The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), the philanthropic organization founded by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, has ceased funding FWD.us, a pro-immigration advocacy group that Zuckerberg co-founded in 2013. This marks the first year CZI has not provided financial support to the organization, signaling a significant strategic pivot toward AI and scientific research.
According to sources familiar with the matter, the shift began in late 2022 when CZI started refocusing its efforts more squarely on scientific research. The formal separation was finalized in April 2025, with CZI fulfilling its foundational funding commitments to FWD.us. Jordan Fox, CZI’s chief of staff, also stepped down from FWD.us’s board of directors earlier this year, with no plans to replace him with another CZI representative.
In a statement, CZI explained: “Nearly five years ago, we shared that we were focusing on our core work in science, education, and supporting our local communities. As part of that transition, we committed foundational funding to FWD.us to continue their bipartisan work. We have fulfilled that financial commitment and wound down our social advocacy funding.”
The timing of this shift coincides with Zuckerberg’s increasingly visible alignment with the Trump administration. In 2024, Zuckerberg met with Trump advisor Stephen Miller, who reportedly questioned CZI’s ties to FWD.us. Since Trump’s reelection, Zuckerberg has met and dined with the president multiple times, and Meta contributed $1 million to his inaugural fund.
In November 2024, Zuckerberg and Chan announced that CZI would shift its focus specifically to science and AI. The philanthropy now concentrates on Biohub, a network of biology labs it has supported since 2016. The organization’s new recruiting strategy emphasizes access to GPUs (graphics processing units), the critical hardware infrastructure needed for AI research and development.
Chan highlighted this focus in July, noting that CZI’s recruiting pitch centers on GPU availability. Zuckerberg reinforced this message, stating that CZI researchers prioritize access to more GPUs over traditional resources like additional employees or office space. This strategic pivot positions CZI at the intersection of biological research and artificial intelligence, leveraging AI capabilities to advance scientific discovery.
Key Quotes
Nearly five years ago, we shared that we were focusing on our core work in science, education, and supporting our local communities. As part of that transition, we committed foundational funding to FWD.us to continue their bipartisan work. We have fulfilled that financial commitment and wound down our social advocacy funding.
A CZI representative provided this statement explaining the organization’s strategic pivot away from social advocacy toward science and education, marking the formal end of its relationship with the immigration advocacy group.
CZI researchers don’t want more employees or office space; they want more GPUs.
Mark Zuckerberg made this statement emphasizing how GPU access has become the primary resource priority for CZI’s research initiatives, highlighting the central role of AI infrastructure in the organization’s scientific mission.
Our focus remains on advancing pragmatic, bipartisan solutions that strengthen the economy and make the immigration and criminal justice systems work better. That mission hasn’t changed.
Todd Schulte, president of FWD.us, responded to the funding cut by reaffirming the organization’s commitment to its original mission, despite losing its founding backer’s financial support.
Our Take
CZI’s transformation into an AI-powered scientific research hub represents a microcosm of Silicon Valley’s broader evolution. The explicit focus on GPU availability as a recruiting tool reveals how AI infrastructure has become the currency of cutting-edge research. This isn’t just about computational biology—it’s about positioning at the forefront of the AI-science convergence that many believe will drive the next generation of breakthroughs.
The political dimension cannot be ignored. Zuckerberg’s simultaneous pivot toward Trump and away from immigration advocacy suggests a calculated recalibration of priorities. However, the AI focus appears genuine and strategic, not merely political theater. By concentrating resources on AI-enabled biological research, CZI is betting on a future where machine learning transforms how we understand and manipulate biological systems. This shift may ultimately prove more impactful than traditional advocacy work, though it represents a fundamentally different approach to philanthropic influence.
Why This Matters
This strategic shift by one of tech’s most prominent philanthropic organizations signals the growing convergence of AI and biological sciences. CZI’s pivot from social advocacy to AI-powered scientific research reflects broader trends in the tech industry, where AI infrastructure—particularly GPU access—has become the most valuable resource for cutting-edge research.
The emphasis on GPUs as a recruiting tool underscores how AI capabilities are reshaping scientific research priorities. By positioning itself as an AI-enabled research hub, CZI is betting that the future of biological discovery lies in computational power and machine learning applications.
The timing alongside Zuckerberg’s political realignment raises questions about how tech leaders are balancing philanthropic missions with political considerations. As AI becomes increasingly central to both business strategy and scientific advancement, organizations like CZI are making calculated decisions about where to deploy resources. This shift may influence how other tech philanthropies approach the balance between social advocacy and technology-focused research, particularly as AI infrastructure becomes more critical to scientific breakthroughs.
Related Stories
- Zuckerberg: White House Pressured Facebook on COVID-19 Content
- What Zuckerberg Risks by Following Musk’s Lead
- Meta and Nvidia Billionaires’ Wealth Soars $152B in AI Boom
- Big Tech’s 2025 AI Plans: Meta, Apple, Tesla, Google Unveil Roadmap
- Mark Zuckerberg’s Net Worth Surpasses $200 Billion, Making Him the World’s Richest Person