This whitepaper is a codification of a decade of learning. Not as a definitive model, but as one approach that has been useful for us in practice. It includes what we’ve found to work well, where we’ve struggled, and the kinds of tools and structures we’ve used to support an inquiry-driven orientation in grantmaking.
Your average computer science major seems to now be the poster child for Gen Z college grads unable to secure the sort of jobs that a decade of “top majors” features promised them. CS has until recently been assumed to be a “safe” major that guaranteed employment, often with a high starting salary in a perks-laden workplace, or equity in a fast-growing startup. A decline in demand for recent graduates has led to headlines suggesting the boom is over, and that AI poses an existential threat to all computer science occupations.
With a half century of service under its belt, CitizensNYC is one of the most experienced micro-funding organizations in the country. It provides micro-grants and capacity-building support to New York City neighborhood leaders who are making their communities more connected, resilient, and healthier.
Shifting those narratives isn't just a communications challenge; it's a question of power. Across regions and sectors, participants described rural places as sites of tech-driven innovation, experimentation, and deep practical knowledge. What is missing is not ingenuity, but the infrastructure, capital, and power of rural leaders to shape how technology shows up in their communities, and how that work is perceived.
Today we’re announcing a partnership with ImpactAlpha to support their Shape the Algorithm beat. The conversation around AI is moving fast. Every day, headlines remind us that the choices we make in technology—what gets built, how it’s governed, who benefits—matter. We’ve long believed that supporting public interest technology and engaging in the future of philanthropy isn’t just about grants. It’s about building the ecosystem that lets good ideas take root, scale, and adapt: capital, governance, knowledge, and strategy.
We believe feedback is essential to continuous improvement. Philanthropy operates within inherent power imbalances, making it all the more important to create structured opportunities for grantees to share honest perspectives about what's working and what isn't. We believe feedback serves a dual purpose: it strengthens our relationships with grantee organizations by demonstrating that their voices genuinely shape our practice, and they provide us with the critical feedback we need to evolve our approach.
Siegel’s annual Ask Me Anything webinar is an opportunity for our friends and partners to learn about our plans for the year ahead and ask questions about our work and approach. This year’s event, held virtually on Thursday, February 5th, brought together over 315 attendees.
With support from the Siegel Family Endowment, the newly renamed MIT Siegel Family Quest for Intelligence investigates how brains produce intelligence and how it can be replicated to solve problems.
We may be a small team, but our reach is mighty. Over the past quarter, we’ve traveled across the country and around the globe to seek out new perspectives, fresh solutions, and burgeoning insights that will shape our work in 2025.
Our latest grants reaffirm our commitment to building a more inclusive technological future by supporting comprehensive research, shaping human-centered policies, and fostering community-driven innovation to ensure these advancements benefit everyone.
Early this March, Siegel staff members from our research, grants, and external engagement team traveled to Austin, Texas, for SXSW EDU 2024. We met with old and new partners, attended learning sessions, and hosted events throughout the week with a dedicated focus on working together to imagine what the future of education may look like.
Siegel implemented GivingData as our first-ever grants management system just last year. We were thrilled to sit down with our partners at GivingData and Candid to explore how the implementation lead us to revamp our data collection protocol and processes, aligned with our vision for effective philanthropy and equitable grantmaking.