Anthropic commits 5% of its shares to a new public benefit fund

Anthropic plans to place 5% of its shares in a new entity called the Anthropic Public Benefit Fund. The AI company announced the plan on Sunday, but it still needs approval from Anthropic’s stockholders.

The fund’s stake is designed to grow with the company, Anthropic wrote in a blog post. The board can add a further 2% of shares each time Anthropic’s value rises by 50% above a set baseline. The company has not said what that baseline is.

The fund will be a limited liability company wholly owned by Anthropic, rather than a charity. Anthropic said this format makes it easier to switch between different kinds of giving. It also said none of the fund’s Anthropic shares will pay for lobbying or political donations, in the US or elsewhere.

As for how the money could be used, the company gave two examples. One is large gifts to established nonprofits. The other is payments made straight to particular groups of people.

Anthropic pointed to the effect of AI on jobs as one area the fund could work on. It has already pledged $200M to a research fund that studies how society can adapt to AI’s economic impact. The new fund could back bigger efforts if needed, the company said.

Anthropic is a public benefit corporation, a legal form that requires a company to weigh the public interest alongside profit.

The company said most of its mission work, such as AI safety research and discounts for nonprofits, will stay inside the business.

According to the company, the fund adds to earlier pledges. Its co-founders promised to give away 80% of their equity when they started the business. Anthropic also matches the shares that staff choose to donate, and about half of its employees participate.

Taken together, about 20% of Anthropic’s shares will now be set aside for the public good, the company said. That figure does not include any extra shares added as the company’s value grows.

Anthropic said it will share more about the fund’s structure, governance, and valuation milestones in the coming months. It also plans to publish a public benefit report on its progress.