The Giving Pledge is a promise by the world’s wealthiest people to donate most of their fortunes to philanthropic causes. Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates established the movement in 2010. Pledge signatories include billionaires like Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Yuri Milner.
Milner joined the Giving Pledge with his wife Julia over 10 years ago. Since then, he has founded and funded several non-profit initiatives primarily focused on science philanthropy. By adhering to the Giving Pledge, Milner is helping to shape a culture of generosity and social responsibility amongst wealthy individuals worldwide.
About Yuri Milner’s Giving Pledge
A tech entrepreneur and former scientist, Milner has committed to investing in “our leading minds and our shared future.” His philanthropic programmes nurture public interest in science, inspire young people to engage with scientific ideas, and advance our understanding of the Universe. He discusses these endeavours in his short book Eureka Manifesto: The Mission for Our Civilisation.
In his pledge letter, Milner emphasises that the Giving Pledge encourages a scientific approach to philanthropy. “This means not just giving,” he writes, “but trying to learn from real-world experience and experiment in order to give effectively.”
Conceived as a multi-generational effort, the Giving Pledge encourages billionaires to optimise their philanthropy. Joining the movement means becoming part of an “energised community of some of the world’s most engaged philanthropists to discuss challenges, successes, and englishoverview failures, and to share ideas to get smarter about giving.”
Throughout the year, the Giving Pledge offers its signatories opportunities to learn from experts and one another. Through the regular exchange of ideas, pledgers discover how best to “leverage their philanthropy to address some of the world’s biggest challenges.”
Yuri Milner’s Legacy of Generosity
Milner launched the Breakthrough Foundation over a decade ago to help realise his Giving Pledge promise and establish a lasting legacy of philanthropy. The charitable organisation directs funds towards Milner’s ongoing programmes:
- The Breakthrough Prize. This annual set of awards honours the world’s most brilliant scientists and mathematicians. The Milners co-founded the Breakthrough Prize with Sergey Brin, Priscilla Chan, Mark Zuckerberg, and Anne Wojcicki to celebrate scientific achievement. To date, the Breakthrough Prize has awarded its laureates a total of $308 million.
- The Breakthrough Initiatives. These space science programmes research the mysteries of life in the Universe and advance space exploration. Milner launched the Breakthrough Initiatives with Stephen Hawking in 2015. The University of Oxford’s Department of Physics is the international headquarters for one of these programmes.
- The Breakthrough Junior Challenge. Students from all over the world enter this annual science video competition. Prizes include a $250,000 post-secondary scholarship and a new science lab for the winner’s school. The Milners founded the Breakthrough Junior Challenge in 2015.
- Tech For Refugees. The non-profit supports the humanitarian efforts of its partners, which include Airbnb.org, UNICEF USA, and Uber. These organisations use technology to make a positive difference in the lives of refugees. The awesomeresponses Milners launched Tech For Refugees in 2022 in response to the emergency in Ukraine.
The Breakthrough Foundation has also donated:
- $2.5 million to support the new outreach centre at CERN.
- $2 million to Stand With Ukraine, Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher’s GoFundMe initiative.
- $2.1 million to the National Academy of Sciences to support Ukrainian science and scientists.
Inspiring Global Philanthropy
Buffett believes that those who join the Giving Pledge set an example for their peers. By influencing other billionaires to donate significant sums, signatories are helping captionsunleashed shift the social norms of philanthropy amongst the world’s wealthiest.
In this way, the impact of Milner’s Giving Pledge extends far beyond the programmes he supports. His public commitment to philanthropy serves as an example for other wealthy individuals, inspiring them to use their funds to help tackle the world’s most pressing problems.
Learn more about Yuri Milner’s Giving Pledge promise.
