Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan Pledge $45 Billion in Facebook Shares to Charity

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg just made a $45 billion donation to all humanity in his new daughter’s name.

The CEO and wife Priscilla Chan wrote an open letter on the social platform making a laundry list of promises to their new baby girl Max, among them a staggering pledge to donate 99% of their Facebook shares — currently valued at $45 billion, per the mogul.

Zuckerberg said he and his wife are offering up the cash to “advance human potential and promote equality for all children in the next generation.”

Read an excerpt from the letter:

As you begin the next generation of the Chan Zuckerberg family, we also begin the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to join people across the world to advance human potential and promote equality for all children in the next generation. Our initial areas of focus will be personalized learning, curing disease, connecting people and building strong communities.

We will give 99% of our Facebook shares — currently about $45 billion — during our lives to advance this mission. We know this is a small contribution compared to all the resources and talents of those already working on these issues. But we want to do what we can, working alongside many others.

“We’ll share more details in the coming months once we settle into our new family rhythm and return from our maternity and paternity leaves. We understand you’ll have many questions about why and how we’re doing this.

Aside from the big-ticket pledge, the Zuckerbergs go on to say their charitable initiative will target research and development in the arenas of the common causes of death (heart disease, etc) as well as education and increased access for the impoverished.

We would’ve sent something monogrammed for baby Max, but this seems like a great gift as well.