Chan Zuckerberg Initiative updates and news from across our initiatives.

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A Note from Priscilla Chan

The Value of Working Together

As a new season begins and the days start getting shorter, in some ways it feels like a moment of transition. But as I write to you this fall, the opposite feels true: so many of the challenges we face are refusing to subside. That's what makes it all the more inspiring to see so many people still coming together to lift up others and move their communities forward.

I’m humbled to continue learning from and supporting CZI’s partners on the frontlines. We continue to help advance public health outreach and support vaccine equity ([link removed] ) in disproportionately affected communities, as well as build and support sequencing technologies that help stem the spread of COVID-19. With many of our children back in classrooms for the first time in months, we’re advocating for trauma-informed approaches to student well-being and building technology to strengthen student and teacher relationships.

Here’s a look at other highlights from the past few months at CZI:

Crowdsourcing solutions to transform science

As a pediatrician, it's heartbreaking when you don't have the data you need to diagnose rare diseases in children—especially because they account for half of all rare disease patients. By supporting seventeen recently announced teams ([link removed] ) of researchers to contribute pediatric data to the Human Cell Atlas ([link removed] ) , we're committing to better understand, treat, and prevent pediatric disease.

When it comes to accelerating scientific discovery, there’s no substitute for open science. We recently spoke with four grantees ([link removed] ) of CZI’s Essential Open Source Software for Science (EOSS) program ([link removed] ) —which supports maintenance and development of critical research software in biomedicine—about how these tools support the needs of scientists globally. Open science is not only about bringing us scientific breakthroughs—it's also about removing barriers of participation in the scientific process. To that end, we recently awarded $5M in funding ([link removed] ) to support initiatives advancing diversity and inclusion in CZI-funded open source projects.

When it comes to accelerating scientific discovery, there’s no substitute for open science. We recently spoke with four grantees ([link removed] ) of CZI’s Essential Open Source Software for Science (EOSS) program ([link removed] ) —which supports maintenance and development of critical research software in biomedicine—about how these tools support the needs of scientists globally. Open science is not only about bringing us scientific breakthroughs—it's also about removing barriers of participation in the scientific process. To that end, we recently awarded $5M in funding ([link removed] ) to support initiatives advancing diversity and inclusion in CZI-funded open source projects.

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CZ Biohub recently celebrated its five year anniversary ([link removed] ) . In 2016, this incredible community of scientists, physicians, and engineers began collaborating to understand the fundamental mechanisms of diseases in support of our larger shared goal to help cure, prevent or manage them. Over the past five years, they’ve conducted groundbreaking research in areas including single-cell biology and infectious disease, and partnered closely with our team of scientists and engineers at CZI to develop and expand access to transformative tools and technologies.

It’s been humbling to witness the progress they’ve already made, and I can’t wait to see what the next five years hold.

Back to school: Supporting student well-being

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As a teacher, I loved the excitement of fall. Kids are ready to make new friends and teachers look forward to meeting their students. These relationships help children thrive, and research confirms it. Our partners at Gradient Learning ([link removed] ) recently shared that an overwhelming majority of the teachers they currently provide mentorship tools to through Summit Learning have already seen these relationships improve student outcomes.

Now, after more than a year of disrupted learning, we have work to do to strengthen those connections. CZI is partnering with NBC's TODAY ([link removed] ) to feature educators, students and researchers who highlight how strong student-teacher relationships can accelerate learning during the pandemic and beyond.

We're also making research-based tools like Along ([link removed] ) widely available to teachers to help them make students feel seen and heard. As Kathryn Procope, Head of Howard University Middle School of Mathematics & Science shared during this year's ASU-GSV summit ([link removed] ) , tools like this are critical to "bring[ing] the teacher and the student together in a space outside of the academics."

Investing in the future of learning

CZI Ventures also continues to invest in innovative entrepreneurs working to make high-quality education a reality for all. In 2016, we invested in Ellevation Education ([link removed] ) , a software platform that helps administrators and classroom teachers collaborate and deliver high quality instruction in support of more than 1.5 million English Language Learners (ELLs). By combining forces with respected curriculum and assessment leader Curriculum Associates ([link removed] ) , which reaches more than 10 million students across the country, Ellevation is poised to help even more multilingual students succeed.

We’re thrilled to see other Ventures portfolio companies attract significant new investments to continue scaling their impact, including Emeritus ([link removed] ) —an education leader partnering with top universities in the US, UK, Latin America and India to make world-class online instruction accessible to executives around the world. They recently announced a $650 million funding round ([link removed] ) that allows them to expand their global impact. Likewise, Panorama Education ([link removed] ) —a K-12 education platform that helps educators support students’ social emotional development—has raised $60 million ([link removed] ) to grow its team, accelerate product development, and partner with more districts.

COVID-19: Keeping communities safe, together

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Nearly two years after the first reported case of COVID-19 in the U.S., we’re proud to support partners developing community-driven, equity-centered solutions for accessible testing, vaccinations, and more. To share a few examples: Partners In Health ([link removed] ) and ideas42 ([link removed] ) — in partnership with Metropolitan United Methodist Church ([link removed] ) in Montgomery, Alabama—are using community engagement and education ([link removed] ) to increase vaccinations among those most likely to be impacted by COVID-19. In California, Anamatangi Polynesian Voices ([link removed] ) , the Rafiki Coalition, Umoja Health, Bay Area Community Health Advisory Council (BACHAC) ([link removed] ) and The Center at Sierra Health Foundation ([link removed] ) are working to help communities in the Bay Area and Central California access resources needed to stay safe and healthy.

In addition to these community-driven solutions, in late March 2020, we announced the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator ([link removed] ) in which we joined forces with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome, and Mastercard to identify and assess potential promising therapies for COVID-19. Just this past week, an announcement by Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics ([link removed] ) released an interim analysis showing that the antiviral pill, molnupiravir, can decrease hospitalization by approximately 50%. The COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator helped to support clinical trials work that made this breakthrough in therapeutics possible and has made investments in manufacturing to help ensure supply is available once molnupiravir is authorized for use.

As the economic impact of the pandemic continues, people are also mobilizing to keep families in their homes. The Los Angeles Local Rental Owners Collaborative ([link removed] ) (LROC) is helping local landlords at risk of being preyed upon by large real estate firms or foreclosing. And with this support, local rental owners—especially those who are immigrants or identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color)—are able to hold onto their property and keep local families housed. As LROC participant Albert shared, “All the problems were so difficult. I couldn’t believe it when I saw this program.”

In a recently published feature of the LROC ([link removed] ) , the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development profiled this innovative program as a model for preventing greater tenant displacement in high-cost markets like Los Angeles.

It’s stories like these, of people working together, that brighten my day. And as we near the end of another challenging year, it’s my wish that we remember the acts of collective compassion and generosity—large and small—that have gotten us through.

With care,

CO-FOUNDER AND CO-CEO

CHAN ZUCKERBERG INITIATIVE

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