Dropbox Launches $20M Foundation to Protect Human Rights

3/4/2018

Dropbox co-founders, Drew Houston and Arash Ferdowsi, recently announced the launch of Dropbox Foundation. The online file-hosting service is the latest Silicon Valley tech giant to develop a formal philanthropy arm. Together with Dropbox, Drew and Arash endowed the Foundation with an initial $20 million to develop partnerships with human rights organizations around the world.

The Foundation will be making contributions in two unique ways. First, grants will be unrestricted, a contrast to the majority of foundations that have guidelines in place for how money can be spent; organizations are selected carefully and the Foundation trusts that they know what they need better than anyone else. Second, Dropbox employees will be volunteering their skill-sets to match with each partner's unique needs, anything from improving data security to recruiting top talent.

Below is a quick highlight of each of the Foundation's first chosen partners of 2018:

• GOAL: an international aid charity based in Dublin, offering emergency response and a wide range of humanitarian services to the poorest of the poor
• Larkin Street Youth Services: provides emergency and ongoing support to San Francisco's at-risk youth, helping them rebuild and put an end to youth homelessness
• War Child UK: a London-based organization dedicated to helping children affected by conflict and the aftermath
• Witness: a Brooklyn organization utilizing video and tech to document and defend human rights

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