1. The Frame
What people think this is about: A fresh nonprofit R&D lab building healthier digital public spaces—think libraries and parks, but online—led by Filter Bubble author Eli Pariser and Deepti Doshi to counter toxic algorithms and foster community and pluralism.
What the machinery is actually doing: A 2023-formed 501(c)(3) (EIN 92-3173452) that secured a $1M grant from the Hopewell Fund in 2024, then raised ~$8.85M in contributions for FY2024 while paying its two co-directors ~$230K each plus a COO at ~$168K; it operates as a well-connected vehicle for tech-critique work in the philanthropy ecosystem.
2. Observations
- New Public is a classic post-2023 nonprofit launch: minimal 2023 activity ($500 revenue), then explosive 2024 fundraising and spending once the Hopewell grant and other contributions landed.[1]
- Leadership compensation is front-loaded for a young org—two co-directors and a COO already pulling six figures while total expenses hit $4.1M, with salaries and wages comprising the bulk.[1]
- The mission language (“digital public spaces where people can thrive and connect”) directly echoes Pariser’s prior work and broader philanthropic priorities around platform accountability and “healthy” online discourse.
- Hopewell Fund grants are relationship-driven, not open-application; a $1M award to a brand-new entity signals strong prior networks rather than arm’s-length evaluation.[2]
- Revenue is almost entirely contributions (no meaningful program service revenue yet), typical of movement-building or narrative-shaping nonprofits rather than service-delivery orgs.
- The org’s NTEE code (science/tech research) and early staffing (software engineers, product directors) point to tool-building or research outputs that align with funder interests in reshaping social media incentives.
3. Snapshot
New Public is a recently tax-exempt Oakland-based nonprofit (Oct 2023) whose 2024 Form 990 shows rapid scaling after a major Hopewell Fund grant. Its public face emphasizes reimagining social media as constructive public infrastructure; its financials show heavy investment in personnel and operations funded almost entirely by philanthropic contributions.
4. Timeline of material facts
- 2019: Project origins as New_ Public, with Eli Pariser and Talia Stroud exploring digital public spaces (IT).[3]
- 2022: Deepti Doshi joins as co-director (IT).
- Oct 2023: IRS tax-exempt status granted (LT).
- 2024: $1,000,000 grant from Hopewell Fund recorded on Schedule I (LT).[1]
- FY ending Dec 2024 (filed Sept 2025): $8.86M revenue (nearly all contributions), $4.13M expenses, $4.73M net assets; key comp listed (LT).[1]
5. Sides
New Public / leadership (IT/LT mix)
Steelman: Experienced technologists and researchers with a track record (Pariser’s Filter Bubble) identifying real problems in algorithmic amplification and seeking to prototype better digital commons.
Critique:
LT: The org is new, with limited public output metrics to date.
IT: Rapid compensation and staffing growth in a contribution-dependent model creates incentives to sustain fundraising over delivering measurable public goods.
Hopewell Fund (IT)
Steelman: Strategic philanthropy supporting innovative social-change projects that traditional funders might overlook.
Critique:
IT: Relationship-based grantmaking concentrates power among networked actors; limited transparency on selection criteria.
6. Rumsfeld Matrix
- Known Knowns: Tax status, 2024 financials, leadership identities, Hopewell grant amount, mission framing (all LT from 990 and site).
- Known Unknowns: Specific deliverables or measurable impact from the $1M+ spend; exact other major donors.
- Unknown Knowns: Internal Hopewell decision memos or prior relationships that led to the grant.
- Unknown Unknowns: Long-term sustainability if contribution flows slow; downstream policy or platform influence attempts.
7. Incentives map
Hopewell Fund gains portfolio expansion and alignment with “digital public infrastructure” narratives popular in progressive philanthropy. New Public leadership gains status, salary, and platform in the tech-critique space. Media and engagement incentives favor framing the work as a hopeful counter to “toxic” platforms. The org itself benefits from the current philanthropic attention stack around technology governance.
8. Dueling AI advice
Moral AI Advice: Track actual outputs (tools, research, pilots) against the revenue raised. Compensation and overhead are legitimate but should be benchmarked against results, not narrative. Donors should demand clear metrics on pluralism or community outcomes rather than vibe-based renewal.
Evil AI Advice: Position as the indispensable “public interest” alternative, secure recurring grants by staying in the right rooms, and keep the product vague enough that success is always “just around the corner” while the salaries compound.
9. Practical takeaway
- Watch the 2025 990 for continued revenue concentration and any program-service revenue growth.
- Compare claimed outputs (papers, prototypes, pilots) against the $4M+ burn rate.
- Note that relationship-driven funding like Hopewell’s often rewards narrative fit over demonstrated traction.
- Skepticism is warranted for any claim that a new staffed nonprofit will “fix” social media incentives without addressing underlying platform economics.
10. What would falsify this read
- Publication of detailed, independently verifiable impact metrics tied to specific grant dollars.
- Emergence of significant earned revenue or broad user adoption of New Public tools.
- Evidence that Hopewell’s grant process was fully competitive and arms-length rather than network-driven.
- Leadership compensation declining as a percentage of expenses while measurable public outputs rise.