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The Craigslist Foundation: Improving Lives and Communities
We all can agree that Craigslist is go-to resource for people looking to buy, sell, or rent items, and has been ever since it was founded in 1995. But in addition to connecting people through online classified ads, the Craigslist Foundation worked to improve lives and communities around the world.
The Craigslist Foundation was set up to help more people get access to education and jobs, get more people involved in their communities, and reduce poverty. Here’s a closer look at how the Craigslist Foundation made a difference.
What was the Craigslist Foundation
The Craigslist Foundation was a not-for-profit organization started by Craig Newmark and others in 2000.
The foundation had a vision of supporting non-profit organizations by educating new and rising non-profit leaders in the community.
From the former website, the Foundation’s mission statement was about “Providing knowledge, resources, and visibility to the next generation of nonprofit leaders.”
Access to Education and Economic Opportunities
The Craigslist Foundation worked with many different groups to help people in need get access to educational and job opportunities. From providing funding for scholarships and job training programs to supporting micro-enterprise initiatives, the foundation has made a lasting impact.
In 2017, the Craigslist Foundation partnered with the National Urban League and the National Council of La Raza to launch the Craigslist Opportunity Fund. This fund helps organizations that worked to improve economic and educational opportunities for communities that need it.
Promoting Community Engagement
The Craigslist Foundation also gave grants to local non-profits and community-based groups to help get people involved in their communities. These grants helped fund projects that helped people get an education, helped people start their own businesses, and got people involved in their communities.
The foundation also worked to encourage people to volunteer by helping them find ways to do so in their own communities. Through their volunteer portal, people could find volunteer opportunities related to education, health and wellness, the environment, and more.
Reducing Poverty
The Craigslist Foundation was committed to helping reduce poverty and expand economic opportunities for people in need. To that end, the foundation provided grants to organizations that focused on economic empowerment, such as job training and job placement programs.
The foundation also worked with groups that help homeless and low-income people with things like food pantries and housing assistance. These services helped to reduce poverty and improve the quality of life for those in need.
Shutting Down
The Craigslist Foundation ran for approximately 10 years and supported many non-profits and various communities all over the United States. In March 2012, the Craigslist Foundation ceased its operations and began to transition the aid to new programs that could deliver better results. On the Foundation website, a “Letter to Colleagues and Friends.” (Craigslist Foundation Online Announcement 01/11/2012.), they thanked everyone for the many success stories the foundation achieved and looked forward to the new journeys ahead.
Craigslist Charitable Fund (CCF)
Although the names are similar, the Craigslist Charitable Fund (CCF) is not the same as the Craigslist Foundation.
The Craigslist Charitable Fund (CCF) is a 501(c)(3) private foundation affiliated with the classified advertisements website Craigslist. It was founded in 2009 by Craig Newmark, the owner and founder of Craigslist. The CCF says it funds groups that promote human rights, justice, education, the environment, transportation, non-violence, world peace, veteran’s issues, nonprofit journalism, open source, and the Internet.
According to its website, the CCF has provided tens of millions of dollars in grants to hundreds of partner organizations addressing four broad areas of interest: the environment and transportation; education, rights, justice, and reason; non-violence, veterans, peace; and journalism, open source, Internet. Some of the sample grant partners are listed below:
- The Environment & Transportation: Greenpeace, Nature Conservancy, Sierra Club, World Bicycle Relief, SF Bike Coalition, etc.
- Education, Rights, Justice, Reason: Malala Fund, Oxfam America, ACLU Foundation, Brennan Center for Justice, Drug Policy Alliance, etc.
- Non-Violence, Veterans, Peace: Ploughshares Fund, Peace Action Education Fund, Veterans for Peace, Iraq Vets Against War, Center on Conscience and War, etc.
- Journalism, Open Source, Internet: ProPublica, Wikimedia Foundation, Sunlight Foundation, EFF, Poynter Institute for Media Studies, Python Foundation, etc.
The CCF is known for donating heavily to nonprofit journalism outlets, gun control groups, and environmentalist groups. In 2018, it teamed with the Knight Foundation to provide $1.2 million to the Duke University Reporters’ Lab to create a fact-check app called FactStream, to provide real-time fact-checking. The information is drawn from three left-of-center journalism outfits: the Washington Post, Factcheck.org, and PolitiFact, a project of the Poynter Institute for Media Studies.
The CCF also gave $250,000 to the Wikimedia Foundation in 2017 to launch an initiative to combat harassment and toxic behavior on Wikipedia. The Craig Newmark Foundation gave another $250,000 to the effort. The grants were set to be used for developing tools for volunteer editors and staff to block harassers for the user-content-generated online encyclopedia. The focus was to be on detection and prevention, helping victims of harassment report, and blocking harassers and making it difficult for people to engage in trolling and doxing.
The CCF is not to be confused with the List Foundation, which was an earlier name for Craigslist that was dropped in 1999 due to trademark issues. The List Foundation was a nonprofit organization that supported grassroots and progressive groups.
The CCF does not accept unsolicited proposals or requests for funding. It operates with minimal staff and overhead. It does not have a website of its own but provides information on its grantmaking on the Craigslist website.
The CCF is one of the ways that Craigslist gives back to the communities it serves. By supporting various causes and organizations that align with its values and vision, the CCF aims to make a positive impact on the world.
Craig Newmark Philanthropies:
Craig Newmark is best known as the founder of Craigslist, the online marketplace that connects millions of users around the world. But he is also a generous philanthropist who supports causes that align with his values of fairness, opportunity, and respect.
In 2016, he launched Craig Newmark Philanthropies, a grantmaking organization that focuses on five main areas: trustworthy journalism, food insecurity, voter protection, women in technology, and veterans and military families. He believes that these are some of the most pressing issues facing our country and our democracy today.
Trustworthy journalism is essential for informing the public and holding the powerful accountable. Craig Newmark Philanthropies supports organizations that promote ethical, accurate and inclusive reporting, such as ProPublica, The Center for Public Integrity, The Markup and The Poynter Institute. He also funds initiatives that combat online harassment, misinformation and cyberattacks, such as the Coalition Against Online Violence, the News Literacy Project and the Cyber Civil Defense Corps.
Food insecurity is a growing problem that affects millions of Americans, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Craig Newmark Philanthropies has devoted $25 million to address this issue through craigstable, a network of organizations that provide food assistance and advocacy to those in need. Some of the partners include Feeding America, World Central Kitchen, Meals on Wheels America and No Kid Hungry.
Voter protection is crucial for ensuring that every eligible citizen can exercise their right to vote without barriers or intimidation. Craig Newmark Philanthropies supports groups that work to expand access to voting, protect voting rights and fight voter suppression, such as Fair Fight Action, Vote.org, Common Cause and the Brennan Center for Justice.
Women in technology are underrepresented and face many challenges in the male-dominated field. Craig Newmark Philanthropies supports organizations that empower women and girls to pursue careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), such as Girls Who Code, Black Girls Code, AnitaB.org and Women Who Tech.
Veterans and military families deserve our gratitude and support for their service and sacrifice. Craig Newmark Philanthropies supports organizations that provide them with resources, opportunities and recognition, such as the Bob Woodruff Foundation, Blue Star Families, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and Pigeon Rescue NYC.
Craig Newmark is a humble and modest person who does not seek fame or fortune for his philanthropy. He prefers to stay behind the scenes and let the people who are doing the work take the credit. He says he is just following his nerd values and doing what he can to make a difference in the world.
If you want to learn more about Craig Newmark Philanthropies and its impact, you can visit its website at https://craignewmarkphilanthropies.org/ or follow Craig Newmark on social media platforms such as Mastodon (@craignewmark@mastodon.social), LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/craignewmark) or Twitter (@craignewmark).
Final Thoughts
The Craigslist Foundation was an organization that was dedicated to improving lives and communities around the world. The foundation did great things, like giving people access to educational and economic opportunities, getting people involved in their communities, and reducing poverty.
If you’d like to make a difference in your community, consider supporting local organizations. By donating, volunteering, or simply spreading the word about its mission, you can help local organizations continue their work to improve lives and communities around the world.