The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, co-founded by Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, has canceled all of its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. The foundation, which previously funded initiatives focused on racial equity, immigrant rights, and social justice, will now allocate resources exclusively to science and artificial intelligence.
In an internal email, Chief Operating Officer Mark Malandro stated that, due to changing legal and regulatory conditions, the foundation would no longer have a dedicated DEI team.
This decision contradicts previous assurances made by the foundation. Just weeks earlier, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative had assured employees that changes at Meta would not affect the foundation’s commitment to DEI efforts. However, the recent announcement confirmed the complete discontinuation of these social programs.
Additionally, the foundation has canceled its Science Diversity Leadership Awards, which had previously provided $1.5 million in grants, and has ended its Diverse Slate Practice, which required diverse candidates to be interviewed for every open position.
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative declined to comment further on the matter.
