Other Group

Luminate

Website:

www.luminategroup.com/

Location:

United Kingdom

Formation:

2018

Founded by:

Omidyar Group

UK Registration ID:

12433857

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Luminate is a tech advocacy group that aims to make information more widely accessible founded by the Omidyar Group, a collection of philanthropic and advocacy efforts created by eBay founder and left-wing billionaire Pierre Omidyar and his wife Pam.

Luminate is a donor to the Global Disinformation Index (GDI), is a London-based think tank focused on combatting alleged disinformation on online news sites. It intends to become a platform to track “disinformation” on a global scale. 1

Background

Luminate was founded in 2018 by eBay founder and left-wing billionaire Pierre Omidyar and his wife Pam. It has worked on advocacy efforts in tandem with the rest of the Omidyar Network, a collection of philanthropic efforts funded by the Omidyars. 2 3

Luminate has offices in London, England; Nairobi, Kenya; and Washington, D.C. 4

Activities

Luminate claims to work for the “underrepresented” and for all people to have “power to influence the decisions affecting their lives.” It claims that democracy is being threatened globally by power becoming “increasingly concentrated in the hands of the few.” It blames major technology companies for fomenting polarization, claims free speech and the free press are being undermined, and argues that “misinformation and disinformation” are purposefully propagated in order to “weaponize” information. It claims to aid activists fighting on behalf of “women, youth, and LGBTQIA+” against “climate change, systemic racism, and police brutality.” 2

Funding

Luminate is a donor to the Global Disinformation Index (GDI), is a London-based think tank focused on combatting alleged disinformation on online news sites. It intends to become a platform which to track “disinformation” on a global scale. 1

Leadership

As of 2023, Stephen King was CEO of Luminate, running the organization’s team as well as its strategies. 5 King was a partner at the Omidyar Network leading its governance and citizen engagement initiative prior to joining Luminate. Before joining Omidyar Network, King worked as chief executive of BBC’s Media Action as well as for several nonprofit organizations. 6

Ben Scott, the executive director of Luminate’s project Reset, is the director of Luminate’s Strategic Initiatives. 7 As of 2023, Luminate had over 60 staffers, with branches in multiple continents. 5

In 2023, its board consisted of three people: CEO Stephen King, chair Pat Christen, and Jeff Alvord. Pat Christen is managing director of the Omidyar Group, serving as the senior adviser to Pierre and Pam Omidyar. She sits on the board of multiple organization in the Omidyar Group’s network. She was the president and CEO of Hopelab for more than ten years. She also led the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, the Pangaea Global AIDS Foundation, and the Infectious Diseases Institute at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. 8

Jeff Alvord is managing director of the Omidyar Group and oversees the financial management of Omidyar network organizations. He sits on the board of multiple Omidyar groups and has been an adviser to the Omidyar family for over ten years. He has founded a financial management company as well as a custom design and manufacturing company. 9

References

  1. “Funders.” Global Disinformation Index. Accessed March 18, 2023. https://www.disinformationindex.org/about
  2. “About.” Luminate. Accessed March 18, 2023. https://www.luminategroup.com/about.
  3. “Governance.” Reset.tech. Accessed March 18, 2023. https://www.reset.tech/governance/.
  4. “Contact Us.” Luminate. Accessed March 18, 2023. https://www.luminategroup.com/contact-us.
  5. “Our People.” Luminate. Accessed March 18, 2023. https://www.luminategroup.com/our-people.
  6. “Stephen King.” Luminate. Accessed March 18, 2023. https://www.luminategroup.com/our-people/stephen-king.
  7. “Ben Scott.” Luminate. Accessed March 18, 2023. https://www.luminategroup.com/our-people/ben-scott.
  8. “Pat Christen.” Luminate. Accessed March 18, 2023. https://www.luminategroup.com/our-people/pat-christen.
  9. “Jeff Alvord.” Luminate. Accessed March 18, 2023. https://www.luminategroup.com/our-people/jeff-alvord-1.
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