SOURCE OF WEALTH: Co-founder of Google
FUNDING AREAS: Global Poverty, Parkinson's Disease, Education & Youth, Jewish Causes, Bay Area Community, Social Entrepreneurship, Research and Technology
OVERVIEW: Sergey Brin does his grantmaking through the Sergey Brin Family Foundation, which held more than $2.79 billion in assets in a recent year and gives away over $100 million annually. The foundation does not have a website. Brin has appeared on the Chronicle of Philanthropy's list of the 50 most generous philanthropists.
BACKGROUND: Born in Russia, Sergey Brin left with his family to the United States to escape Jewish persecution in 1979. Brin received his degree in mathematics and computer science from the University of Maryland at College Park, and later enrolled at Stanford University, where he met Larry Page. The duo went on to co-found Google in 1998. Brin served as president of Google's parent company, Alphabet Inc., until 2019. He remains on the board, however.
ISSUES:
PARKINSON'S RESEARCH: In recent years, Brin has donated over $1 billion to Parkinson's research, much of which has gone to the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Brin has written about his personal dealings with Parkinson's—a disease that afflicted both his mother and great aunt.
Via the Sergey Brin Family Foundation, Brin has supported the Milken Institute (also toward Parkinson's research), and Parkinson's Institute and Clinical Center. Through its Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s initiative, the Sergey Brin Family Foundation has also given $161 million to 21 research teams at 60 institutions throughout the US and abroad.
RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY: Although he is no longer on the board, Brin, along with Mark Zuckerberg, Priscilla Chan, Art Levinson, Anne Wojcicki and Yuri Milner, created the Breakthrough Prize in 2013, a $3 million prize awarded to one physics project and six life sciences projects annually, for a total of $21 million a year. Brin has provided ongoing support to the organization. For more information, see the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences.
SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP: Brin is a strong supporter of Ashoka, a group that brings together entrepreneurs to produce innovative solutions to problems relating to a wide variety of social issues, including women's issues, education and the environment. Through his foundation, Brin has also supported Management Leadership for Tomorrow and the Center for Employment Opportunities.
JEWISH CAUSES: When Brin came with his family to the United States to escape antisemitism, he received help from the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society. He later returned the favor with a $1 million donation to the organization. Brin has served on the HIAS board and also set up a blog on the site called My Story to encourage immigrants to share their experiences. Other Jewish organizations that have received funding in recent years include Jewish Vocational Service and Jewish Family and Children’s Services, both of San Francisco.
BAY AREA COMMUNITY: Through his foundation, Brin has provided significant support to the Tipping Point Community, which is trying to eliminate poverty in the Bay Area, as well as smaller donations to other groups working to conquer poverty and hunger. Among these groups are Meals on Wheels San Francisco, the Full Circle Fund, the Boy's and Girl's Clubs of the Peninsula and a number of homeless shelters and soup kitchens in the area.
EDUCATION & YOUTH: Brin’s giving for education has increased significantly over the last several years, with large sums going to college readiness initiatives and teacher education. Recipients include the Citizen Schools, an organization that works to expand the school day for middle school students living in poverty, as well as BUILD, a four-year program that uses entrepreneurship to motivate low-income students through high school and college. Brin has also supported Beyond 12 Education, California’s Alder Graduate School of Education, Syracuse University and Carnegie Mellon University.
Via the Sergey Brin Family Foundation, Brin has directed millions toward a donor-advised fund. Some of this support has gone to Youth Villages, which provides "help for children and young people across the United States who face a wide range of emotional, mental and behavioral problems," as well as Wendy's Wonderful Kids, which deals with adoption.
ARTS & CULTURE: The Sergey Brin Family Foundation's grantmaking does not appear to prioritize arts and culture at this time. It has, however, given to the Statue of Liberty Ellis Island Foundation, the Turrell Art Foundation and the Burning Man Project.
DISASTER RECOVERY: Brin founded Global Support and Development, a disaster-relief organization that uses high-tech systems to rapidly deliver humanitarian assistance during high-profile disasters.
CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENVIRONMENT: Brin has demonstrated interest in climate change, having funded research at Maastricht University on lab-created beef in the early 2010s.
HEALTH: Brin, along with Roblox founder David Baszucki and Keystone Capital chairman Kent Dauten, contributed a combined $150 million for research and treatment of bipolar disorder.
LOOKING FORWARD: Brin is still very much engaged in business but is likely to increase giving down the line. Expect Brin to continue with his established interests.
CONTACT:
Sergey Brin Family Foundation
c/o Pacific Foundation Services
1660 Bush Street, No. 300
San Francisco, CA 94109
415-561-6540