People that make their way out to California to explore the famed Silicon Valley are generally left feeling underwhelmed by how normal and ordinary it all seems.

There is so much talk of how wealthy, ingenuity, and revolutionary the location is that individuals find themselves staring at office buildings, freeways, and shopping centers in confusion.

Though it is a spot on the map, talking about Silicon Valley doesn’t refer to the geographic nature of the location as it does a state of mind concerning the innovation in technology that comes from its residents.

Just about every aspect of life has been impacted by the digital developments that have come from the Valley, and recent years have shown that the region is having a significant impact on philanthropy.

The Big Impact

In 2017, $15 billion was given away by 50 of the largest donors that lived in the United States. According to the data, 60% of those extremely gracious gits came from technology giants.

This shows how wealthy, but giving, the tech industry has become, since as recently as 2013, only 25% of the significant philanthropic contributions came from big names in Silicon Valley.

It’s not just about the money, as the tech entrepreneurs are also sharing their passions, their infectious optimism, and their driving motivations with the world. They have a mindset that adopts risk as a component of innovation, and they attack each idea with thorough research and discipline.

These same practices apply to their investment ventures, as these individuals choose to share their money according to the guidance of their virtues. Bill and Melinda Gates are an excellent example of this influence.

Through their vaccine program, which is just one of their many philanthropic efforts, around eight million preschool children’s lives will be saved within the first 20 years of operations. Mark Stevens is another name in the ranks of those in technology venture capital.

The Origins of Investment

Philanthropy isn’t something new to those in Silicon Valley. Early donors like the Packards and the Hewletts create financial waves back in the day, but as tech developments have expanded outside the area of just Silicon Valley, you see philanthropic ventures occurring in Seattle, New York, Boston, Los Angeles, and a host of the booming tech hubs.

One thing these different locations and donors have in common is the use of data to drive their decision-making. The giving is on a significant scale, but each proposition is carefully researched to ensure that whole sectors can be transformed through gifts.

Donors aren’t just signing checks anymore. They are taking a huge interest in grantmaking, program evaluation, and program management. There is an expectation for both national and global effects.

Tech moguls are pushing for change in philanthropy just as their products and innovations have turned entertainment, traveling, communications, and commerce upside down. As Silicon Valley continues to become a formidable force in charitable giving, the nation may want to look more closely at the long-term effects.

The Patterns of Giving

The nation knows the names of Gates and Zuckerberg in philanthropic circles, but considering where all the wealth in the tech sector lies, the overall giving of the tech sector isn’t that impressive.

The IRS statistics show that those working technology industries with an income falling between $100,000 and $200,000 are significantly less involved in giving that those that have equivalent incomes through different professions.

The bulk of the giving done by those in the who have the most money. The biggest gifts come from the very rich, with many of the 70 billionaires and 75,000 millionaires around the Silicon Valley areas signing the Gates-Buffet “Giving Pledge” to make sure they give away half of their fortune.

Where the monies are being invested is also different, and from a philanthropic perspective, it is unconventional. Giving leaders like Sergey Brin, Peter Thiel, Larry Page, and Larry Ellison are investing billions in life-extension research, looking to find a way to prolong life or come back from the dead.

So far, Ellison has given around a half-billion dollars to fund research that will help him live forever. There are hundreds of individual tech investors placing their money in this basket, having their bodies frozen in hopes that science will revive them if their current investments fall short of their goal.

The billionaires and millionaires are also looking to extend human life to other environments, as Jeff Bezos is investing in projects that will seed human beings into space as an alternate residence once Earth gives out.

The Equality of Responsibility

The giving of Silicon Valley has the potential to encourage social progress around the world, but there is still room for improvement. Philanthropy isn’t just a way for the rich to help the poor. Everyone should bear the social responsibility of taking care of their neighbor. If everyone gave a little, the world would see real change.