Wendy Schmidt

Watch this giant phantom jellyfish closely, or on repeat, like we’ve been doing, and you may start to see the ways it resembles not only sea creatures and land snakes but also, perhaps, contrails floating behind a plane, or plumes behind a rocket ship.

Threats to funding and freedom in art and science belie the deep connections between the two seemingly disparate disciplines, and their combined power to address our most pressing problems. Read my op-ed: www.theartnewspaper.com/2026/01/14/a... @schmidtocean.bsky.social @schmidtsciences.bsky.social

Google’s Former C.E.O. Wants to Build a Cosmic Search Engine

For 20 years, Eric & I have pursued philanthropy to seek new frontiers, whether in the deep sea or in the profound connections that link people and our planet. With the Schmidt Observatory System, we're enabling multiple approaches to understanding the vast universe. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/09/s...

If you’re in D.C. over Christmas, please visit the Smithsonian to see the rare Pachycephalosaurus skull Eric and I donated through our foundation... wapo.st/45kOE0X

Bridge Fund Awards $26 Million - Public Media Company Public Media Bridge Fund Awards $26 Million in Stabilization Grants for At-Risk Public Media Stations More than 70 grantees—operating over 180 radio and television stations— nationwide will receive cr...

The Public Media Bridge Fund that we support through our foundation just announced $26 million in grants that will benefit 74 public media organizations. Together, they operate 186 radio and television stations that serve over 30 million Americans. publicmedia.co/bridge-fund-...

We are excited to support this simple, effective solution to repopulate kelp forests. It all starts with a seed attached to a rock.... www.seaforester.org/news/seafore...

Contributor: Bob Ross is once again ready to help save public media Works by the late painter will go up for auction in L.A. on Tuesday to support local TV and radio after "crooked trees" in D.C. pulled back funds approved for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Why is Bob Ross up for sale at an art auction tomorrow? Because the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has been defunded. Read my op-ed to see what’s really at stake in a world without local public media: www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...

We need to improve our understanding of how carbon cycles through our soil, sea and skies to make better predictions for our future. That’s why @schmidtsciences.bsky.social will give up to $45 million for the Virtual Institute for the Carbon Cycle…. www.schmidtsciences.org/schmidt-scie...

Excited to share the latest issue of Nautilus, created in partnership with Schmidt Sciences, which profiles just a handful of the many scientists we support in their pursuit of discovery. www.schmidtsciences.org/wp-content/u...

Shantanu Agarwal Is on the 2025 TIME100 Next Find out why Shantanu Agarwal is on this year’s list

What an honor to celebrate Shantanu Agarwal, a grantee of the Schmidt Family Foundation, in the #Time100Next. See how his company, Mati Carbon, is revolutionizing carbon removal to benefit small farms in India: time.com/collections/...

Investing in Impact: Alex Gibney and Wendy Schmidt on Storytelling That Matters Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney has spent his career uncovering mass corruption and scandals across Big Tech, politics, and corporate America with films including Enron: The Sm...

I sat down with my Jigsaw colleague Alex Gibney and @fastcompany.com ’s Brendan Vaughan to talk about why storytelling—all of our stories—matter if our world is ever going to be healthy, resilient and secure: www.fastcompany.com/video/invest... #fastcompanyinnovationfestival

Why Billionaire Wendy Schmidt Is ‘Doubling Down’ On Climate Science In The Age Of Trump How billionaire Wendy Schmidt became a crucial funder of science and climate research amid political rollbacks—backing ocean discovery, data access, and storytelling.

Philanthropy is vital in advancing the science needed to address global challenges. Our co-founder @wendyschmidt.bsky.social is an inspiring example. Thank you for your unwavering support for science @schmidtocean.bsky.social @schmidtsciences.bsky.social www.forbes.com/sites/elisab...

YouTube video by Schmidt Ocean Celebrating the Deep | Underwater Oases of the Mar Del Plata Canyon

More than 3 million people tuned into @schmidtocean.bsky.social’s expedition livestream off the coast of Argentina, sparking a dialogue about the value of scientific exploration. Watch the footage here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTLt...

Public media is essential across the U.S. and across the partisan divide. With the loss of federal funds, we are working to save these vital sources of news, emergency alerts, cultural programming and civic engagement. 11thhourproject.org/foundations-...

There’s Fungus Among Us. But Where Exactly?

What if we were missing a key part of Earth’s biodiversity—one that was right under our noses, or rather, our feet? Read about grantee SPUN’s latest finding, that less than 10% of mycorrhizal fungi are currently in environmentally protected areas. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/23/s...

It was a pleasure chatting with @weareagog.bsky.social's @chipgiller.bsky.social and James Pollard of @apnews.com about how philanthropy can support science, ethical and inclusive AI and the power of immersive reality....
apnews.com/article/wend...

The Ocean Still Holds Mysteries. That's Why We Must Save It The more we explore and protect the ocean, the more we benefit, whether in the form of economic returns or scientific breakthroughs.

The United Nations Ocean Conference made significant strides. What can we do now to keep momentum going until the next meeting in 2028? @donabertarelli.bsky.social of @dbphilanthropy.bsky.social and I answer that question: time.com/7298700/why-...

Wendy Schmidt stands in Times Square staring up and back at a towering billboard, projected against a building, that features a picture of a glass octopus.

We brought the deep sea to Times Square for World Ocean Month! @schmidtocean.bsky.social

Ever-changing Universe Revealed in First Imagery From NSF–DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory | Rubin Observatory From distant stars and galaxies to asteroids whizzing through the Solar System, this next-generation facility unveils its first imagery and brings the night sky to life like never before

Proud to support, through @schmidtsciences.bsky.social, the advanced computational architecture and software tools needed to comb through data coming in from @vrubinobs.bsky.social -- first images here: rubinobservatory.org/news/first-i...

A tiger never changes its stripes, but unfortunately, the Earth does, and the redder stripes get, the more our planet warms. This summer equinox, #ShowYourStripes. Find out more about the effort @climatecentral.org www.climatecentral.org/climate-matt...

Empathy is the root of social action, and XR/VR has enormous potential to get us inside another person’s experience. That’s why @chipgiller.bsky.social and I founded @weareagog.bsky.social. If you’re in New York, please check out the immersive works at Tribeca! www.tribecafilm.com/festival/imm...

A man rides a scooter. His white T-shirt reads, "Where is love?"

What the world needs now...

Mother’s Day morning perfection!

It Took a Century to Find This Colossal Squid (Gift Article) An expedition spotted a baby of the species in the South Sandwich Islands. This cephalopod can grow to more than 20 feet and has proved elusive in its deep-sea environs.

Our hearts? Tripled. Our arms? Quadrupled. Our lives? Forever transformed by this baby.

Meet the juvenile colossal squid—complete with three hearts and eight arms (and two tentacles)—that’s stolen our hearts.

@schmidtocean.bsky.social

www.nytimes.com/2025/04/15/s...

How Two Santa Barbara Philanthropists Stepped in to Preserve Tri-County Produce Wendy and Eric Schmidt’s investment will allow the beloved market to continue running under local ownership.

When it looked like our local market, the beloved Tri-County Produce, would close its doors, we knew we had to do something… www.independent.com/2025/04/21/h...

We’re working toward a healthy, resilient, secure world for all because every day is #earthday

A huge iceberg broke off Antarctica. What scientists found under it startled them. Crustaceans, snails, worms and fish are among the dozens of creatures that deep-sea explorers discovered under a massive Antarctic ice shelf.

POV: An iceberg the size of Chicago falls into the Antarctic and you happen to be there. Peer into the deep with @schmidtocean.bsky.social www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...

2025 Fellows Will Break New Ground Through Interdisciplinary Research • Schmidt Science Fellows Thirty-two early career researchers, tackling issues from improving food security to developing better medical implants, have been announced as the 2025 Schmidt Science Fellows and will pursue innovat...

Philanthropic funding of scientific research, and especially support of early-career researchers, has never been more important. That’s why we’re excited to support the 32 newest members of the @schmidtfellows.bsky.social. Congratulations! schmidtsciencefellows.org/news/2025-fe...

A rainbow arches across a semi-cloudy sky toward the ocean

Working together for brighter days....

Wendy Schmidt's photo in the bottom right against a blurred backdrop of a grocery store aisle. The text reads: "From Seed to Supermarket: Wendy Schmidt." In the top left corner in a circle are the words "The big food redesign challenge."

How do we create a clean food system—one that doesn’t pollute our air, our water and our soil, and one that provides nutritious and delicious food for all? I discussed a seed-to-shelf sustainable system on the Food for Thought podcast.

www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/podcasts/ep-...