Craig Newmark

Craig Newmark is an internet entrepreneur and philanthropist, best known as the founder of Craigslist, who now champions journalism, cybersecurity, and veteran support through Craig Newmark Philanthropies. After launching Craigslist in 1995 as a free email list for sharing local events in San Francisco, Craig Newmark went on to create one of the internet’s most impactful platforms for classified advertising and community engagement. Newmark holds a Bachelor of Science (1975) and Master of Science (1977) in Computer Science from Case Western Reserve University. His technical career began in 1976 with nearly 17 years at IBM, followed by programming roles at Charles Schwab and Bank of America.

Newmark’s philanthropic momentum continued, with $10 million donated to hunger charities (2020) and $5 million to the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School (2021). In 2022, he committed $50 million to the Cyber Civil Defense initiative, publicly stated his intent to give almost all his wealth to charity, and provided a $2.95 million grant to The Bob Woodruff Foundation’s Got Your 6 Network. His dedication to veterans expanded significantly in 2023, highlighted by a $1 million donation to Blue Star Families, an additional $10 million to The Bob Woodruff Foundation’s Got Your 6 Network, and a pledge of $100 million for veterans and military families. Most recently, in 2024, Newmark announced a $10 million launch gift to the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism.