Yuri Milner’s Tech For Refugees has revealed it will donate $6 million to Flexport.org. This donation follows the $8 million grant that the two organizations announced in October 2022. Since partnering in April last year, Tech For Refugees and Flexport.org have supported 4 million refugees and helped deliver 116 full aid shipments worth $50 million.
Tech For Refugees supports humanitarian relief efforts through technology. Giving Pledge philanthropist Yuri Milner co-founded the initiative with his wife Julia in 2022. Their Breakthrough Prize Foundation funds various public-spirited projects, most of which are science-focused.
Using Technology to Address the Global Refugee Crisis
According to the United Nations Refugee Agency, of the 100 million displaced people in the world, 27 million are refugees. Since 1990, the number of people forced to flee their homes has increased by 100%. That amount has risen annually during the last decade.
Julia and Yuri Milner founded Tech For Refugees to help address the global refugee crisis. Tech For Refugees works with leading technology organizations and funds their humanitarian efforts. Companies and non-profits currently participating in the initiative include:
- org.
- US.
- The International Rescue Committee (IRC).
- org.
Tech For Refugees is also open to working with new technology partners to amplify and diversify its operations.
Bringing Aid to Millions of People Worldwide
Flexport.org optimizes logistics for environmental and social impact. The non-profit works with international aid agencies to deliver relief supplies to those in need. Since 2016, Flexport.org has delivered more than 21 million pounds of aid to over 70 countries, reaching 108 million individuals.
Flexport.org also helps organizations meet their sustainability goals. Over the last 7 years, Flexport.org has helped more than 300 organizations offset their carbon emissions from shipping.
Tech For Refugees’ $6 million donation to Flexport.org builds on the initiatives’ existing partnership. The grant will help refugees from the Horn of Africa, Pakistan, and Ukraine. It will also benefit those affected by Turkey and Syria’s earthquakes and people in other global crisis zones.
To date, the Flexport.org/Tech For Refugees partnership has helped:
- Two million Ukrainian refugees.
- One million people across the Horn of Africa.
- One million people in Pakistan.
Head of Flexport.org Kristen Dohnt has called the Tech For Refugees partnership “crucial.” Flexport.org is “optimistic” that the new grant will bring critical aid to many more people.
Find out more about Tech For Refugees’ programs.
About Yuri Milner and the Breakthrough Prize Foundation
Yuri Milner is an Israeli entrepreneur who founded DST Global and the Breakthrough Prize Foundation . Before working in internet investment, he was a theoretical physicist. Yuri Milner’s current investment areas include internet technology and science philanthropy.
In 2012, Julia and Yuri Milner signed the Giving Pledge of Bill Gates, Melinda Gates, and Warren Buffett. As Giving Pledge signatories, the Milners are donating the majority of their wealth to projects that advance science. These projects include the Breakthrough Prize, the Breakthrough Initiatives, and the Breakthrough Junior Challenge.
While the Milners’ Giving Pledge focuses mainly on science, the couple also supports humanitarian causes. In recent years, the Breakthrough Prize Foundation has provided aid to schemes relating to the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. The Foundation has also made several multi-million-dollar donations in support of Ukrainian science.