The Philanthropy 50

The Schmidts continue to give extensively through their grant makers to support clean energy, marine science and ocean conservation, and innovative efforts to address climate change, plastic pollution, and food insecurity. The couple have also built programs that support and connect young leaders, scientists, and others working to solve an array of global problems. Last year their $1.5 billion family foundation and their $1.1 billion Fund for Strategic Innovation each awarded $118 million in grants.

The Schmidt Family Foundation’s grants last year included awards to Conservation X Labs to develop conservation technology; the University of Vermont for its new UVM Institute for Agroecology, which works to advance sustainable agricultural practices; and the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks for its work to better understand the role the earth’s fungi play in regulating the planet’s climate and ecosystem.

Grants awarded through the Schmidt Futures arm of their Fund for Strategic Innovation included support for two partnerships the Schmidts have with the Rhodes Trust. One of those partnerships, the Schmidt Science Fellows, is a yearlong fellowship that places early-career scientists with leading scientists and internationally renowned labs in a scientific discipline different from their core area of study. The other partnership, Rise, locates and helps 15- to 17-year-olds worldwide with the potential to lead public-service groups and other efforts to improve society.