OpenAI Foundation pledges at least $25B, starting with $125M for open life-sciences data
typewriters · x · 2026-10-01
Nature reports that the OpenAI Foundation has committed to giving away at least $25 billion, potentially making it one of the richest nonprofits ever. Created in October 2025 after OpenAI's governance overhaul, it holds a 26% stake in OpenAI — at the company's $1.4 trillion valuation target, it could become the wealthiest charity on the planet.
- The first funding round comes from a $125M commitment to freely available health and life-sciences research data.
- Grants include $40M to UNC Chapel Hill for cancer vaccine development and $500K for a pilot project.
- Foundation life sciences lead Jacob Trefethen discusses ambitions to cure disease and how the money will be spent.
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