Anthropic plans to set aside 5% of shares for public benefit fund before IPO

Anthropic announced on Sunday that it will allocate a portion of its shares to a new fund aimed at advancing public benefit, pending shareholder approval. The artificial intelligence company committed to a 5% share commitment, with an additional 2% to be added by the board for every 50% increase in the company's valuation beyond a predetermined threshold.

As a public benefit corporation, Anthropic emphasizes its mission-driven work, such as AI safety and interpretability research, biomedical applications, and discounted offerings to nonprofits and scientific institutions. The Anthropic Public Benefit Fund will offer greater flexibility and scale compared to traditional nonprofit structures, though none of its equity will be used for lobbying or political activities in the U.S. or globally.

The fund allows Anthropic to pursue broader public benefit goals, including significant donations to conventional charities or direct support for specific populations, such as tackling the labor market effects of AI. Anthropic's co-founders initially pledged to donate 80% of their equity, and the company supports an employee equity match program, with about half of the workforce participating.

Together with the new fund, roughly 20% of Anthropic shares will be dedicated to public benefit purposes, with the possibility of additional allocations tied to specific valuation milestones. The company intends to provide further details on the fund's structure and governance in the coming months, along with a public benefit report on its progress.