term charitable giving.
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| Chan Zuckerberg Initiative | Organization | 50.0 |
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2020 Annual Letter
# What We’re Learning
[Play video: 2020 Annual Letter introductory video.](https://chanzuckerberg.com/about/annual-letter/year-2020/#)
Dear Friends,
Our daughter Max turned five years old just a few days ago. And so did the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.
We didn’t know it back in 2015 but becoming new parents and starting a philanthropy actually have a lot in common. You’re simultaneously exhausted, overjoyed, and full of adrenaline. You stress over every little detail and decision. When you’re up in the middle of the night, you’re filled with both hope and concern for the future—their future.
Five years later, Max and her sister, August, have grown so much. So has CZI—and so have the tremendous challenges facing our communities, from the longstanding inequities caused by systemic racism to new hardships inflicted by a global pandemic and economic crisis.
In crisis there are always silver linings—and lessons learned. If there was a silver lining in 2020, it was the extraordinary people and organizations who came together to fight this virus and the scourge of racial injustice—and the inequitable impacts of both on communities of color. We’ve been inspired by grant partners who have responded in countless ways—from scientists and researchers fighting the spread of the virus, to those working to support people disproportionately impacted by the criminal justice system, to educators helping students navigate challenging times, to county election officials working to ensure we had a safe, free election process in the midst of a pandemic. We are humbled by their work—and their example.
2020 taught us many lessons, too. We have a responsibility to engage with a spirit of learning, a commitment to accountability, and space for growth. Now more than ever, we feel the urgent call to step up, do better, and help accelerate change. And today, as we reflect on what we’ve learned over the last five years, and the values at the heart of our work, we’d like to focus there.
Lesson one: Build the right infrastructure
Over the last five years, we have invested in the long-term in a big way. CZI is now one of the largest funders of scientific innovation in the world, criminal justice reform in the country, and housing affordability efforts in California. We have also made significant education investments aimed at helping every student reach their full potential—regardless of background or zip code.
**Five years by the numbers**
But these investments are n
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