It is with gratitude that we find ourselves with this capacity to give. We are committed to our philanthropic endeavors and devote our time and energy to this work. Sunlight Giving, Acton Family Giving and Solidarity Giving each have a distinct mission, but hold a shared belief in an individual’s right to dignity, agency, justice and self-determination. Together, they work to further civic values, collective responsibility, and our common humanity. Collectively we refer to these entities as Wildcard Giving*.
Sister Entities
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| Mission |
Sunlight Giving believes a child’s economic status should not define their future. We are dedicated to supporting nonprofits that ensure young children and their families living in poverty in greater Silicon Valley have access to the resources they need. |
Acton Family Giving supports targeted initiatives and organizations the Actons have a personal connection to. This is not discretionary giving, but a home for work, ideas, and efforts that further our commitment to community. |
Solidarity Giving supports and defends America’s civic values by funding organizations that advance social justice, promote civic engagement, and serve threatened communities around the country. |
| Detail | Private Foundation | Donor Advised Fund at Fidelity Charitable | Donor Advised Fund at Fidelity Charitable |
| Grantmaking Geography | 10 Bay Area Counties | National, International; Local Family Giving | National; State and Regional Affiliate Partnerships |
| Established | 2014 | 2014 | 2016 |
| Corpus* | $453,425,991 | $397,200,000 | $301,100,000 |
| Annual Grantmaking Targets | $24,000,000 | $16,000,000 | $10,000,000 |
How We Give
While the mission of each sister entity is distinct, we ground our work in a shared set of grantmaking values and approaches. We believe in:
- using grantmaking funds in service of the public trust
- deferring to community wisdom and those doing the work
- supporting our grantees while also allowing them the space to do their best work
- learning and adapting
- providing flexible support including multi-year funding, when possible
- employing efficient, transparent processes
Through our focus on direct services, policy / advocacy, and empathy building, Wildcard Giving supports underserved, underrepresented, and undervoiced populations.
About the Actons
Tegan and Brian Acton are the founders and co-chairs of Wildcard Giving, a family of philanthropic entities created following the sale of WhatsApp to Facebook in 2014. Tegan serves as the principal at each of the sister entities, which work together to further civic values, collective responsibility, and our common humanity. Independent of Wildcard Giving, Brian serves as the Executive Chairman of the Signal Technology Foundation, which strives to make private communication accessible and ubiquitous.
Prior to establishing Wildcard Giving, Tegan served as the Director of Communications and Strategic Initiatives for the office of the Vice Provost of Undergraduate Education at Stanford University. She additionally held positions at Yahoo! and the Sundance Institute, and graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara with a BA in English and Political Science. Tegan is the head of Good Gravy Films, which provides grants and equity funding to independent films, and serves on the Board of Trustees of the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Brian has been an engineering leader throughout Silicon Valley, holding various positions at Adobe, Apple, and Yahoo! before co-founding WhatsApp with Jan Koum in 2009. After eight years at WhatsApp/Facebook, Brian left to start the Signal Technology Foundation in 2018. Brian graduated from Stanford University with a BS in Computer Science. Brian enjoys Ultimate Frisbee and building LEGO with his family.
*Why Wildcard
In software and searches, a wildcard operator is a placeholder that is represented by a single character — like an asterisk — which can stand in for one or a series of characters. That means a single wildcard operator can return a huge number of results. In this way, in addition to its tie-in to the entities’ tech beginnings, the name Wildcard Giving is based on the idea that a single act of giving returns tenfold.
