Mark Zuckerberg has severed all connections with the immigration advocacy organization he established over 10 years ago, marking a dramatic reversal in his philanthropic priorities as he realigns with the Trump administration’s political agenda.
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative formally ended its relationship with FWD.us this year, withdrawing both financial backing and board representation. For the first time since its 2013 founding, the immigration and criminal justice reform organization operates without support from Zuckerberg, his wife Priscilla Chan, or their philanthropy. Jordan Fox, CZI’s chief of staff, departed the FWD.us board earlier this year, leaving no CZI representative in his place.
The split became official in April when FWD.us removed CZI from its internal bylaws, according to tax documents filed with the Internal Revenue Service. This decision concludes a chapter for the tech billionaire who once championed creating robust paths to citizenship, particularly for immigrants he considered essential to the technology sector.
The breakup represents the latest move in what observers characterize as Zuckerberg’s rightward pivot. Earlier this year, he implemented sweeping changes at Meta Platforms and his philanthropy, dismantling diversity programs and revising social media hate speech policies to permit exclusionary language regarding immigration.
These policy reversals come despite Meta’s heavy reliance on foreign workers. This year, the company secured the second-highest number of approved petitions for H-1B visas, which enable employers to hire skilled foreign workers, trailing only Amazon among the top 100 employers receiving approvals from the Department of Homeland Security.
A critical conversation may have accelerated the separation. In late 2024, Zuckerberg met with Trump adviser Stephen Miller, a primary architect of the administration’s restrictive immigration policies. Miller questioned Zuckerberg about his FWD.us connections, according to sources familiar with the exchange, as previously reported by The New York Times.
The timing proves particularly challenging for immigration advocacy groups. The Trump administration has launched an extensive crackdown targeting immigrants through arrests, deportations, travel restrictions, and policies blocking temporary workers and preventing lawful permanent residents from obtaining citizenship.
FWD.us has received over half of its approximately $400 million in donations since 2013 from Zuckerberg’s philanthropic vehicles, tax filings reveal. To compensate for losing this substantial funding stream, the organization has diversified its donor base and reduced spending.
“We’re thankful to our donors, past and present, and so grateful to the many new donors who have stepped up in the past few years,” FWD.us President Todd Schulte stated. “This allows us to fight for immigrants under attack today and to build a better approach to immigration and criminal justice reform for many, many years to come.”
A CZI spokesperson explained the philanthropy has undergone a multiyear transition, narrowing its focus to science and biomedical research while winding down social advocacy funding. The Biohub research center network now serves as Zuckerberg and Chan’s primary philanthropic focus.
