Hacker News with Generative AI: Philanthropy

Desperate rich people to fund drug research (theguardian.com)
Each year, hundreds of potentially world-changing treatments are discarded because scientists run out of cash. But where big pharma or altruists fear to tread, my friend and I have a solution. It’s repugnant, but it will work.

Philanthropy, Drug Research, Healthcare, Wealth Inequality

20 points by pkol 22 days ago | 0 comments

Ronald Read – Philanthropist, investor, janitor, and gas station attendant (wikipedia.org)
Ronald James Read (October 23, 1921 – June 2, 2014) was an American philanthropist, investor, janitor, and gas station attendant.

Philanthropy, Investing, Biography, People

11 points by thecosas 30 days ago | 0 comments

James Harrison, whose blood donations saved >2M babies, has died (npr.org)
Australia's most prolific blood and plasma donor, James Harrison, has died at age 88. Known as the "Man with the Golden Arm," Harrison is credited with saving the lives of 2.4 million babies over the course of more than half a century.

Health, Australia, Blood Donation, Philanthropy

311 points by anigbrowl 30 days ago | 99 comments

Ben Horowitz donates Cybertruck fleet to the Las Vegas police (techcrunch.com)
Andreessen Horowitz co-founder Ben Horowitz has donated a fleet of Tesla Cybertrucks to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police, the department has confirmed to TechCrunch.

Technology, Police, Tesla, Philanthropy

17 points by impish9208 32 days ago | 4 comments

The Transformative Effect of MacKenzie Scott's Big Gifts (cep.org)
Since 2019, MacKenzie Scott has given more than $19 billion in unrestricted support to more than 2,000 organizations, stating that her aim “has been to support the needs of underrepresented people from groups of all kinds.”

Philanthropy, Nonprofits, Social Impact, Giving

8 points by tuanx5 42 days ago | 1 comments

Gates warns of deaths if Trump and Musk don't reinstate foreign aid funding (fortune.com)
Bill Gates is worried that "millions" of lives are on the line if U.S. foreign aid funding isn't reinstated.

Politics, World Health, Philanthropy, Foreign Aid

22 points by geox 43 days ago | 17 comments

DOGE's war on "waste" looks suspiciously like a war on science (vanityfair.com)
Welcome to the golden age of reverse philanthropy, an era in which America’s richest barons, who were once committed to funding medical research, the arts, and international aid, are now hanging such fields out to dry.

Dogecoin, Philanthropy, Science, Economics

39 points by ar813 51 days ago | 1 comments

Jeff Bezos fund ends support for climate group (theguardian.com)
Jeff Bezos’s $10bn climate and biodiversity fund has halted its funding of one of the world’s most important climate certification organisations, amid broader concerns US billionaires are “bowing down to Trump” and his anti-climate action rhetoric.

Climate Change, Philanthropy, Politics

12 points by n1b0m 56 days ago | 1 comments

MacKenzie Scott donates over $2B in 2024 to 199 organizations (yieldgiving.com)
I love words, and this year this one has been on my mind a lot. It’s another one that seems to have undergone a kind of semantic shriveling.

Philanthropy, Donations, Nonprofits

81 points by Geekette 102 days ago | 92 comments

The next time Wikipedia asks for a donation, ignore it (2022) (unherd.com)
No one wants to be a bad person, and you probably felt pretty bad when you saw the heart-breaking appeal and just carried on clicking. Wikipedia is midway through a six-week fund-raising drive in Anglophone regions including the United States, the UK, New Zealand and Australia. The banner ads beg for “just £2”, which doesn’t sound like much, for all that free information. But before you start feeling too guilty, it’s worth considering some facts.

Wikipedia, Donations, Online Content, Charity, Philanthropy

49 points by xqcgrek2 108 days ago | 19 comments

Ask HN: Who needs help this holidays? (ycombinator.com)
Happy holidays HN. I am hoping to continue the generosity, tradition, and good will of Alexander Thomas Drummond (u/atdrummond), who contributed tens of thousands of dollars to community members here during the Holidays to help people who were struggling [1].

Community, Holidays, Help, Giving, Philanthropy

174 points by toomuchtodo 122 days ago | 45 comments

Craigslist Founder Gives $300M to Fund Critical US Infrastructure Cybersecurity (yahoo.com)
Craig Newmark, the 71-year-old founder and former CEO of classifieds site Craigslist, is alarmed about potential cybersecurity risks in the US.

Cybersecurity, Philanthropy, Infrastructure, United States

31 points by teleforce 129 days ago | 11 comments

What We Learned from Red Teaming Our Top Charities (givewell.org)
Our four top charities — Malaria Consortium’s seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC), the Against Malaria Foundation’s (AMF) insecticide-treated net (ITN) distribution, Helen Keller International’s (Helen Keller) vitamin A supplementation (VAS), and New Incentives’ conditional cash transfers to increase infant vaccination — have received over one billion dollars in funding based on our recommendations.

Philanthropy, Nonprofits, Research, Charity Evaluation

47 points by ctoth 131 days ago | 21 comments

MrBeast's Faux Philanthropy (unherd.com)
Jimmy Donaldson dropped out of a community college near his home in North Carolina at the age of 18 to crack one of the mysteries of modern life: what makes a video become a viral sensation on social media?

Social Media, Influencers, Business, Philanthropy

108 points by elsewhen 159 days ago | 88 comments

Musk gives random petition signer a $1M check (businessinsider.com)
Elon Musk gave a $1 million check to a man who signed his petition to support free speech and the right to bear arms — and he's not stopping there.

Elon Musk, Philanthropy, Free Speech, Gun Rights

6 points by geox 164 days ago | 1 comments

Indian entrepreneur, industrialist, and philanthropist, Ratan Tata, dead at 86 (wikipedia.org)
Ratan Tata (28 December 1937 – 9 October 2024) was an Indian industrialist and philanthropist who served as chairman of Tata Group and Tata Sons from 1990 to 2012, and then as interim chairman from October 2016 through February 2017.

Business, India, Obituaries, Philanthropy

387 points by Brajeshwar 175 days ago | 136 comments

Behind Harris's Rise: Laurene Powell Jobs, Silicon Valley's Wealthiest Woman (nytimes.com)
The alliance between Kamala Harris and Laurene Powell Jobs is a genuine friendship that has thrust the press-shy billionaire philanthropist into the political spotlight.

Politics, Philanthropy, Silicon Valley, Wealth

5 points by ChrisArchitect 190 days ago | 1 comments

The Texas Billionaire Who Has Greenpeace USA on the Verge of Bankruptcy (wsj.com)

Greenpeace, Texas, Environmentalism, Business, Philanthropy

24 points by voisin 207 days ago | 10 comments

Warren Buffett's breakup with the Gates Foundation will hurt the world (vox.com)

Philanthropy, Business, Warren Buffett

4 points by yakito 251 days ago | 2 comments

Johns Hopkins medical school will be free for most after $1B donation (axios.com)

Johns Hopkins, Medical School, Education, Philanthropy, Funding

104 points by jnord 267 days ago | 58 comments

Bloomberg gives $1B to Hopkins to make tuition free for most medical students (npr.org)