We’re glad those are the choices we’ve made. Today, we are launching the Signal Foundation, an emerging 501(c)(3) nonprofit created and made possible by Brian Acton, the co-founder of WhatsApp, to support, accelerate, and broaden Signal’s mission of making private communication accessible and ubiquitous. In case you missed it, Brian left WhatsApp and Facebook last year, and has been thinking about how to best focus his future time and energy on building nonprofit technology for public good.
Starting with an initial $50,000,000 in funding, we can now increase the size of our team, our capacity, and our ambitions. This means reduced uncertainty on the path to sustainability, and the strengthening of our long-term goals and values. Perhaps most significantly, the addition of Brian brings an incredibly talented engineer and visionary with decades of experience building successful products to our team.
The Signal Foundation completes our vision of Signal operating as part of a full 501(c)(3). Up until now, we’ve never been able to take on the 501(c)(3) management overhead ourselves, and we’ve relied on the generosity of the Freedom Of The Press Foundation as our fiscal sponsor. Without their support, Signal would not be where it is today, and they have graciously agreed to continue accepting donations on our behalf while our status is pending.
Looking back at the progress we’ve made with such a small group, it’s exciting to imagine what an expanded team and the new foundation will help us accomplish in the future. We still know what we want Signal to be, and my personal commitment to Signal is as strong as ever.
