Craig Newmark Philanthropies contributes $150,000 as the Web Foundation works to close the gender digital divide

Craig Newmark, the founder of craigslist and Craig Newmark Philanthropies, has donated $150,000 to the World Wide Web Foundation to support our goal of closing the gender digital divide as we fight for meaningful access to a web that is safe and empowering for all. 

Our Women’s Rights Online report has shown that men are 21% more likely than women to be online; in the least developed countries, men are 52% more likely to be online. Further, when women are online they are more concerned about privacy, less likely to create online content, and are more likely to face online abuse and threats of violence. This difference in access and experience is what we call the gender digital divide. 

Craig Newmark’s contribution will help support our work to reverse the gender digital divide — both in access and experience. 

We are addressing the growing gap in meaningful web access via the Alliance for Affordable Internet and our Women’s Rights Online network. To address the gap in experience, we have convened tech firms, civil society, and advocates via a pilot of the Tech Policy Design Lab — a part of the Contract for the Web — to tackle online gender-based violence across social media in the lead up to the United Nations Generation Equality Forum taking place June 30 – July 2, where UN Women is calling on governments and companies to make commitments to advance gender equality. 

Lastly, this funding will also help us build out and strengthen our global network of individuals and organisations working together to advocate for, and help create, a web that is safe and empowering for everyone.

“The Web is for everyone, fairly for everyone, and strong partners are needed to help make that happen,” said Craig Newmark. “To that end, we all need to support the work of the Web Foundation.”

We agree. And we’re always happy to connect with organizations, individuals, and governments open to collaboration and multi-stakeholderism as we work to tackle some of the most pressing issues facing the web today.

“I am so pleased that Craig Newmark has continued his support of the Web Foundation,” said Erica Mesker, Director of Development at the Web Foundation. “This support allows us to stay laser-focused on our mission and drive real change for a better web for everyone. It has also given us an opportunity to learn about and collaborate with an incredible community of like-minded organizations that Craig has cultivated and connected. We are truly grateful for his ongoing support.”

If you are interested in learning more about our work, or to discuss potential collaboration, please contact development@webfoundation.org.

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Tim Berners-Lee, our co-founder, gave the web to the world for free, but fighting for it comes at a cost. Please support our work to build a safe, empowering web for everyone.