Wendy Schmidt gives big to protect oceans, planet’s future

By MARIA DI MENTO of The Chronicle of Philanthropy
Chronicle of Philanthropy

The health of the world’s oceans looms large in Wendy Schmidt’s thinking about the planet’s future and in her giving. Schmidt leads a collection of philanthropies through which she and her husband, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, work to help protect the planet. They give to support clean energy, marine science and ocean conservation, and efforts to address climate change, plastic pollution, and food insecurity. The couple have also built programs that support and connect young leaders, scientists, and others working to solve an array of global problems. The Schmidts have poured nearly $2.2 billion into their philanthropies since 2019 and during that time have pledged and given away more than $1.4 billion.